Familiar theories about the unchanging, archaic nature of Russian rule have become even more entrenched during the Putin era. In Crossing Borders, Michael David-Fox lays out his alternative conception of the nature of Russian-Soviet modernity—one of the thorniest disputes in Russian Studies. In this talk, David-Fox argues that it is relevant to consider what struck contemporary observers as unusual and familiar when they looked across borders. In this context, he will discuss the 1930s visits to the USSR of both leftist and little-known fascist sympathizers of Stalinism.

Michael David-Fox is Professor in the School of Foreign Service and Department of History at Georgetown University. He is founding and executive editor of Kritika: Explorations in Russian and Eurasian History and received his higher degrees from Princeton and Yale. He is author or editor of 12 books, including Showcasing the Great Experiment: Cultural Diplomacy and Foreign Visitors to the Soviet Union, 1921-1941 (2012), which has been translated into Russian and Chinese.

The Washington History Seminar is sponsored jointly by the National History Center of the American Historical Association and the Wilson Center's History and Public Policy Program. It meets weekly during the academic year. See www.wilsoncenter.org/collection/washington-history-seminarfor the schedule, speakers, topics, and dates as well as webcasts and podcasts. The seminar thanks the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations for their support.