Stalin's Foreign Policy Flashcards
(31 cards)
Who was the Treaty of Rapallo signed with and when?
Germany in 1922
Who was the Treaty of Berlin signed with and when?
Germany in 1926
What year did the Soviet enter the League of Nations?
1934
What was signed with Poland in 1932 and later extended in 1934?
Non-aggression pact
What year was the Nazi-Soviet pact?
1939
What year was the Anti-Comintern pact created?
1936
List 4 ways Russian territory enabled the German Army to carry out military operations
- The Junkers aircraft factory at Fili, near Moscow
- A training school for German pilots in Ukraine
- A facility for practicing tank warfare at Kazan
- A secret joint facility at Samara for developing poison gas weapons
How did Stalin react to the rise of Hitler?
- Claimed he was happy as it would accelerate the collapse of capitalism
- 1933 and 1934 ‘Rapallo period’ of collaboration with Germany put to one side for collective security
- Improved relations with Western democracies
- Kept options open
State 2 views of Stalin’s foreign policy approach
- ‘Zig-zag’ approach - always changing direction according to circumstances
- Obsession with security, tactics unpredictable, objective always the same
Who did the Soviet establish diplomatic relations with in 1933?
USA
What were the ‘Riga Watchers’?
American foreign policy experts used capital of independent Latvia as ‘listening post’ for developments inside Russia
Was there another reason why western countries were keen to bring the USSR into the League of Nations?
Stalin and the Americans were worried about the rise of Japan
What year was the Franco-Soviet pact of mutual assistance signed?
1935
Explain the Franco-Soviet pact of mutual assistance
Did not have specific clauses on military cooperation, vague on the circumstances in which it might be activated
- regarded as hollow threat of two-front war on Germany
Explain the pact between the USSR and Czechoslovakia
USSR gave undertaking to intervene militarily if Czechoslovakia was attacked by a third party as long as the French did also
What year did Stalin intervene in the Spanish Civil War?
1936
What was the impact & changing nature of influence of Soviet intervention on the war?
- Probably saved Madrid from falling to Franco
- Direct military commitment scaled down
- Soviet aim no longer to help the republic to victory
- To prolong the war in order to wear down Italian and German forces
- Disillusionment with France and Britain
What is appeasement?
The negotiation of a dispute without causing conflicts
Reasons for appeasement
Hidden political motivation
Economic depression
Wars expensive
Stop war
Given an example where Germany were appeased
March 1938, German forces invaded Austria & imposed the Anschluss (Austria into the German Reich) France and Britain protested but no action taken
What year was the Munich Conference?
1938
What were the consequences for the Soviet Union of the Munich Conference?
Any hopes of an anti-Hitler alliance severely dented
What was the Anti-Comintern pact?
Japan and Nazi Germany, agreement to take joint action against ‘interference’ in their internal affairs by the Comintern
What year did Italy join the Anti-Comintern pact?
1937 forming the three power alliance known as the ‘Axis’
