«To protect Europe from itself»: new study of the USSR’s foreign policy on the eve of World War II

The review examines M. J. Carley’s recent monograph on the foreign policy of the Soviet Union during the period 1930–1936. Based on a wide range of sources, including documents from Russian archives, the author examines the relationship between the USSR and potential allies in its efforts to counter aggressive expansionism in Eurasia, namely the United States, Great Britain, and France. According to Carley, the Soviet effort to reach an agreement on repelling revisionism was hindered by political restrictions and ideological biases in Western countries. The reviewer acknowledges the strength of Carley’s argument, which emphasizes the significant role played by Western countries’ opposition to communism in limiting their response to Soviet diplomatic initiatives. According to the author, the monograph in question identifies a number of issues that should form the foundation for future research, primarily, the issue of the mechanism for making foreign policy decisions in the USSR.