AQA A Level History Depth Study Notes - Russia: Stalin's Foreign Policy
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Depth Study
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AQA
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Oxford AQA History for A Level
Really high quality and detailed notes on Stalin's Foreign Policy as part of the AQA History A level Depth study (Russia). Notes cover/include:
- Stalin's Foreign Policy 1929-41
- Soviet Alliances early 1930s
- Spanish Civil War
- Western Appeasement & Japanese Aggression
- Nazi-Soviet Pac...
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Foreign Policy 1929-41:
1917-24 = focus on world revolution; trying to establish relations with other countries
Other communist revolutions had failed (G + Hungary)
Comintern set up 1919 to promote world revolution
Treaties of Rapallo (1922) + Berlin (1926) with Germany – economic + military gains
Trade agreement with GB – capitalist countries would trade with soviets
1924-29 = USSR more inward looking
Stalin’s focus on ‘socialism in one country’; only 3 Comintern meetings post 1924
Dismissive of foreign Communists
In China he continued to support the Nationalists – thought local communists too weak
As Stalin ‘turned left’ in 1929 – foreign Communist parties ordered to denounce Socialists
(this split the left-wing in countries such as Germany)
GERMANY:
Treaty of Rapallo established USSR-Germany relationship + Treaty of Berlin consolidated it
Most intensive period of Soviet cooperation with Germany was from 1929-32
German expertise helped industrialisation in the USSR (of the 9000 foreigners working in the
USSR in 1930, around 70% were German; most of the rest = American)
The USSR benefited from German military training; the Germans benefited from access to
areas in the USSR in which they could carry out military developments banned under the
Versailles Treaty
Germany was the USSR’s biggest export market, while the USSR was a major was a major
customer for German manufacturing
In 1931, Germany + the USSR negotiated the continuation of the Berlin Treaty
When Hitler became Chancellor, Stalin moved away from cooperation (Hitler’s power = sign of
weakness + division between capitalist countries) towards greater emphasis on collective security
LEAGUE OF NATIONS:
Thawing of international relations with USA 1930
o 1933 diplomatic relations established with US
o US recognition important for USSR to join
o US embassy set up in Moscow (Riga Watchers)
o Personal diplomacy of Foreign Commissar Maksim Litvinov
Why was Maskim Litvinov important to this?
o Accepted as ‘acceptable face’ of USSR
o Polished social background + Experience of west = credibility
o Bringing USSR into LoN appealed to Western powers to collective security against
Japan + Germany
Reasons for admittance into LoN September 1934
o Collective security
o Maskim Litvinov
o Rise of Japan
o Collective security
, SOVIET ALLIANCES EARLY 1930S:
Poland:
Negotiated a non-aggression pact December 1932 made into 10 year agreement in 1934
France:
Similar pack with France 1932 (Nov)
o Basis of a Franco-Soviet mutual assistance (negotiated Dec 1934, singed may 1935)
o France willing as worried about Nazi rearmament 1935
Problems:
o Didn’t have specific clauses on military cooperation n
o Too vague to be active
o Hollow threat of a 2 front war on Germany
Czechoslovakia (1935):
May 1935 mutual assistance pacts with France + Czechoslovakia
Pact = USSR gave an undertaking to aid Czechoslovakia was attacked by ‘Third party’
Problems:
o Not enforced
The Comintern’s policy switch:
Stalin’s willingness to form alliances encouraged a complete reversal in the Comintern’s
policy, which was officially announced at the Comintern Congress 1935
Instead of targeting democratic socialists, foreign communist parties were encouraged to
form ‘popular fronts’ with socialists in order to fight fascism
SPANISH CIVIL WAR:
2000 Soviet personnel – tank crews + pilots mainly
More crucially the NKVD were sent there to help set up, train + organise the guerrilla
resistance behind Nationalist lines (the Head of these operations claims they trained 14,000
people by 1938
The Republican gov gave the USSR its gold reserves (500m dollars) to pay for equipment.
Estimates put this at:
o 100 aircraft
o 1500 artillery pieces
o 900 tanks
o 500,000 rifles
o 45,000 machines guns
o 30,000 tons of ammunition
Stalin’s policy changed however after early months of 1937
o Direct military commitment decreased -> Stalin no longer wanted Republican victory
but wanted to prolong war to wear down Italian + German forces
o Also wanted to spark international feuds to sustain insecurity for Germany
o Also Fra + GB weren’t doing anything to help
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