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Russian psychoanalysis has an unusual history. There were periods of sensitivity and of active organization which could have led to a stable and fruitful development, but within two decades the visible traces of this epoch had disappeared. There were also the heroic figures of the psychoanalysts who returned to Russia to develop psychoanalysis there, but, in spite of their reputation in Europe and their sincere desire to help their country, they failed. Above all, there were the rather odd messages that passed between professional psychoanalysts and politicians. These made use of psychoanalytic concepts but in general they changed and distorted the very nature of psychoanalysis.
Nevertheless I believe that this strange Russian story is an integral part of the international history of psychoanalysis. Sometimes it took this history to absurd extremes; but even then it was still part of the same international history. The plans and actions of the Russian psychoanalysts were logical consequences of general intellectual trends in Europe.
Freud and his early followers lived in an environment redolent of Russian political and economic influences. Freud's mother spent several years in Odessa; his father began a business there and failed; his sons fought against Russia in the battles of the Great War. And Freud's disciples came to Russia to spread his teachings.
Even in Paris Freud found a Russian milieu. His best friend at the time of his collaboration with Charcot was the Russian psychiatrist Darkshevich, Lenin's future physician. Charcot himself treated members of the Tsar's family. Freud dreamed of curing Nicholas II of his obsessional neuroses and of financing the psychoanalytical congresses with fees from the Tsar - a plan that reminds us of Charcot's successes, of Jacob Freud's Odessa venture, and also the profitable years