The American Mission and the 'Evil Empire': The Crusade for a 'Free Russia' since 1881

by David S. Foglesong

• ISBN13: 9780521671835
• ISBN10: 0521671833
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-10-15
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

David Foglesong tells the fascinating story of American efforts to liberate and remake Russia since the 1880s. He analyzes the involvement of journalists, political activists, propagandists, missionaries, diplomats, engineers, and others in this grand crusade, paying special attention to the influence of religious beliefs on Americans' sense of duty to emancipate, convert, or reform Russia. He discusses the impact of popular debates about changing Russia on how Americans felt about the United States, showing how the belief that Russia was being remade in America's image reaffirmed faith in America's special virtue and historic mission and that opposition to the spread of American influence in Russia was characterized as evil from the late nineteenth century. While the main focus is on American thinking and action, the book also discusses the responses of Russian and Soviet governments, Russian Orthodox priests, and ordinary Russians to American propaganda campaigns, missionary work, and popular culture.

Author Biography

David S. Foglesong is Associate Professor of History at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey

Table of Contents

List of illustrations	p. vi
Preface	p. ix
Introduction	p. 1
"Free Russia": origins of the first crusade, 1881-1905	p. 7
"The United States of Russia": culmination and frustration, 1905-20	p. 34
Doors opened and closed: opportunities and obstructions in early Soviet Russia, 1921-40	p. 60
Revival: hopes for a new Russia during the Grand Alliance, 1941-45	p. 83
Visions of "liberation," 1945-53	p. 107
Evolution, not revolution: the eclipse of "liberation" and the pursuit of "liberalization," 1954-74	p. 129
Recovering the faith: renewal of the crusade, 1974-80	p. 155
The Reagan mission and the "evil empire," 1981-89	p. 174
Mission unaccomplished: America and post-Soviet Russia	p. 196
Epilogue	p. 219
Notes	p. 230
Bibliography	p. 310
Index	p. 344
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