"Standard histories of the Cold War assume that the Soviet Union exercised a lockstep control over the docile “satellite nations,” the latter being little more than puppets within a monolithic “Soviet Bloc.” The new documents throw a different light on the relationship between Moscow and its allies. Communist leaders in Poland, Hungary, East Germany, Cuba, Afghanistan, and elsewhere “could and did act in pursuit of their own interests, sometimes goading the Kremlin into involvements it did not want.”"
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Academics from the United StatesHistorians from the United StatesCritics from the United StatesCultural criticsMedia critics
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Ch. 4, Section: Cold War in the Archives
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Michael_Parenti
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Michael Parenti
Michael Parenti (September 30, 1933 – January 24, 2026) was an American political scientist, historian and media critic.
129 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Michael Parenti →
Related Quotes
"Nations that chart a self-defining course, seeking to use their land, labor, natural resources, and markets as they s…"
"It may come as a surprise to some academics, but there is a marked relationship between economic power and political …"
"No country that pursues an independent course of development shall be allowed to prevail as a dangerous example to ot…"
"The few remaining communist governments, such as North Korea and Cuba, were no longer portrayed as instruments of Mo…"
"In sum, the Nobel Peace Prize often has nothing to do with peace and too much to do with war. It frequently sees "pea…"
"After years of encirclement and repeated rebuffs from Washington, years of threat, isolation, and demonization, the P…"
"Countries with ostensibly democratic governments often manifest a markedly undemocratic state power."
"History has many unanswered questions, but it is no mystery as such—except for those who make it so."
"For years the Dalai Lama was on the payroll of the CIA, an agency that has perpetrated killings against rebellious wo…"
"The close relationship between politics and economics is neither neutral nor coincidental. Large governments evolve t…"