Relations with the West after the Cold War

In this film, Dr Edwin Bacon (University of Lincoln), looks how the positive relationship established between Mikhail Gorbachev and President Reagan and his successor President Bush continued with the ascension of Yeltsin to the presidency of Russia. Dr Bacon discusses how Russian perceptions of the West changed with the expansion of NATO and its bombing of Serbia.  The relationship continued to develop through the West’s role in advising Russian officials on how to transition towards a market economy, in particular the period of economic ‘shock therapy’. However, he points out that ultimately the decisions that were made, were decided upon by key figures in the Russian government.