Toward a Regional Study of the Origins of the Cold War in Southeastern Europe: British and Soviet Policies in the Balkans, 1945-1949

What is missing from the literature on the origins of the Cold War is a synthesis discussing the interaction between the Balkan policies of the Big Three and regional developments in the Balkan Peninsula. A useful starting point for such a discussion is the examination of the policies of two historic rivals in the region, Britain and the Soviet Union. Moscow's Balkan policy was motivated by considerations of national security and was aimed at the shaping of spheres of influence that would correspond with Stalin's overall European objectives. British interests stemmed from traditional considerations of imperial defense and the need to pursue a great-power policy in the era of superpowers. As the Balkans continued to be a battleground for the clash between British and Soviet imperialisms, the period 1945-1949 witnessed a new imperial division of the Peninsula--a division that was seen with contentment by its architects, despite their high-minded protestations.