Конференция FRIENDSHIP OF CONVENIENCE: COMECON MEMBER-COUNTRIES FACING THE COLD WAR

International Conference

FRIENDSHIP OF CONVENIENCE: COMECON MEMBER-COUNTRIES FACING THE COLD WAR

 

​Chelyabinsk State University

 

 

The Cold War was a complex and multifaceted phenomenon extending beyond just chronological framework. Ideological confrontation and economics restrictions, after the Second World War, stimulated the emergence of new forms of cooperation between socialist countries.

Taking into account the growing interest in the history of cooperation between the socialist countries, we want to address the problem of motivation for cooperation in the field of economics, scientific and technological developments, and cultural as well as ideological exchange. In which cases was cooperation forced by a political will? Which cases were situational (determined by external factors) and in what purposeful step, on the path to the “victory of communism”? Can cooperation be considered within the framework of CMEA as a mechanism for adapting to the conditions of the Cold War? How were specific projects and areas of cooperation motivated during the different CMEA periods, and in the context of the C​old War events?

The above questions are a starting point for discussion and do not limit the subject of reports. In any case, our aim is to bring together historians of Cold War and socialist countries, in cooperation, to discuss current research projects and actual methodological problems.

The conference aims to stimulate discussions, in order to identify and understand motives of socialist cooperation. We are open to proposals for roundtables and discussion topics.

We also hope that an informal atmosphere will emerge for a productive discussion of professional issues.