| dc.description.abstract | The energy relations between the Soviet Union and Western Europe constitute a very interesting and paramount subject, yet the Soviet perspective and the political motives behind the development of energy relations after the late 1960s, have been studied insufficiently. This thesis endeavours to fill this gap by pondering the political-security objectives of the USSR in two distinct, but interconnected periods, 1968-1973 and 1978-1982. For this cause, documents from Eastern bloc countries, mainly USSR, East Germany and Bulgaria, are used. This multilingual research, including primary sources in Russian, Bulgarian, German and English, has yielded some innovative results. It is concluded that in 1968-1973, the Soviets did not only want to enhance their economy through energy trade with the West, but also aspired to weaken US influence on Western Europe, gradually rendering the latter more conducive to Soviet influence. However, in 1978-1982, the further development of the energy relations, including the construction of the Urengoy pipeline, was linked only to economic considerations. The pipeline’s construction was the result of the existing rifts between the US and Western Europe, caused in the previous years, not the root-cause of the division. This shift in motives is linked here to the economic and technical dependence of the USSR on Western Europe and the satisfaction of the Soviets concerning the accomplishment of the political goals set in 1968-1973, as the Polish and Afghan crises indicate. Therefore, these targets were not sought in 1978-1982. | |
