Soviet communism reframed Russia’s identity debate as Europe’s left-right argument

Evidence

The debate in Russia between Slavophiles and Westernizers over the future of Russia was thus replaced by a debate in Europe between left and right over the future of the West and whether or not the Soviet Union epitomized that future. After World War II the power of the Soviet Union reinforced the appeal of communism both in the West and, more significantly, in those non-Western civilizations which were now reacting against the West. Elites in Westerndominated non-Western societies who wished to seduce the West talked in terms of self-determination and democracy; those who wished to confront the West invoked revolution and national liberation. — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 386 (#expands, via linked claim)

By adopting Western ideology and using it to challenge the West, Russians in a sense became closer to and more intimately involved with the West than at any previous time in their history. — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 387 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Communism let Russia claim superiority to the West via Western ideology; Russia’s identity debate between Westernizers and Eurasianists reemerged after communism collapsed; The Russian internal identity debate relocated to Europe as a left-right contest — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 386 (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• The Russian internal identity debate relocated to Europe as a left-right contest #expands (0.92) — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 386
• Adopting Western ideology drew Russia closer to the West than ever #complicates (0.74) — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 387