From Industrial Imagination to Cold War Realities: Soviet-American Encounters and Perceptions

Session Submission Type: Panel

Brief Description

This panel examines the multifaceted encounters and exchanges between the Soviet Union and the United States across the twentieth century. Anton Panov explores how Soviet technical specialists perceived American industry at the turn of 1920s and 1930s, analyzing their travelogues and impressions of the United States as a model of industrialization and capitalist society. Justin Ramsey delves into the role of public transportation in Soviet socialism during the 1930s to 1950s, highlighting the planning and implementation of metro and trolleybus systems in Leningrad and Riga and their significance in shaping the urban experience under state socialism. Moving into the Cold War era, Victoria Avanskaya examines Nikita Khrushchev's visit to the United States in the late 1950s, investigating the emotional and perceptual impact of his interactions with ordinary Americans during the height of the Cold War tensions. The research is based on a body of letters sent by American citizens to Khrushchev before and during his trip. Finally, Iana Shchetinskaia discusses the complexities of U.S.-Soviet academic exchange programs in the 1960s and 1970s, exploring how the Cold War context influenced the dynamics of mutual contact and exchange, and the various factors that shaped class, gender, and intellectual aspects of the exchange. Together, these papers offer insights into the evolving nature of U.S.-Soviet relations and the diverse ways in which encounters and exchanges shaped perceptions and experiences on both sides of the Cold War divide.

Sub Unit

• History: 1945-1990

Chair

• Aleksandr O

Papers

• 'Every Worker is His Own Inspector!': Images of American Industry in the Travelogues of Soviet Technical Specialists, 1920s-1930s - Anton P

• Transporting the Proletariat: City Transit and Soviet Socialism, 1930s-1950s - Justin Ramsey, U of Rochester

• How Nikita Khrushchev Confused the Minds and Emotions of American People: Soviet Leader’s 1959 Trip to the US - Victoria A

• The Limits of 'Mutual Understanding': U.S.-Soviet Cold War Academic Exchange, 1960s-1970s - Iana Shchetinskaia, SUNY Binghamton

Discussant

• Dina Fainberg, City St George's, U of London (UK)