German historian and publicist Gerd Koenen, based on interesting documentary material, examines the history and evolution of the image of the “East” and Russia in the minds of Germans in the first half of the 20th century. Polemicizing with historians who believe that Russophobic tendencies date back to the 19th century. turned this image into a complex of “Russian (and then Red) danger,” he argues that it would be more accurate to describe this “complex” as “oscillation between fear and admiration, phobic defensive repulsion and passionate attraction, which are counter-current and often intertwined.” The book intended for specialist historians and a wide range of readers interested in the history of relations between Russia and Germany.