1. Lenin’s Foreign Policy &
Relations 1918-1924
MR. RAKOCHY
IBDP HISTORY

2. Ideology of Bolsheviks under Lenin
 Rooted in Soviet/Bolshevik Orthodoxy -revolution
should be exported to industrialized Europe -spread
worldwide.
 Believed international worker’s support necessary to
preserve revolution in Russia
 Believed Germany was key

3. Ideology of Bolsheviks under Lenin 2
 Ideology of Marxism
 Fear of invasion (geographic, historical, ideological)
 Personalities
 Chicherin, Lenin and Trotsky
 Internal Situation
 Economic Backwardness
 Suspicion of foreign “help” (Whites and Civil War)

4. Leon Trotsky
 Commissar for War (1918) and Foreign Affairs (1917-
1918) – forced to agree to Treaty of Brest-Litovsk and
resigned shortly after (replaced by Chicherin)

5. Foreign Commissar G.V. Chicherin (1918-1930 in
post)
 Former Tsarist and charismatic educated diplomat
(pro-German and anti-British)
 After death in 36 erased from
records – Why do you think?

6. Chicherin
 Believed in a policy of divide and conquer
 Initiated idea of peaceful coexistence with West
 Trotsky’s deputy at Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

7. Treaty of Brest-Litovsk 1
 3 March 1918 Treaty of Brest-Litovsk signed with
Germany
 Soviet Russia lost
 ¼ of land
 Poland, Ukraine, Baltic States
 1/3 of population
 Prestige

8. Brest-Litovsk 2
Why agreed to?
1. Ideology (see upcoming slide r.e. Trotsky vs. Lenin)
2. Stability (Politically, economically, socially)
3. Militarily (Civil War, shortages, desertions)

9. Brest-Litovsk 3
 Ideologically opposed by Leon Trotsky
 Believed Germany needed to be defeated to begin Socialist
revolution in an industrialized European state
 Loss of territory (including fertile breadbasket of
Ukraine), population, prestige and military defeat too much to
balance
 After signed Trotsky quietly resigned his post in 1918

10. Brest-Litovsk 4
 Followed Lenin’s view that WWI was a war of
International Imperialism and Capitalism
 Lenin believed an immediate end to WWI should be followed
by a civil class war.
 Believed Germany was “seconds away” from revolution
 Fight against Tsarists and Whites paramount
 Largely put international revolution on hold to focus on
domestic issues

11. The Whites
 Foreign Support of Whites resulted in general
mistrust of foreigners
 During Civil War (War Communism) Lenin banned private
trade and nationalized industry
 Execution of Tsar sent message
 War Communism isolated Soviets further
 8 million hunger/disease related deaths

12. The Cominterm
 Cominterm set up to spread worldwide revolution
(March 1919) – becomes unofficial arm of Soviet
government
 Existence of Cominterm allowed for dual policy
 government could focus on trade agreements and diplomacy
 Cominterm instigated revolutionary movements worldwide
 July 1920 Cominterm announces CP of USSR central
to all CP’s worldwide – implications?

13. Azerbaijan
 May 1918 Azerbaijani Democratic Republic
(ADR)formed
 Women have right to vote
 True parliamentary system in place
 Importance of Baku
 Major oil reserves (nearly 50% of world production)
 Soviets lack of resources
 Baku falls to U.S.S.R. in March 1920 after bloodless coup

14. Russo-Polish War 1919-1920/21
 Mainly over large portions of Ukraine
 Polish President (Józef Piłsudski) and Ukrainian
Nationalist Leader (Symon Petlyura) overrun Kyiv
 Red Army easily takes back Ukraine
 Marches on to outskirts of Poland
 Western Euro countries concerned and send French
General Maxime Weygand to advise
 Red Army embarrassed and Treaty of Riga signed in
March 1921
 “Red Bridge” into Western Europe had failed
 Ukraine to stay Soviet Republic
 Portions of Ukraine/Belarus ceded to Poland

15. Lenin’s dual foreign policy post Civil-War
1. Whatever benefits the U.S.S.R. is okay
 NEP – lifted ban on private and foreign trade (temporary
departure with ideological beliefs)
 1921 secret trade negotiations with Germany (natural allies?)
 1921 Anglo-Soviet trade agreement with Britain
 1922 Treaty of Rapallo
 Trade agreement and secret military alliance with Germany
 After NEP, foreigners allowed into U.S.S.R. to help facilitate
economic growth and prosperity
(Americans, British, Germans, French)
 1924 second trade agreement with Britain and recognition of
Soviet State

16. Lenin’s dual foreign policy post Civil-War 2
 All other times instigate communist revolution
through Cominterm agitation
 Support of Revolutionary movements in Germany
(1921 USSR spent 62 million Marks, 1922 spent 47
million) despite economic and (secret) military
alliances
 Revolutionary failures in Berlin, Munich and Soviet
Hungary (Bela Kun’s 4 month failure) leads to
stricter Bolshevik oversight

17. Second Cominterm 21 conditions
 Moscow must centrally control and discipline
communist parties
 Leninist policy must be followed
 preparation for Civil War in all countries must be made
 propaganda must be spread amongst proletariat, peasantry
and militaries
 cells to be set up in trade unions
 all programs must be approved by Cominterm and offenders
could be kicked out or lose support from Moscow

18. Response Cominterm Conditions
 reduced appeal to Soviet Union
 separate CP’s formed
 English and Spanish Communist parties specifically
reacted negatively
 chances of European consolidated revolutionary
effort diminished and eventually disappeared

19. Cominterm Programs
 Continued in funded propaganda centers
 Geneva, Paris, Brussels, Berlin, Stockholm, Prague, Vienna
 1924 Lenin dies