Foreign policy of leading states before the war. The Versailles system finally fell before the outbreak of World War II, for which Germany was quite thoroughly prepared. So, from 1934 to 1939.

Military production in the country increased 22 times, the number of troops increased 35 times, Germany took second place in the world in terms of volume industrial production etc.

Currently, researchers do not have a common view on the geopolitical state of the world on the eve of World War II. Some historians (Marxists) continue to insist on a two-polise characterization. In their opinion, there were two social political systems(socialism and capitalism), and within the framework of the capitalist system of world relations - two centers future war(Germany in Europe and Japan in Asia). A significant portion of historians believe that on the eve of World War II, there were three political systems: bourgeois-democratic, socialist and fascist-militarist. The interaction of these systems, the balance of power between them could ensure peace or disrupt it. A possible bloc of bourgeois-democratic and socialist systems was real alternative World War II. However, the peace alliance did not work out. The bourgeois-democratic countries did not agree to create a bloc before the start of the war, because their leadership continued to view Soviet totalitarianism as the greatest threat to the foundations of civilization (the result of revolutionary changes in the USSR, including the 30s) than its fascist antipode, which openly proclaimed crusade against communism. The USSR's attempt to create a system collective security in Europe ended with the signing of treaties with France and Czechoslovakia (1935). But these treaties were not put into effect during the period of German occupation of Czechoslovakia due to the “policy of appeasement” opposed to them, carried out at that time by the majority European countries in relation to Germany.

Germany in October 1936 issued military-political union with Italy (“Berlin-Rome Axis”), and a month later between Japan and Germany it was signed Anti-Comintern Pact, which Italy joined a year later (November 6, 1937). The creation of a revanchist alliance forced the countries of the bourgeois-democratic camp to become more active. However, only in March 1939 did England and France begin negotiations with the USSR on joint actions against Germany. But the agreement was never signed. Despite the polarity of interpretations of the reasons for the failed union of anti-fascist states, some of which shift the blame for the unbridled aggressor onto capitalist countries, others attribute it to the policies of the leadership of the USSR, etc., one thing is obvious - the skillful use by fascist politicians of contradictions between anti-fascist countries, which led to grave consequences for the whole world.

More on the topic International relations on the eve of the Second World War:

1. The Gothic question in Germany on the eve and during the Second World War’
2. Chapter 1. American-German relations from Munich to the beginning of World War II
3. § 3. Great Britain on the eve and during the Second World War

Introduction

The causes of World War II are one of the main issues in the history of the 20th century, which has important ideological and political significance, as it reveals the culprits of this tragedy, which claimed over 55 million. human lives. For more than 60 years, Western propaganda and historiography, fulfilling a socio-political order, have been hiding the true causes of this war and falsifying its history, trying to justify the policies of Great Britain, France and the United States in complicity with the aggression of fascism, and shift the responsibility of the Western powers for starting the war onto the Soviet leadership.

The object of study is the history of the Second World War.

The subject of the study is the causes of the Second World War.

The purpose of the study is to study the causes of the Second World War

• -analyze the causes of the Second World War;
• -consider the readiness of the countries participating in the war for the Second World War;
• -identify the prerequisites for the beginning of the Second World War.

The situation in the world on the eve of World War II

Second World War became a consequence of geopolitical contradictions between the leading world powers, which intensified by the end of the 30s. Germany, defeated during the First World War, having overcome by the end of the 20s economic consequences defeat in the world war, sought to regain lost positions in the world. Italy, which took part in the First World War on the side of the Anglo-French coalition (Entente), considered itself deprived of the colonial divisions that occurred after its end. On Far East Japan, which had strengthened significantly as a result of the weakening of Russia’s positions in the Far Eastern region during the civil war and had absorbed the Far Eastern colonies of Germany after the First World War, began to increasingly openly clash with the interests of British Empire and the USA. The Soviet Union, whose geopolitical interests were in no way taken into account by the system of the Versailles agreements that ended the First World War, sought to ensure its international security by splitting the “capitalist encirclement” and supporting the so-called “ socialist revolutions» all over the world (primarily in Eastern and Central Europe and in China).

