Dates & Foreign Policy Actions Flashcards
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (5) Was is aggressive or defensive?
Who: Germany and Russia
What: formal peace treaty to take Russia out of WW1
When: March 1918
Where: Belarus
Why: Lenin had promised ‘peace, bread and land’ and he realised that to keep these promises and ensure the success of the Revolution he had to make peace with the Germans.
It was defensive: Lenin aimed to protect the new state from hostile neighbours and ensure its survival
Aggressive: he also cancels Tsarist debts to the west because such a thing didn’t exist in the new communist nation
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk motivations (2)
Security - USSR couldn’t afford to keep on fighting. Lenin also announced that if the people supported him, he would take them out of the war
Ideological - Lenin was taking USSR out of a capitalist war
Comintern (5) Aggressive or Defensive?
Who: 51 representatives of more than 2 dozen countries from around Europe, North America and Asia attended
What: An international organisation set up to spread revolution across the world and advocate for world communism
When: March 1919
Where: Moscow
Why: January 1919 the revolutionary wave in Europe was at its peak. At its first meeting, Comintern appealed to the workers of all countries to support the Soviet regime by any means necessary
aggressive - included, if necessary ‘revolutionary means’ in their appeal. Such an appeal was likely to fuel fears in Western Europe
Comintern motivations (1)
- Ideologically motivated to promote communism and being foreign communist parties under Comintern control
Treaty of Brest Litovsk success or failure (2)
Success - over Brest-Litovsk Lenin showed a much clearer understanding of the realities of 1918 than Trotsky with his policy of ‘neither peace nor war’ or Bukharin with his impractical idea of transforming the war into a revolutionary war
Failure: lost large quantities of land
Comintern success or failure (2)
Failure: long term failure. Activities of Comintern to try stir up workers’ revolution in Germany didn’t help relations and initially relations with Britain and France deteriorated as they refused to sign any agreement with a communist state
Success: All communist parties became organised under Lenin e.g Germany, Italy and others
Civil War (5) Aggressive or Defensive?
Who: A mixture of conflicts between Bolsheviks and the Reds and anti-Bolsheviks and the Whites, including Tsarist supporters, western forces and pre-war generals
What: A multi-party Civil War following the 2 Russian revolutions of 1917. Red Army under Lenin was fighting for the Bolshevik form of socialism. Loosely allied forces ( the Whites) fought a war that would further degrade and destroy the Russian state and society
When: Nov 1917 to June 1923
Where: USSR, Eastern Europe
Why: Treaty of Brest-Litovsk cost Russia a third of its pre-war population, a third of its agricultural land and 3/4 of its industry. This sparked a civil war.
Defensive - the west was hostile to Soviet Union Therefore defence was necessary
Civil war motivations (2)
Ideological - civil war was in itself communism versus capitalism and democratic variants since whites were supported by foreign capitalists
Security - temporary capitalist intervention from the West demonstrated to the Bolsheviks that an isolated USSR was vulnerable and for a communist regime to survive it would have to ensure its security in the future
Civil war success or Failure? (2)
Success
- the policies of war communism, the disunity and savagery of White forces and the leadership of Trotsky and the red army were all factors that helped the Bolshevik forces win the civil war
- Lenin also devised a new economic policy to survive the post civil war period
Russo-Polish war (5) Aggressive or Defensive ? (2)
Who: Second polish republic and Soviet Russia
What: Poland launched an attack on the new Bolshevik state. After early Bolshevik advances the Poles won a decisive victory outside Warsaw. From this point onwards the Bolsheviks were in retreat and in October 1920 a ceasefire was signed
When: Feb 1919 - October 1920
Where: Central and Eastern Europe
Why: The Paris Peace Settlement 1919 meant that Poland was to receive land from Russia up to a line known as the Cursor line. New polish leadership was unhappy with this arrangement, preferring to see Poland returned to its historic borders
Defensive - the poles attacked Bolsheviks first and Bolsheviks had to sign a ceasefire in October 1920
Aggressive - Lenin used aggressive rhetoric, referring to Poland as the Red Bridge into Europe
Russo-Polish war success or failure (2)
- Failure to achieve red bridge into Europe
Disputed territories were divided between Russia and Poland - Poland doesn’t become communist
Genoa Conference (5) Aggressive or Defensive
Who: USSR and 35 other nations
What: An economic conference held to allow military and economic links between USSR and other countries to discuss the economic reconstruction of central and Eastern Europe
When: April - May 1922
Where: Genoa, Italy
Why: Planned to deal with Germany and Russia, both of which were considered ‘pariah states’ and were excluded from Paris Peace Conference 1919
Defensive - centred on coexistence between communist and capitalist nations
Genoa Conference motivations
Economic - Lenin realised USSR had to live in the real world and couldn’t afford to be isolated and therefore had to trade with other countries
Success or failure (2)
Failure - the major powers at first agreed on a contingency package of financial aid to Russia, but the Allies couldn’t agree on the final plan and nothing was offered
Success - the Genoa Conference provided the opportunity for Germany and Soviets to finalise the Treaty of Rapallo
Treaty of Rapallo (5) Aggressive or Defensive?
Who: Germany and USSR
what: Agreement under which each renounced all territorial and financial claims against the other
When: April 1922
Where: Rapallo, Italy
why: in order to re-establish normal relations and strengthen economic ties between the two countries that had been outcasts from the concert of European powers
Defensive - Germany the only willing partner from the Genoa Conference. USSR was the one who had to build up alliances
Treaty of Rapallo motivations (1)
Economic - land, military links, trade and technology were on the table
Treaty of Rapallo success of failure (4)
Initial success - the USSR showed that it could be pragmatic and work with capitalist states if necessary for survival (policy of coexistence)
- Lenin went into negotiations being more realistic since survival was their main priority post Russo-Polish war
- achieved necessary links
Failure:
- results were limited by Locarno Treaty 1925 as Germany grew closer to Britain and France
Anglo-Soviet Trade Agreement (5)
Who: signed between Britain and Soviet Russia
What: to facilitate trade between Britain and USSR. It ended the British Blockade and Russian parts were now open to British ships
When: March 1921
Where: London
Why: Lenin’s New Economic Policy downplayed socialism and emphasised business dealings with capitalist countries in an effort to restart the sluggish Russian economy
Defensive - Lenin had to change his motivations and policies to focus on the economy and improve relations with other countries to ensure the regimes survival
Anglo-Soviet Trade Agreement motivations (2)
Economic - trade was mutually profitable
Security - improve relations to ensure the survival of the Bolshevik regime
