Beginning with the Russian Revolution in 1917, the West?s response to communism has shaped relations between America, Europe, and the Third World. The Treaty of Versailles, the rise of fascism, World War II, the postwar settlement, the Cold War, and the war in Vietnam cannot be understood apart from the West?s relationship with the former Soviet Union. The current wars in the Middle East are demanding a finer U.S. understanding of the new Russia.