The German Question in Moscow's "Common European Home": A Background to the Revolutions of 1989

Abstract

This two-year effort seeks to identify and explain the major elements of continuity and change in Soviet national security organization, concepts, and goals since the emergence of President Mikhail Gorbachev and his new political thinking. It looks beyond the rhetoric of "glasnost" and "perestroika" to the underlying motivations that account for the many departures that have lately occurred in such areas as Soviet declaratory policy, operational training, national security decision making, and defense resource allocation. This Note explores Soviet views on the European security environment on the eve of the momentous events of 1989, which led to the collapse of the Warsaw Pact and paved the way for the unification of the two German states. It focuses on the thinking of the Soviet policy making community concerning the future political outlook for Western Europe, the U.S. military presence in Europe, the role of the NATO alliance, and the "German Question," as well as long-term implications for Soviet security.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1991
Accession Number
ADA255884

Entities

People

  • Eugene B. Rumer

Organizations

  • RAND Corporation

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter WMD
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agreements
  • Cold War
  • Continents
  • Eastern Europe
  • European Communities
  • European Union
  • Foreign Policy
  • Germany
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Organizations
  • International Relations
  • National Security
  • Treaties
  • United States
  • Ussr
  • West Germany
  • Western Europe

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP).