Stalin and International Relations Flashcards
When had cooperation between USSR and Germany been established and when was the most intense period of Soviet military cooperation with Germany?
By the 1922, Treaty of Rapallo and consolidated by the Treaty of Berlin in 1926
Most intense military cooperation = 1929-32
How did the SU benefit from German cooperation?
Benefitted from German technical expertise for the modernisation of industry and armaments production - Stalin made deals with German armament manufacturers in order to acquire modern weapons
What did Germany and USSR negotiate in 1931 and what was the problem?
The continuation of the Treaty of Berlin - by then the Soviet-German relationship was beginning to come under strain
How did Germany benefit from cooperation with Russia?
The vastness of Russian territory enabled the German Army to carry through military developments that were forbidden under the ToV. Areas of operation included the Junkers aircraft factory as Fili, a training school for German pilots at Lipetsk in Ukraine, as well as facilities for practicing tank warfare and a joint facility for developing poison gas weapons
What happened with Soviet-German relations in the early 1930’s?
Soviet-German trade slowed significantly
Relations also affected by the changes in the policies of the Comintern
By 1932 with the Nazi party gaining mass electoral support, it seemed certain that political upheaval in Germany would force a change in Soviet policy
What was Stalin slow to react to and what is a possible reason for this?
The rise of Hitler- he was possibly pleased about it because it would accelerate the collapse of capitalism
In 1933-34 why was the ‘Rapallo period’ of cooperation with Germany put to one side and what did Stalin keep open?
Stalin showed an interest in collective security and improved relations with the Western democracies but despite the ideological divide between Nazism and Communism, Stalin kept his options open for a possible return to cooperation with Germany
What are the two views of Stalin’s foreign policies in the 30’s
Complicated and contradicting, frequently changing according to circumstance
Or that Stalin had a single-minded obsession with security and while tactics were unpredictable the objective was always the same. Some historians claim there was a consistent ‘Stalin Doctrine’ in the 1930’s of wanting a war between Germany and the capitalist west that would weaken both sides allowing the USSR to remain neutral
As the SU moved away from diplomatic isolation what happened in 1933?
Diplomatic relations established with the US. An American embassy was established in Moscow, allowing US diplomats to operate within the USSR instead of relying on the ‘Riga Watchers’ who previously reported on the SU from nearby Latvia
What were Riga Watchers?
American foreign policy experts, who used Riga (the capital of independent Latvia) as a ‘listening post’ from which to observe developments inside Russia
What two factors were important in opening the way for the USSR to join the LoN?
US diplomatic recognition and the personal diplomacy of the Foreign Commissar, Litvinov
What were the strengths of Litvinov?
His long experience of the West and his polished social background, gave him credibility with Western diplomats
By 1933 he was well-established as the ‘acceptable face’ of the Soviet regime
It was a visit to Washington, by Litvinov in 1933 that finalised the agreement to re-open formal relations
Apart from skilful diplomacy, what other issue pushed the US and the SU towards recognition?
Both Stalin and America were worried about the rise of Japan (the country that had invaded Manchuria in 1931 and seemed set for further militaristic expansion)
Why did bringing the USSR into the LoN appeal to the Western powers?
It was viewed as a desirable step towards strengthening collective security against threats of Japanese or German aggression
What is the history of the fears of Japanese aggression?
Russia deeply involved in the far east from 1890’s with building of trans-Siberian railway and expansionist Russian ambitions in Manchuria, to exploit the weakness of the Chinese empire
Japan also had ambitions in Manchuria and had fought a war against china 1894-95
This rivalry led to the Russo-Japanese War in 1904, settled by American mediation in 1905
The continued rise of Japanese military power and their occupation of Manchuria in 1931 was a major concern for Stalin, and also for the Western powers, especially the US
Outwardly how was the entry into the League viewed but what had changed?
Outwardly viewed as a radical change in soviet policy but by 1934 the international situation was very different - Japan and Germany had left the LoN and there was a renewed interest in collective security - the major powers were anxious for the USSR to join the league and Stalin saw advantage in doing so
When was the USSR admitted to the League?
September 1934
When and how did Stalin take further steps towards supporting collective security?
1934 and 1935. The hard-line policy enforced on the Comintern from 1928 was scrapped.
Stalin now announced a new official policy to support broad-based ‘popular fronts’ in other countries. Soviet communism was to cooperate with democratic socialists in the fight against fascism. He announced this new line in Pravda in 1934 and it become official policy at the Comintern Congress in Moscow in 1935
How was Stalin slow to react to the rise of Hitler?
He did little to protest against the repression of the German KPD by the Nazi regime and he was willing to continue naval and military cooperation with Germany but he did also seek to find new allies
What was negotiated in December 1932?
The USSR negotiated a non-aggression pact with Poland (made into a 10 year agreement in 1934)
What pacts did the USSR sign with France and when?
November 1932 a similar non-aggression pact was signed with France - this was the basis of a Franco-Soviet pact of mutual assistance, negotiated in December 1934 and signed in May 1935
Why was France a willing partner in Stalin’s new diplomatic approach?
The French were worried about the rise of Nazism =, especially by Hitler’s public announcement of German rearmament in March 1935
What did the Franco-Soviet pact not have and what did western observers think?
Specific clauses on military cooperation, and it was vague in the circumstances in which it might be activated
Many observers in western countries were sceptical about the pact - they regarded it as a hollow threat of a two-front war on Germany
What was the Franco-soviet pact quickly followed by and what did it state?
A similar pact between the USSR and Czechoslovakia, in which the USSR gave an undertaking to intervene militarily if Czechoslovakia was attacked by a ‘third party’ (that is Germany), as long as the French also intervened
Who was Czechoslovakia encouraged into this pact by?
France - who had a traditional policy of seeking allies in Central Europe, as well as by Britain, whose foreign secretary (Anthony Eden), visited Moscow in 1935
From Russia’s side, the smooth diplomacy of Litvinov was influential and Stalin put pressure on the French Communist Party to support the pact
What was Germany and Japan’s relationship with the LoN?
Germany had been allowed to join in 1926, at a time when German government appeared to be cooperating in fulfilling the terms of the ToV, however Hitler withdrew in 1933
Japan (a founding member of the league), having mounted a war against China in the far east, also withdrew in 1933
What is a popular front?
The rise of fascist Italy and Nazi Germany led to calls for anti-fascist solidarity - setting a-side divisions to provide untied action by liberals and the left. A popular front government was formed in France in May 1935 and there were calls for popular fronts in many other countries. Under Stalin’s orders. support for popular fronts became the official policy of the Comintern in August 1935
Why did Stalin’s new approach to international affairs and collective security receive a major setback and when?
March 1936 - when Hitler’s forced occupied and remilitarised the Rhineland, directly breaking the terms of the ToV
What was France’s response to the remilitarisation and why did this worry Stalin?
Passive response to Hitler ‘calling the bluff’ of Versailles - weakened Stalin’s faith in the Franco-Soviet pact but also alarmed Stalin about the future - if France was not going to enforce Versailles on an issue so close to France then it is unlikely they would resist German attempts to invade Central Europe
What did Germany’s remilitarisation set the context for?
Stalin’s reaction to the Spanish civil war which began in July 1936, when right wing army officers (led by Francisco Franco) launched a nationalist rebellion against the Spanish Republic
What was the remilitarisation of the Rhineland?
In March 1936 Hitler ordered German troops to march into the Rhineland (territory that had been declared a de-militarised zone in the ToV) . France and Britain did not intervene so the remilitarisation succeeded
Historians argue at this point Stalin must have known it was only a matter of time before he either had to fight Hitler or make a deal with him
