A Level History - Russia chapter 20

When was the treaty of Rapallo?

1922

When was the treaty of Berlin?

1926

When was the most intensive period of Soviet military collaboration with Germany?

1929 - 1932

How did the Soviet Union benefit from collaboration with Germany? (2)

benefitted from technical expertise for the modernisation of industry and armaments, Stalin was able to acquire modern weapons from the Germans

How did Germany benefit from collaboration with the USSR?

were able to train in Russia (huge geographical location was very advantageous)

When was the continuation of the Berlin treaty negotiated?

1931

When was the relationship between Germany and USSR beginning to come under strain?

1931

In which year did Stalin attack democratic socialist movements?

1928

What did Stalin call democratic socialist movements in 1928?

'social fascists'

What are different historians' interpretations of Stalin's foreign policy in the 1930s? (3)

zig-zag policy, focused solely on security, wanted a war of attrition in Europe

When did the USSR establish diplomatic relations with the US?

1933

What were Riga Watchers?

American foreign policy experts who used Riga as a listening post to watch developments inside Russia

What were the factors key to paving the way for the USSR to join the League of Nations? (2)

US diplomatic recognition and the foreign diplomacy of Litvinov

What gave Litvinov credibility with Western diplomats? (2)

long experience of the West and polished social background

When did Litvinov visit Washington?

November 1933

What was the external factors forcing the USA and USSR into formal relations?

the rise of Japan

When did the USSR join the League of Nations?

September 1934

Why was the USSR brought into the League of Nations?

to strengthen collective security against the threat of Japan and Germany

When did Japan occupy Manchuria?

1931

When did Japan leave the League of Nations?

1933

When did Germany leave the League of Nations?

1933

What was Stalin's foreign policy chance in 1934 and 1935?

supporting broad-based 'popular fronts' in other countries

When did Stalin announce his new policy to support 'popular fronts' in other countries?

1934

Where did Stalin announce his foreign policy change to support 'popular fronts' in 1934?

Pravda

When did the policy of 'popular fronts' become official policy?

1935

When did the USSR negotiate a non-aggression pact with Poland?

December 1932

When did the non-aggression pact with Poland become a ten-year treaty?

1934

When did the USSR sign a non-aggression pact with France?

November 1932

When did the USSR and France negotiate the Franco-Soviet Pact of Mutual Assistance?

December 1934

When did the USSR and France sign the Franco-Soviet Pact of Mutual Assistance?

May 1935

Why were the French very willing to sign the Franco-Soviet pact with the USSR?

they were very worried about the rise of Nazism and especially German rearmament

When did Hitler announce German rearmament?

March 1935

What did the Franco-Soviet pact not have a specific clause on?

military cooperation

When did the USSR make a pact with Czechoslovakia?

1935

What were the terms of the pact between USSR and Czechoslovakia?

USSR agreed to intervene if Czechoslovakia was attacked by a 'third party'

Which countries encouraged Czechoslovakia into the pact with the USSR? (2)

France and Britain

When did Hitler order his troops to march into the Rhineland?

March 1936

How did France respond to Germany remilitarising the Rhineland?

very passively

What was the effect of France responding passively to the remilitarisation of the Rhineland?

weakened Stalin's faith in the Franco-Soviet pact

When did the Spanish Civil war start?

July 1936

How did the Spanish Civil War start?

right-wing army officers launched a nationalist rebellion against the Spanish Republic

Who led the nationalists in the Spanish Civil War?

Francisco Franco

Which countries supported Franco in the Spanish Civil War? (2)

Italy and Germany

What was France's attitude towards intervention in the Spanish Civil War?

didn't want it to become internationalised so didn't want foreign powers to intervene

When did France propose a general agreement of non-intervention in the Spanish Civil War?

August 1936

Why was Stalin anxious about France's proposition of non-intervention in the Spanish Civil War?

he perceived Britain and France to have weaknesses in combatting fascism

When did Stalin intervene in the Spanish Civil War?

