The Cold War and Soviet Mistrust of Churchill's Pursuit of Detente, 1951-1955

The release of previously unavailable Soviet archives has allowed a re-examination of Anglo-Soviet relations during Winston Churchill's peacetime administration, with special emphasis on the Kremlin's motivation for resisting the Prime Minister's attempts to end the Cold War. Throughout 1951-1955, the time was not yet ripe for détente. The USSR and Western powers were less than willing to accommodate each other. Instead, they engaged in the consolidation of their own blocs and the build-up of t…