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The Cold War in the Fields: The Battle for Tractor Markets

A New Front in the Cold War: Agriculture as Economic Warfare

In December 1971, amid the familiar sights of the Smithfield Agricultural Show in London, an unassuming red tractor stole the spotlight. Displayed proudly under the Soviet pavilion, the MTZ50 Bellarus was no ordinary farming machinery—it was a weapon in a broader geopolitical strategy. Priced at roughly 35% less than Western counterparts like John Deere, this tractor was part of an audacious Soviet effort to break into Western agricultural markets through economic means.