War is an action of a political nature, and policy is developed by certain social forces, political parties and their leaders.

The main direction of policy is dictated by economic interests, but the process of policy development itself, the determination of the means and methods of its implementation, largely depends on the ideology and worldview of its creators.

The most grandiose, bloody and terrible war in the history of mankind, called World War II, did not begin on September 1, 1939, the day when Nazi Germany attacked Poland. The outbreak of World War II was inevitable from the moment the war ended in 1918, which led to the redistribution of almost all of Europe. Immediately after the signing of all the treaties, each of the redrawn countries, from which part of the territories were taken away, began its own small war. While it was carried on in the minds and conversations of those who did not return from the front as winners. They relived the events of those days again and again, looked for the reasons for the defeat and passed on the bitterness of their own loss to their growing children.

The beginning of the Second World War was preceded by the rise to power in Germany of Adolf Hitler (1933), the signing of the Anti-Comintern Pact between Germany and Japan (1936), and the emergence of hotbeds of war both in Europe (Germany’s seizure of Czechoslovakia in March 1939) and in the east (beginning of the Sino-Japanese War in July 1937)

Members of the anti-Hitler bloc were: USSR, USA, France, England, China (Chiang Kai-shek), Greece, Yugoslavia, Mexico, etc. On the German side, the following countries participated in World War II: Italy, Japan, Hungary, Albania, Bulgaria, Finland, China (Wang Jingwei), Thailand, Finland, Iraq, etc. Many states that participated in World War II did not take action on the fronts, but helped by supplying food, medicine and other necessary resources.

This gigantic massacre continued for six years. September 2, 1945, surrender Imperial Japan, the last point was put. The Second World War, the largest war in history, was unleashed by Germany, Italy and Japan with the aim of revising the results of the Versailles Peace Treaty of 1919 and the Washington Conference on the limitation of naval arms and the problems of the Far East.

Background of the Second World War

The reason was the backwardness of the country and the disastrous course of its government, which did not want to “spoil relations” with Germany and pinned its hopes on Anglo-French help. The Polish leadership rejected all proposals to participate together with the Soviet Union in a collective rebuff to the aggressor. This suicidal policy led the country to a national tragedy.

Having declared war on Germany on September 3, England and France saw it as unfortunate misunderstanding, which was soon to be resolved. “The silence on the Western Front,” wrote W. Churchill, “was broken only by an occasional cannon shot or a reconnaissance patrol.” The Western powers, despite the guarantees given to Poland and the agreements signed with it (England signed such an agreement a week before the start of the war), did not actually intend to provide active military assistance to the victim of aggression. During the tragic days for Poland, the Allied troops were inactive. Already on September 12, the heads of government of England and France came to the conclusion that help to save Poland was useless, and made a secret decision not to open active hostilities against Germany.

When the war began in Europe, the United States declared its neutrality. In political and business circles, the prevailing opinion was that the war would bring the country's economy out of crisis, and military orders from the warring states would bring huge profits to industrialists and bankers.

Territorial disputes that arose as a result of the redistribution of Europe by England, France and allied states. After the breakup Russian Empire as a result of its withdrawal from hostilities and the revolution that took place in it, as well as due to the collapse Austro-Hungarian Empire, 9 new states appeared on the world map at once. Their boundaries were not yet clearly defined, and in many cases disputes were fought over literally every inch of land. In addition, countries that had lost part of their territories sought to return them, but the winners, who annexed new lands, were hardly ready to part with them. The centuries-old history of Europe did not know the best way resolution of any, including territorial disputes, except military operations, and the outbreak of the Second World War became inevitable;

Colonial disputes. It is worth mentioning here not only that the losing countries, having lost their colonies, which provided the treasury with a constant influx of funds, certainly dreamed of their return, but also that the liberation movement was growing within the colonies. Tired of being under the yoke of one or another colonialist, the inhabitants sought to get rid of any subordination, and in many cases this also inevitably led to the outbreak of armed clashes;

