Foreign Policy Essay

Question 1

German Aggression

Answer 1

• In 1918 the signing of the Treaty of Brest Litovsk was seen as a pragmatic decision from the Bolshevik party; while it removed the fear of German invasion in Russia, it also posed a significant challenge to the inherent ideological goals of the communist party.
• A key concern of Marxist revolutionary theory, involves internationalist foreign policy, yet the cessations of 30% of the Russian population, 32% of its farming land, 89% of its coal mines and 54% of its industrial capacity, clearly contradict this.
• The signing of the treaty left socialist revolutionaries furious at the betrayal and many Bolsheviks horrified at the scale of the treaty. Comparatively, the signing of the treaty can also be seen as an ideological manoeuvre, removing themselves from a capitalist war.
• Following the end of the Civil War in Russia, which had devastated the economy and diplomatically isolated the nation, the signing of the Treaty of Rapallo in April 1922 served as a survivalist foreign policy tactic and facilitated a series of normative state relations. Being a treaty of cooperation between Germany and Russia, this was a clear indication that the Bolsheviks had somewhat abandoned ideological goals in foreign policy when forming an alliance with a fascist regime.
• Historian E.H Carr affirms this, noting, “Rapallo secured for the Soviet Union its first recognition by a great power”.
• In 1921, the 10th Party Congress introduced New Economic Policy (NEP), a brief return to small scale capitalism, driven by the need for the country to economically recover.
• Subsequently, inside Russia, Trosky’s support for permanent revolution in foreign policy, stepping away from normative state relations, failed to garner support as Stalin’s notion of socialism in one country more accurately captures the national milieu, who were unprepared to return to the conditions of War Communism.
• Trotsky’s defeat in the struggle for power, largely orchestrated by Stalin’s accusations of factionialism against him, his eventual expulsion from the Party and the USSR sees the end of a serious fanning of revolution in the West.
• Furthermore, normative state relations with Germany continued up until the end of this period After Stalin was excluded from the Munich Agreement in 1938, he became increasingly suspicious of Britain and France hoping that war would break out between Germany and the USSR. During talks between Great Britain and France, Stalin began secret negotiations with the Germans and on the 23rd of August 1939, the Molotov Ribbentrop Pact was signed, creating German and Soviet Union ‘spheres of influence’ in Eastern Europe.

Question 2

Alliances with Britain and France

Answer 2

• The Soviet Union’s entrance into the League of Nations in 1934 was a significant moment in its foreign policy and international relations, propagating an overt desire to cooperate and engage in normative relations as opposed to pursuing ideological dominance. Joining the League represented a diplomatic milestone for the USSR, which had initially been excluded due to Western suspicions and ideological differences following the Russian Revolution and subsequent civil war. - Furthemore, the Soviet Union’s alliances with Britain and France throughout the 1930s under the guise of “collective security” undoubtedly engendered a normative relations approach to foreign policy, directly entering into alliances with imperialist nations. One of the key diplomatic treaties was the Franco-Soviet Treaty of Mutual Assistance signed in 1935 as well as the Anglo-Soviet treaty, pledging a united approach in the face of German aggression.
• The ‘Zinoviev Letter Affair’, in 1924 calling upon the British Communist Party to join forces with the Bolsheviks in seditious activities towards the government, served as a critical turning point in Anglo-Soviet relations. The letter strained relations between the Soviet Union and Britain at the time by purporting Soviet interference in British politics, leading to increased hostility and suspicion towards communism in the West.
• Comintern’s support for British miners in the General Strike of 1926, which did not ultimately culminate to anything. Thus, by the end of the decade, there was a clear tension between ideological goals and normative state relations, yet it is clear that Soviet foreign policy was once again unsuccessful in maintaining its ideological goals.

Question 3

Permanent Revolution

Answer 3

• Establishment of the Comintern in 1919 under Zinoviev, a body specifically designed to influence nations towards the path of Communism. Their influence was seen as effective in their support for the fledgling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 1922, establishing the Treaty of Friendship and Mutual Assistance in 1950.
• Furthermore, After the 1929 Wall Street Crash, many Bolsheviks believed that capitalism was collapsing. This strengthened Stalin’s ideological authority. The Comintern was now a key aspect of Stalin’s foreign policy. While appearing to be increasingly radical, it was now under the tight control of Stalin. Only international organisations that would accept his complete leadership were permitted to work with the Comintern.
  Growth of fascism in France alarming Stalin, and forcing him to advocate for a Popular Front to work with any anti-fascist party. The French Communist Party (PCP) softened its political rhetoric and began to support ideas of ‘collective security’ and ‘military strength’. One of their most popular slogans in the 1936 election was ‘for a strong, free, and happy France”.