Topic 4- international relations and FP Flashcards
what was Stalinist foreign policy in the 1930s?
- complicated and contradictory
- Stalin pursued a zig-zag policy, frequently changing direction according to circumstances
who was Maksim Litvinov and when was he appointed?
- appointed foreign commissar in 1930
- actively facilitated the acceptance of the USSR into the league of nations, where he represented his country from 1934-38
when and how were diplomatic relations established with the US?
- 1933
- an American embassy was opened in Moscow, allowing US diplomats to operate within the USSR
when was the non-aggression pact with Poland?
- December 1932
- made into a ten-year agreement in 1934
when and what was the non-aggression pact with France?
- November 1932 on the basis of a Franco-Soviet Pact of Mutual Assistance
- France was a willing partner as they were worried about the rise of Nazism
what was the USSR pact with Czechoslovakia?
the USSR agreed to intervene militarily if Czechoslovakia were attacked by a third party, as long as the French did so
what were relations with Germany like?
- cooperation established by the 1922 treaty of Rapallo
- consolidated by the 1926 Treaty of Berlin
when was the most extensive period of Soviet cooperation with Germany?
1929-1932
what cooperation was there with Germany from 1929-32?
- German expertise helped industrialisation (70% of 9k foreigners working in the USSR were German)
- the USSR benefitted from German military training; Germans benefitted from areas in the USSR they could carry out military training that the Treaty of V would not allow them
- Germany was the USSR’s biggest export market.
- in 1931, Germany and the USSR negotiated the continuation of the Berlin Treaty
when was the USSR invited to join the league of nations?
September 1934
what were the benefits to the USSR of joining the LON?
offered the potential for international cooperation against the anti-communist Hitler; gave the USSR the opportunity to influence the actions of Britain and France
what were the benefits to the west of the USSR joining the LON?
bringing the USSR in strengthened collective security against aggression from Germany or Japan (both of whom had withdrawn from the League in 1933)
what was USSR intervention in the Spanish Civil War?
- fascist Italy and Nazi Germany sent in military support to Franco’s nationalist rebellion
- Stalin intervened in 1936 and Soviet military support was important in helping Madrid not to fall in early 1937
- Stalin sent hundreds of Soviet advisors backed by troops, tanks and aircraft to Spain
- British and French were suspicious of Stalin’s involvement in Spain and made their dislike of Soviet Communism greater
what was the Sudentenland Crisis?
- by 1938 Stalin was fearful of Nazi and Japanese aggression
- Hitler’s forces were occupying Russia and threatening an area of Czechoslovakia that was German speaking: Sudenteland
- Stalin had no confidence that his pacts with France and Cz would hold up
- an anti-Hitler alliance with the west was not impossible for Stalin
what was appeasement?
- Britain and France moved towards a policy of appeasement of Hitler
- making concessions to avoid conflict
- Chamberlain began negotiations with Hitler at the Munich conference in September 1938 with neither Cz or USSR invited
why was Stalin worried about Japan?
Japanese military expansion into Manchuria in 1931 and the rest of China in 1937 alarmed Stalin even more than Nazism in the west
when did Japan expand into Manchuria and the rest of China?
Manchuria in 1931 and China in 1937
what was the Axis?
Japan, Germany and Italy who all signed the Anti-Comintern pact (3 power alliance)
when did Japan sign the anti-Comintern pact with Germany?
November 1936
when did Italy join the Anti-Comintern pact?
November 1937
what did Stalin do about Japanese aggression?
- USSR placed troops on the Manchurian border and border confrontations spilled into war between May and September 1939 involving 100k troops and 1k tanks
- USSR was victorious at the Battle of Khalkin Gol, killing 75% of Japanese troops
- Stalin maintained a strong military presence in the area but would not get involved in ww2 in the area until final days of war in 1945
who led the USSR against Japanese aggression?
General Zhukov
when was the Nazi-Soviet pact signed?
23rd August 1939
which German and Russian foreign ministers signed the Nazi-Soviet pact?
Ribbentrop and Molotov
what were the benefits for Hitler of the Nazi-Soviet pact?
- gave him a free hand to invade Poland
- non-aggression pact provided Germany with raw materials from Russia
- avoidance of war on two fronts
what were the benefits for Stalin of the Nazi-Soviet pact?
- breathing space to prepare for war
- the destruction of Poland (which had been strongly anti-soviet)
- avoidance of war on two fronts
- territorial gains in the West
- the USSR could stay neutral as its capitalist enemies wore each other out
what was one of the key reasons for the signing of the NS pact (in the west)?
French and British lack of urgency to sign a pact with the USSR
what was the outcome of the Nazi-Soviet pact?
- gave Stalin protection from war against Germany at a time when he was militarily weak
- breathing space for Stalin to focus on internal affairs
- huge territorial gains for the USSR and destruction of Poland
- Hitler’s invasion of the west in 1940 meant Stalin was able to seize control of the Baltic states
- long war between western powers would exhaust their resources
what did Stalin miscalculate about the Nazi-Soviet pact?
- miscalculated the strength of the French army. The rapid fall of France in June 1940 was a nasty surprise as it put Hitler in control of Western Europe
- miscalculated trust in Hitler. By October 1940 Hitler begun to prepare invading the USSR in 1941
- the USSR invaded Finland in November 1939. This Winter War of 1939-40 showed weakness of Red Army following the purges
how much land did Stalin gain in Finland after the 1939 invasion?
10% of Finnish land
when were the USSR excluded from the Munich conference?
September 1938
when were British and French guarantees to Poland?
March 1939
when did the Polish-German non-aggression pact of 1934 end?
April 1939
When did Molotov replace Litvinov as foreign commissar?
May 1939
when did German forces invade Poland?
September 1939
when did the Soviets occupy the Baltic states?
June 1940
when was the Nazi-Soviet pact broken by German invasion?
June 1941
