3 Review(s)

US–Russian Commercial Relations 1763–1933: Origins of Russiaphobia provides a new look at Russia's sweeping history and events that shaped the modern world. Concise and compelling, this account of Russia's modern history offers a new perspective on some of the most important events of the past century. While studying in communist Poland during the early 1980s, Gavrilov witnessed firsthand the hidden commercial relationship between Soviet Russia and the US. Now, after a decade of research, using US Congressional Reports and documents from the Russian Trade Delegations in London, New York, and Washington, D.C., Gavrilov examines the pecuniary link between communist governments and Western firms, bringing together a cohesive account of the hidden side of history through the commercial deals which occurred behind diplomatic and political events. After the Soviets utilized the communist system to eliminate domestic entrepreneurs and reorganize the Russian economy into government-controlled industrial trusts, the grandest Western firms—many of them military contractors—assumed leading roles in the Soviet economy and were awarded massive contracts under succeeding 5-Year Plans. Not an expert on the Russia-former Soviet Union? No problem. Everything is explained clearly and chronologically with explanatory footnotes and complete citations—a book for novices and experts alike.