SovietForeignPolicyinthe1920s

USSRwasunpopularwiththeWestafter
leavingWW1inearly1918withtheTreatyof
BrestLitovsk.AlongwithGermany,USSRwas
excludedbytheirformercountries.They
werenotinvitedtotheParisPeace
Conference,andwhenCivilWarbrokeoutin
theUSSR,BritainandFranceweretwo
nationswhichsenttroopstosupportthe
Whites.Becauseofthis,therewasaperiod
whereGermanyandRussialookedlikethey
mightworktogetherasLeninsaid,
Germanywantsrevengeandwewant
revolution.
Relationsbecameincreasinglystrainedduring
the1920sbetweentheWestandUSSR.Lenin
sawthenewLeagueofNationsasabandof
robbers.Althoughby1927theLeaguehad
involvedUSSRinsomedecisions,theydidnot
becomeamemberstateuntil1934.
BritaininparticulardistrustedtheCommunist
east.In1924,thefirstLabourgovernment
underRamsayMacDonaldrecognisedthe
USSRasadiplomaticnation;bytheendofthe
year,afakeletter(TheZinovievLetter)
claimingtolinktheBritishLabourPartytothe
RussiaCommunistPartywaspublishedinthe
DailyMail;thefakeletterwasanorderfor
CommuniststoincitetheBritishArmyto
mutinysothatRussiacouldinvade.Thiswas
enoughtotoppletheLabourGovernment
frompower.AfurtherRedScarein1927
ledtoBritainabandoningdiplomaticrelations
withtheUSSRuntil1930.

Examplesinthe1920s:

1919 FormationofComintern.Thiswasofficially
theThirdCommunistInternational.Itwasa
groupofinternationalcommunistswhichaimedto
encourageandinciterevolutionsinothercountries.
ItwasfrustratingfortheWestthatofficiallyRussia
wasjustamemberoftheComintern,andtherefore
couldnotcontrolthegroup.Butinrealitythey
wereinchargeandtoldthememberswhattodo.
1922 TreatyofRapallo.Thiswasatreatybetween
SovietUnionandGermany.Theydroppedany
economicandterritorialclaimsagainsteachother.
USSRalsoallowedGermanytotraintroopsandtest
equipmentinRussia.ThisdidnotbreaktheTreaty
ofVersailles,butalsogaveRussiaaccesstoGerman
technology.
1927 RussiansupportforCommunist
RevolutioninChina.StalinannouncedtoaParty
CongressthatChinawasthesecondhomeof
worldrevolutionandinvestedresourcesand
agentsinencouragingtheChineseCommunist
Party.UnfortunatelyinApril1927therightwing
opponentscapturedShanghaiandmassacredhuge
numbersofCommunists.Trotskyandtheleftwing
oftheRussianCommunistPartyblamedStalin
(whichwasironicsinceStalinfavouredSocialismin
OneCountryanditwasTrotskywhowanted
PerpetualRevolution...).Thiswasoneofthe
reasonsthattheleftwingwasexpelledinthe
powerstruggle.

SovietForeignPolicyinthe1930s

Inthe1930s,Stalinfoundhimselfworried
aboutHitler,whohadproclaimedinMein
KampfthatSlavicpeopleswere
untermenschen(subhuman)andthat
Lebensraum(livingspace)couldonlybetaken
attheexpenseoftheSovietUnion.However,
healsohadreasontoworryaboutJapan,
whichhadeyesonimperialexpansiononthe
continent.HavingcapturedManchuriafrom
China,theynowposedathreattotheRussian
borders.In193132,Stalinsignednon
aggressionpactswithAfghanistan,Finland,
Lithuania,Latvia,Estonia,PolandandFrance.
By1934,HitlerhadsignedtheGermanPolish
NonAgressionPactwhichessentiallyended
theRapalloTreatybetweenRussiaand
Germany.TheSovietUnionsoughttodefend
herselfbysigningmutualassistancepacts
withFranceandCzechoslovakiain1935.
Tomakemattersworse,Hitlerthensigned
theAntiCominternPactin1936withJapan
andlaterwithItalyin1937.Thiswasan
agreementtofighttheComintern,or
CommunistInternational.Asnotedabove,
thiswasnottechnicallyjusttheSovietUnion,
butinrealitywasatreatyofhostilityagainst
theUSSR.Furtherhostilityarosebetween
GermanyandUSSRintheSpanishCivilWar.
AlthoughGermanyonlysentsquadronsof
bombersandUSSRusedCominternagents,so
itwasnotadirectconflict,itwasstilla
confrontationofFascistandCommunist.
AfterAnschluss(1838)andtheCzechCrisis
(1938)whenHitlerthreatened
Czechoslovakia,onlytobeawardedthe
SudetenlandbyBritainandFranceandthen
allowedtotakeallofCzechoslovakia,Stalin
feltveryinsecure.Afterall,itappearedto
himthattheWesterncountrieswantedHitler
toattacktheEast.Whilstnotentirelyas
1935 MutualAssistancePactswithFranceand
Czechoslovakia.InresponsetoGermanactions,USSR
soughtotheralliesinEurope.
193132 Nonaggressionpacts.Asameansofself
defence,theSovietUnionsignedasmanynon
aggressionagreementsaspossible.
1936 SpanishCivilWar.BothCommunistand
Fascistcountriessupportedeachside.Russiadidnot
directlygetinvolvedbutsentagentsanddirected
Comintern(CommunistInternational)tosend
brigadesofvolunteerfighters.Thiswasaninstance
ofCommunismconflictingwithrightwingpolitical
policiesinothercountries.

simpleasthat,itistruethattheWestsawa
strongGermanyunderHitlerasabuffer
againstCommunism.Stalinhadnoteven
beeninvitedtotheMunichConferenceto
dealwithCzechoslovakia,despitethefactthat
itwasgeographicallymorerelevanttothe
SovietUnionthanBritain.
WhenBritainandFrancesoughtatreatywith
SovietUnion,Stalinsawthisasaneffortto
usehimtosortoutHitlerandignoredwhathe
sawaswesternmanipulation.Instead,Stalin
instructedhisforeignsecretaryMolotovto
seekanagreementwithHitler;theNazi
SovietPact(1939)wassignedsoonafter.
Publicallyitagreedaneconomicallianceanda
nonaggressionrelationship.Howevermore
importantwastheagreementthatRussia
wouldnotdefendPolandifGermanyinvaded.
ThisallowedGermanytobecertainthatthey
wouldnotfaceawarontwofrontsandgave
Stalintheconfidenceofanagreedborder.It
alsosecretlyagreedalineinPolandthat
Russiacouldadvanceto,andthatStalincould
occupytheBalkans.
On1
st
September1939,HitlerinvadedPoland,
sparkingaBritishresponseon3
rd
September.
On17
th
September,Soviettroopsentered
EasternPolanduptothelineagreedwith
Germany.Followingthis,otherBalticstates
signedagreementstoallowSoviettroopsto
occupytheircountries.Thenon27
th

November,Stalinscrappedthenon
aggressionpactwithFinland.Adaylaterthey
claimedthatFinnishtroopshadattacked
Sovietpatrols,andonthe30
th
Soviettroops
invadedFinland.

1939 NaziSovietPact.MadebetweenGermany
andUSSRinresponsetoGermanysobviousinterest
inPoland.VerysurprisingtotheworldbutStalin
sawitasthesafestroute.DontforgetthatUSSR
andGermanyhadworkedtogetherforawhileafter
WW1,e.g.RapalloTreaty,whereasUKandFrance
seemedalessreliableoption.