September 1936

Why did Stalin intervene in the Spanish Civil War?

was against fascism

What were Stalin's methods of intervention at the start of the Spanish Civil War? (4)

sent Soviet advisers to Spain, sent troops, tanks and aircraft, agents followed orders from Moscow not Madrid, lots of Soviet propaganda against fascism

What type of media was used as propaganda against fascism? (2)

posters, cinema newsreels,

When was there a mass rally in Leningrad against fascism?

1937

Where was the mass rally against fascism in 1937?

Leningrad

How significant was Soviet intervention in the Spanish Civil War?

very as it probably saved Madrid from falling to Franco

When did Stalin's policy change during the Spanish Civil War?

after the early months of 1937

How did Stalin's policy change in the Spanish Civil War after the first few months?

military commitment was scaled down greatly as the new aim was not to help the Republic to victory but to prolong the war and wear down both sides in Europe

When did Hitler tell his generals to prepare for a war of aggression and expansion against Poland and Czechoslovakia?

November 1937

When did German forces invade Austria?

March 1938

What did Britain and France do about the anschluss in March 1938?

protested but took no action

When was it clear that Czechoslovakia would be Hitler's next target (after Austria in March 1938)?

summer 1938

What part of Czechoslovakia did Hitler want in summer 1938?

Sudetenland

What was Chamberlain's approach to the threat to the Sudetenland?

negotiation with Hitler was the only way to keep the peace

When was the Munich conference?

September 1938

Which countries attended the Munich conference? (4)

Germany, France, Britain, Italy

Why were hopes of an anti-Hitler alliance including USSR much less likely after September 1938?

USSR not invited to the Munich conference!

When did Japan invade the rest of China (after Manchuria)?

1937

When was the first anti-Comintern Pact between Germany and Japan?

November 1936

When did Italy join the anti-Comintern Pact?

November 1937

When were there many border confrontations on the Manchurian frontier between USSR and Japan?

summer 1938

When was the war between Japan and USSR?

May - September 1939

How many troops were involved in the war between Japan and USSR?

100,000

How many tanks and aircraft were involved in the war between Japan and USSR?

1000

Where was the decisive battle in the war between Japan and USSR?

Khalkhin Gol

When was the decisive battle in the war between Japan and USSR?

August 1939

What happened at Khalkhin Gol in August 1939?

Japanese army was encircled and defeated by Soviet forces

Who led the Soviet forces at the battle at Khalkhin Gol?

General Georgy Zhukov

What percentage of Japanese forces were killed at the battle of Khalkhin Gol?

75%

What was the result of the war between USSR and Japan?

Japanese expansionists left USSR completely alone

When was the Ribbentrop-Molotov pact signed?

23 August 1939

What did the USSR gain from the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact?

avoidance of a war on two fronts, territorial gains in eastern Poland and Baltics, gave time to consolidate economic changes

What did Germany gain from the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact?

raw materials from Russia

When did Germany occupy Prague?

March 1939

When did Britain and France give guarantees to Poland that they'd go to war if Germany invaded?

March 1939 (after invasion of Prague)

When did the Anglo-French Military Mission reach Moscow?

August 1939

What were Stalin's miscalculations in the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact? (2)

miscalculated the strength of the French army so thought the coming war would last for years, miscalculated that he could trust Hitler

When did France fall to the Germans?

June 1940

When did Soviet forces invade Finland?

November 1939

Why did the Winter War initially go badly for the USSR?

Red Army was weak due to the purges

When was the peace agreement between the USSR and Finland?

March 1940

What percentage of Finland's territory was gained by the USSR in March 1940?

10%

When did war between USSR and Finland resume after the temporary peace agreement?

1941

When was an armistice agreed between USSR and Finland (2nd time)?

September 1944

When did Hitler start preparing to invade the USSR?

October 1940

When did Hitler invade the USSR?

22 June 1941