''East Minus West Equals Zero: Russia's Debt to the Western World 862-1962'' (german: Ost minus West gleich Null) is a 1962 book by journalist Werner Keller. The author posits in his polemic that the

modern Modern may refer to: History * Modern history ** Early Modern period ** Late Modern period *** 18th century *** 19th century *** 20th century ** Contemporary history * Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century Phil ...

culture and civilization of Russia and Eastern Slavs in general, including their political institutions, social order, and scientific and technological advances, ''all'' have their ultimate origin in Western Civilization and its creative potential. These durable achievements were supposedly culturally imported through imitation, emulation, and the dynastic and democraphic influence of Western elements in Russia, from Czarist times onwards. The author asserts that not a single contribution of science, arts, technology, or any other aspect of Western civilization had origination in Russia and that every alleged cultural and scientific achievement of Russia from its late medieval inception to the Space Race has effectively been a copy of Western achievements. The book was well received by the critics of its era. Published shortly after the erection of the

Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (german: Berliner Mauer, ) was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and East Germany (GDR). Construction of the Berlin Wall was commenced by the government ...

, it exacerbated

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

feeling in the then West German public.

References

{{reflist 1962 non-fiction books Books about Russia Books about the Cold War Anti-Russian sentiment