Perceptions of Germany’s Westernization in Russia

In the 20^th century, Germany has turned from a country feared for the terror it inflicted on its neighbors in both the East and West to a power firmly integrated in Western institutions and political culture. The victory over German fascism is celebrated as a major success of the Soviet Union in Russia. Yet, the subsequent Westernization of Germany is not greeted as unequivocally by Russians. Many hoped for Germany to take a more independent stand between the United States and Russia. The German position on the war in Ukraine seems to have destroyed these hopes (Zagorski 2015). Is Germany today perceived as representing “the West”, or does it still occupy a special role in Russian perceptions? Could its Westernization be a potential role-model for Russians or will they become more alienated from Germany in the future? The paper will develop hypotheses along the lines of these questions on the basis of a literature review and conceptual considerations. It will argue that, while Germany’s position on the Ukraine conflict has an impact on Germany’s perception by Russian elites, this perception change will not affect the image of Germany in the wider population, which will continue to regard Germany more positively than the “rest of the West”.