Rivalry between leading powers. It is difficult to admit that Germany, erased from world history after its defeat, did not dream of taking revenge. Deprived of the opportunity to have its own army (except for the volunteer army, the number of which could not exceed 100 thousand soldiers with light weapons), Germany, accustomed to the role of one of the leading world empires, could not accept the loss of its dominance. The beginning of World War II in this aspect was only a matter of time;

Dictatorial regimes. A sharp increase in their number in the second third of the 20th century created additional preconditions for the outbreak of violent conflicts. Paying great attention to the development of the army and weapons, first as a means of suppressing possible internal unrest, and then as a way to conquer new lands, European and eastern dictators with all their might brought the start of World War II closer;

The existence of the USSR. The role of the new socialist state, which arose on the ruins of the Russian Empire, as an irritant for the United States and Europe cannot be overestimated. Fast development Communist movements in a number of capitalist powers against the backdrop of the existence of such a clear example of victorious socialism could not but inspire fear, and an attempt to wipe the USSR from the face of the earth would inevitably be made.

The fragility and defectiveness of Versailles. Washington system, the origins of the new confrontation. The economic crisis and the “Great” Depression, its consequences for world politics. – “Lockdown” of the leading powers on internal problems– The Nazis came to power in Germany – The Beginning aggressive actions aimed at revising the Versailles-Washington system. Fascism as a phenomenon of world history of the twentieth century. "Popular Fronts" in Spain and France - resistance to fascism. " New course» F. Roosevelt as an alternative to fascism and communism.

The reason for the collapse of the Versailles system. Relative stability in Europe. Calmness of the European powers. Each country acts alone. US return to isolation policy. The beginning of Japanese aggression against China. Germany's demand to revise the Versailles-Washington Treaty. The policy of “pacification” of Germany and the direction of the threat to the East against the “communist threat” German occupation of the Saar region. in 1935. Capture of the Rhineland in 1936.

Japanese aggression 1931 - capture of Manchuria 1933 - withdrew from the League of Nations 1937 - invasion of Northern China 1938 - invasion of Mongolia 1938 July-August armed conflict on the territory of the USSR in the area of ​​​​Lake Khasan 1939 - battles near the Khalkhin River Gol Hirohito - 124th Emperor 1926 -1989

Khasan A small freshwater lake in the Russian Federation, in the south of the Primorsky Territory. Located southeast of Posyet Bay, not far from the border with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, 130 km southwest of Vladivostok. The lake entered the history of Russia thanks to a military operation in this area, as a result of which in August 1938. Soviet troops defeated the Japanese combat units that invaded the territory of the USSR.

Khalkhin - Gol Armed conflict ( undeclared war), which lasted from spring to autumn 1939 near the Khalkhin Gol River on the territory of Mongolia. The final battle took place in late August and ended complete defeat 6th Separate Army of Japan. An armistice between the USSR and Japan was concluded on September 15.

German aggression Adolf Hitler - Reich Chancellor 1933 -1945 Fuhrer 1934 -1945 Remilitarization of Germany 1933 - withdrew from the League of Nations 1934 - creation military organization 1935 – introduction of universal conscription 1936 - entry of troops into the Rhine demilitarized zone 1936 -1937 - conclusion of the Anti-Comintern Pact 1938 - annexation of Austria September 1938 - Munich Agreement August 23, 1939 - non-aggression pact

In November 1936, Germany and Japan concluded the “Anti-Comintern Pact” on the joint fight against communism. In 1937, Italy joined it. This is how the Berlin-Rome-Tokyo axis (“Axis countries”) emerged.

Anschluss of Austria The idea of ​​​​unifying Austria with Germany and specifically the annexation of Austria by Germany on March 11 -12, 1938. The independence of Austria was restored in April 1945

30.09.1938 " Munich Agreement"and the occupation of the Sudetenland. . Spring 1939 – invasion of Czechoslovakia

Appeasement policy A special type of foreign policy military policy peace-loving states, based on compromises and concessions to the aggressor in the hope of restraining him from using extreme measures and violating the peace. As shown historical experience, such a policy usually did not produce the expected results. On the contrary, most often it prompted the potential aggressor to take more decisive action and, ultimately, entailed undermining the international security system. A typical example This is the Munich Agreement of 1938, which did not stop Nazi Germany, but, on the contrary, pushed it to start the Second World War.

