Moscow’s Cold War on the Periphery: Soviet Policy in Greece, Iran, and Turkey, 1943—8

Abstract

This article examines Soviet policy towards Greece, Iran and Turkey during the early Cold War. It argues that Stalin’s aims in relation to these countries were limited and secondary to more important goals in Europe. Equally, the postwar crises in Greece, Turkey, and Iran played a critical role in shaping differing Soviet and Western perceptions of the causes of the Cold War. An important part of the story on the Soviet side was the role of wounded national pride in propelling Stalin into the Cold War.