International relations 1929-43

Question 1

Relations with Germany early 1930s

Answer 1

Renegotiation of Treaty of Berlin in 1931, Germany benefitting militarily from alliance e.g. Junkers aircraft factory near Moscow and Pilot school in Lipetsk.

Question 2

Stalin’s response to the rise of Hitler

Answer 2

Slow to react, perhaps pleased as he saw as step towards destruction of capitalism, however 1933-4 put aside Rapallo Period to strengthen with Western democracies.

Question 3

Nekrich’s argument

Answer 3

Stalin’s foreign policy was consistently focussed on war between the west and Germany with neutral USSR, not zig-zag.

Question 4

Opening relations with the USA

Answer 4

American embassy established in Moscow 1933, Litvinov established as the acceptable face of USSR, visited Washington 1933 formally opening relations.

Question 5

Who were the Riga Watchers

Answer 5

Before 1933, use American watchers use Latvia as a listening post for the USSR.

Question 6

Significance of Japan

Answer 6

Historic rivalry with Russia e.g. 1904 war, 1931 Japan invaded Manchuria, worry Western powers and the USSR.

Question 7

Joining the League of Nations

Answer 7

September 1934, collective security step against Russia, Germany and Japan had both withdrawn 1933 hence the shift from both sides.

Question 8

What were ‘popular fronts’

Answer 8

In response to rise of fascism, ‘anti-fascist solidarity’ between liberals and the left, 1935 popular front government in France.

Question 8

Changing Cominterm policy 1934-5

Answer 8

Previous hard-line policy of not supporting ‘social fascists’, official policy 1935 to support popular front governments.

Question 9

Relations with Poland

Answer 9

Non-aggression pact 1932 extended into a 10 year agreement in 1934.

Question 10

Relations with France

Answer 10

Non-aggression pact 1932, basis for pact of Mutual Assistance in 1935 as France became concerned about Nazi rearmament, however pact was very vague as didn’t specify when exactly it would be activated.

Question 11

Relations with Czechoslovakia

Answer 11

1935 following French pact, pact to intervene in Czechoslovakia if they were invaded by a ‘third party’… as long as France did too, pressure put on French Communist party to get the pact through, and Litvinov a key player.

Question 12

Impact of remilitarising the Rhineland

Answer 12

March 1936, directly contravened the Treaty of Versailles but France and Britain did not intervene, weakening faith in France-Soviet pact, set context for reaction to Spanish Civil War.

Question 13

Spanish Civil War

Answer 13

1936 Nationalists under Franco rebelled against centre-left coalition, had support from the Army and Church, became representative of global struggle between far-left and right.

Question 14

Other state’s reactions to the Spanish Civil War

Answer 14

both Italy and Germany sent military support to the Nationalist, France wanted to prevent the war spreading so proposed agreement of non-intervention, Stalin initially went along with it as well as Britain.

Question 15

Stalin’s early involvement in Spanish Civil War

Answer 15

Decided to intervene in September 1936, saw weakness in French and British responses to fascism, large scale, hundreds of ‘advisers’ and military sent to Spain costing £88m. Soviet troops followed Moscow not the Spanish Republicans and propaganda went into overdrive including a mass rally in 1937.

Question 16

Weaknesses of Stalin’s involvement in Spain.

Answer 16

Charged government for help and made it dependent on not supporting Trotskyist (e.g. POUM) or Anarchist forces, caused infighting in the left.

Question 17

Change in Stalin’s intervention in Spain

Answer 17

From 1937 military commitment scaled down, aim to prolong the war and weaken fascist forces, and because of disillusionment with France and Britain.

Question 18

Threats in 1937

Answer 18

Stalin knew from intelligence that Hitler was preparing for a ‘war of aggression’ and planning Eastern European expansion, Japan had also launched war of aggression in China, Western powers seemed unreliable and toothless after appeasement policies.

Question 19

German expansion in 1938

Answer 19

March they incorporated Austria in to the German Reich, obvious next target Czechoslovakia and Nazi’s stirred up unrest there in German speaking Sudetenland to join Germany, should have triggered the 1935 pact but increasingly unlikely.

Question 20

The Munich Conference

Answer 20

Chamberlain wanted to directly negotiate with Hitler, Munich Conference between UK, France, Italy, and Germany, USSR not invited despite previous pacts, and Czechoslovakia not invited despite situation, triggered anti-western feeling from Stalin leading to pact with Hitler.

Question 21

Rising threat of Japan in 1936

Answer 21

Previous threat exacerbated by Anti-Comintern pact with Germany in 1936, agreement to take action against ‘interference’, Italy joined in 1937, forming the Axis powers.

Question 22

Reaction to Anti-Comintern pact

Answer 22

USSR stationed military troops along frontier, spilled over into war May to September 1939, decisive battle at Khalkhin Gol where over 75% of Japanese troops killed.

Question 23

Consequences of 1939 Russo-Japanese war

Answer 23

Japan suffered significant defeats, expansionists left the Soviet Union alone, led to shift in policy from Stalin that led to Nazi-Soviet pact.

Question 24

Reasons for Nazi-Soviet pact

Answer 24

Hitler wanted to invade Poland without West and Stalin allied against him, Stalin wanted to avoid a two front war against Japan and Germany, he wanted Germany and the west to fight each other. For Hitler the pact let him invade Poland and gave him raw materials from Russia, Stalin got territorial gains and allowed him breathing space to focus internally.

Question 25

French and British weaknesses leading up to Nazi-Soviet pact

Answer 25

Promised military assistance to Poland but not feasibly possible without Soviet help and Polish reluctant to let USSR into country, show complete lack or urgency, delegation only arrive in August 1939 in Moscow and Stalin had already negotiated with Hitler.

Question 26

Terms of the Nazi Soviet pact

Answer 26

Signed August 1939, divided up Eastern Europe e.g. Stalin get Estonia, Finland, Eastern Poland, Hitler get Lithuania, West Poland etc

Question 27

The Winter War

Answer 27

Soviets invaded Finland November 1939 with larger force but went very badly, purges weakened the Red Army, peace in 1940 and 10% Finnish territory go to USSR but still a failure.

Question 28

Stalin’s miscalculations over the Nazi-Soviet pact

Answer 28

Strength of French Army: he thought they would last for years but France fell rapidly in June 1940, Germany not weakened.
Trusting Hitler: Stalin stuck to his side of deal and paid in gold and raw materials but 1940 Hitler already planning to invade, Stalin ignored intelligence reports from the Allies so was not prepared for invasion.