An attempt to unite against fascist aggression. 1934, entry into the League of Nations of the USSR. 1934 “Eastern Pact” between the USSR and France on collective security in Europe. The Munich Agreement put an end to the Eastern Pact. France's refusal to help Czechoslovakia put the USSR in a difficult position. April 1939 Italian capture of Albania. An attempt at negotiations between the USSR, France and Britain in 1939 ended in nothing. The USSR found itself isolated. On August 23, 1939, the USSR was forced to sign a non-aggression treaty with Germany.

Non-Aggression Pact Non-Aggression Pact between Germany and the Soviet Union - “Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact” Concluded on August 23, 1939 The treaty was signed by the foreign ministers: from the outside Soviet Union- V. M. Molotov, from Germany - I. von Ribbentrop. The agreement was accompanied by a secret additional protocol on the delimitation of spheres of mutual interests in Eastern Europe

Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Molotov Soviet political and statesman, Hero Socialist Labor(1943) Head of the Soviet government in 1930-1941 People's Commissar and Minister of Foreign Affairs (1939-1949, 1953-1956). In the 1930s - 1940s, according to the hierarchy of Soviet party bodies, including the Politburo, the second person in the country after Stalin. One of the main organizers political repression construction times industrial society in USSR.

Joachim von Riebbentrop Advisor to Adolf Hitler on foreign policy In February 1938, he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs. On this occasion, as an exception, he received the Order of the German Eagle. Immediately after his appointment, he achieved the acceptance of all Foreign Ministry employees into the SS. He himself often appeared at work in the uniform of an SS Gruppenführer.

Soviet-Finnish War Armed conflict between the USSR and Finland from November 30, 1939 to March 12, 1940. According to some historians - offensive USSR versus Finland during World War II. In Soviet and part of Russian historiography, this war was considered as a separate bilateral local conflict, which is not part of the Second World War, as well as the battles on the Khalkhin Gol River. The war ended with the signing of the Moscow Peace Treaty, which recorded the separation of a significant part of its territory from Finland.

Three groups of states on the eve of the Second World War Lines of comparison Participants of the Tripartite Pact Great Britain, France, USA USSR Foreign policy goals Redistribution of the world and Conservation world domination. existing fight against the world order. communism Countering communism Strengthening international positions USSR Policy Features Refusal of Germany from Great Britain and the conditions of France pursue the Versailles Treaty policy. pacification Expansion of the aggressor, the United States - territory into isolationist Europe. Unleashing policy local wars Italy and Japan Duality of course: the desire to prevent war and attempts to intensify communist movement through the Comintern. Resolving the issue of a possible ally Sphere of foreign policy interests Division of the world into spheres of influence The territory of the former Russian Empire, the Straits zone The world with the borders established after the First World War

World War II September 1, 1939 – September 2, 1945 an armed conflict between two world military-political coalitions, which became the largest war in human history. More than 70 states were involved in World War II (of which 37 took part in hostilities), on whose territory over 80% of the world's population lived. Military actions covered the territories of 40 states. According to various estimates, between 50 and 70 million people died. The causes of the war are still disputed.

Causes of World War II – Isolationism of leading powers and focus on internal problems. – Underestimation of military danger by the governments of world powers. – The desire of a number of countries to reconsider the existing structure of the world. – Ineffectiveness of the League of Nations as a regulator of international relations. – Folding of the aggressive block – the “Berlin-Rome-Tokyo” axis.

Periodization of the Second World War Period and time frame Events First period (September 1, 1939 From the attack on Poland to June 22, 1941) the beginning of the Great War Patriotic War Second period (June 22, 1941 – November 1942) Defensive battles The Red Army, the defeat of the Germans near Moscow, the failure of the plan " lightning war“The third period (November 1942 – Stalingrad and Kursk December 1943) battles, a radical turning point in the course of the war. Fourth period (January 1943 – May 9, 1945) Defeat fascist Germany, end of the Great Patriotic War Fifth period (May - September 2, 1945) Surrender of Japan, end of World War II

1. Start of the Parade German troops near Gdansk 1. 09. 1939 – German attack on Poland. 50 divisions. 3. 09. 1939 – Entry into the war between England and France. 8.09.1939 – to Warsaw. Blitzkrieg. 17.09.1939 – The Red Army crossed Polish border. 28.09.1939 – Capitulation of Warsaw and Modlin. Soviet-German Treaty of Friendship and Border.

