“Communist militarism” and the “Monroe Doctrine” in the interpretation of soviet and british political leadership, mid-1920s

Drawing on sources that were previously either inaccessible to researchers or poorly studied, including analytical notes by diplomatic and military experts, testimonies of direct participants in the events, as well as materials from special periodicals, the meaning and content of two concepts, “communist militarism” as interpreted by some leaders of the Comintern and the “Monroe Doctrine” as interpreted by representatives of the British establishment, are examined for the first time by means of comparative analysis. While analysing the policies of both Moscow and London in Central, East, and especially South Asia, the author seeks to identify common and specific features of both concepts in terms of their theoretical significance and practical feasibility during the so-called “era of pacifism” of the mid-1920s. Primary attention is paid to the problem of the formation of the Asian vector of foreign policy, which the Soviet leadership faced, in comparison with the desire of the British ruling circles to adapt the Empire to the realities of the industrial age.