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Open Access Thesis

Keywords

Diplomatic relations; Soviet Union--Foreign relations--1945-1989; Soviet Union; Soviet Union--Komitet gosudarstvennoĭ bezopasnosti--History; Soviet Union--Komitet gosudarstvennoĭ bezopasnosti; History; Academic theses; 1945-1989;

Abstract

The following thesis looks at possible influences of the Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti (KGB) on the formulation and implementation of Soviet foreign policy. The approach taken to analyze this relationship is to evaluate the activities of the KGB during significant historical events occurring during the Cold War. This thesis is divided into chapters, the first of which illustrates the political connection between the KGB and the key governing body of the Soviet Union, the Politburo. The three succeeding chapters individually cover a specific region of the world: Western Europe and the United States, Eastern Europe and Cuba, and the Middle East and Asia, respectively. Each of these chapters ends with a conclusive overview of their particular region. A final chapter offers a few general conclusions to give a good understanding of KGB operations as a worldwide network. The chapter sections focus on such topics as NATO, the Berlin Crisis of 1961, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Warsaw Pact Organization, the Soviet invasions of Hungary and Czechoslovakia, and KGB activities in Cuba. Additional topics include the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, KGB activity in China, KGB involvement with the Iran Hostage Crisis, and KGB activity during the war in Vietnam. These major events and locations in history were chosen since they offer clear evidence of KGB involvement in furthering the interests of the Soviet Union. A direct relationship between the KGB and the formulation and implementation of Soviet foreign policy will be established, along with a clear understanding of the influences involved in the decision-making process. Although interpreting degrees of influence is a qualitative analysis, the research will show that the degree of influence depends on the specific event being discussed and the interests of the decision-makers. By completing this study, I hope to reveal a relationship between the KGB, the Politburo, and any influence exerted by KGB officials on Politburo members. The degree of influence will be shown by using a case-by-case approach, and will help to illustrate the actual level of influence of the KGB on the main Soviet governing body.

Year of Submission

1997

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Department of Political Science

First Advisor

Kenneth Basom

Second Advisor

Philip Mauceri

Third Advisor

Matthias Kaelberer

Comments

If you are the rightful copyright holder of this thesis and wish to have it removed from the Open Access Collection, please submit a request to scholarworks@uni.edu and include clear identification of the work, preferably with URL.

Date Original

1997

Object Description

1 PDF file (102 leaves)

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

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