All along the Cold War, Switzerland and the Soviet Union maintained commercial relations. And this despite many restrictions caused by the Iron Curtain and the climate of ideological confrontation and profound anti-communist sentiments in Swiss society. So how the trade relations between Switzerland and the Soviet Union emerged and developed between 1945 and 1991? Since this area is not studied, the present research proposes responding to this question and carrying out a detailed analysis in order to understand what Switzerland really benefited from its trade relations with the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

This purpose requires an in-depth study of the activities of all players in the trade and economic dialogue between two countries. It is suggested to tackle the topic from the standpoint of the "hierarchy of relations" that existed at that time between Swiss companies, state authorities of both countries, trade and industry associations. I propose to analyse the direct impact of Switzerland's position concerning the export control measures towards the communist countries established by the Western bloc (CoCom) on the range of goods traded between the URSS and Switzerland of Soviet-Swiss trade throughout the Cold War. Another question that needs to be studied is the hypothesis that Swiss neutrality offers national companies more possibilities in terms of relations with the East than companies from the Western camp.

This interdisciplinary research will draw on economic history, economic geography, economics, and the international political economy. It demonstrates the potential to enhance the knowledge of the interactions between the economic system, the political situation, social dynamics, and cultural values since it focuses on the history of trade relations between Switzerland and the Soviet Union over the period of almost 50 years. The potential impact of the generated knowledge will allow understanding the roots, phases of development, and complexities of trade relations between Switzerland and the Soviet Union during this period. This knowledge, as well as the methodological, didactic and research skills and methods I will acquire in analysing the Swiss-Soviet trade and its transformation from a historical perspective, will be used for building collaborative research projects on commercial relations between the communist bloc countries and other neutral states such as Finland, Sweden, and Austria.