2. Conquest of Europe " Strange War» England and France – threefold superiority in western front. Refusal active actions. 04/09/1940 – Invasion of Denmark and Norway. 10.05.1940 – Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg. 05.26.1940 – The miracle of Dunkirk. 05/14/1940 – Breakthrough of the line Evacuation of the English Maginot Army. Entry at Dunkirk German army in Paris. Peten government.

2. Conquest of Europe Air defense soldier on the roof of a London house “Battle of Britain” Ultimatum to England. Blockade. "Sea Lion". 08. 1940 – submarine and air war. (losses: 1733 German aircraft, 915 British). 09. 1940 – Italian attack on Greece. April 6, 1940 – invasion of Yugoslavia by the German army. The Ustasha came to power in Croatia. Summer 1940 – Completion of the conquest of Europe.

2. Conquest of Europe General de Gaulle K Tripartite Pact Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Finland, Croatia are joining. December 1940 - approval of the Barbarossa plan - war with the USSR. June 18, 1940 – General de Gaulle appealed to France to organize resistance to the invaders. "Free France". Resistance movement.

3. 1941 -1942 06/22/1941 German attack on the USSR. The beginning of a new stage of the war. December 1941 Battle of Moscow - breakdown of the blitzkrieg. 7.12.1941 – Pearl Harbor. US entry into the war. 12/11/1941 – Germany and Italy declared war on the United States. January 1, 1942 – formation of the anti-Hitler coalition. War in Africa American aircraft carrier Summer 1940 – Italy occupies a number of British colonies after a Japanese air strike.

3. 1941 -1942 General E. Rommel Spring 1941 – Germany to Libya. E. Rommel. October 1942 – El Alamein. Rommel to Tunisia. November 1942 – Operation Torch. D. Eisenhower. 1943 – defeat German group Pacific Ocean Summer 1942 – Midway (the Japanese lost 330 aircraft, 4 aircraft carriers). American occupation of Guadalcanal. End of 1942 – the advance of the German bloc was stopped.

4. Radical fracture Soviet-German front Summer 1942 - Wehrmacht offensive on Stalingrad. 11/19/1942 – counter-offensive of the Red Army. 2. 2. 1943 – surrender of the German group, capture of Paulus. Summer 1943 Kursk Bulge. Battle of Prokhorovka (greatest tank battle), « rail war", air superiority. Beginning of liberation Captured Field Marshal Soviet territory. Strata. Paulus at Stalingrad, the military initiative is in the hands of the Red Army.

4. A radical turning point I. Stalin, F. Roosevelt, W. Churchill in Tehran Summer - autumn 1943 – Smolensk, Gomel, Left Bank Ukraine, Kyiv. 1943 – Allied landings in Italy. Mussolini's removal from power. P. Badoglio truce with the Anglo-American corps. 8. 9. 1943 – capitulation of Italy. Entry of German troops into northern regions. Occupation of Rome. Summer 1944 – Liberation of Rome. 28. 11 -1. 12. 1943 – Tehran Conference – II front.

5. Surrender of Germany Operation Overlord 1944 – « 10 Stalin's blows". Exit of the Red Army to the borders of Eastern Europe Summer-autumn 1944 – uprisings in Warsaw, Slovakia, Bulgaria. Liberation of Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia. 06/06/1944 - Operation Overlord - opening of the Second Front in Europe. D. Eisenhower 18 -25. 8. 1944 – Liberation of Paris. 09. 1944 – the Allies reach the German border. 12. 1944 – offensive in the Ardennes and East Prussia.

5. Surrender of Germany 12.1. 1945 Liberation of Warsaw 4 -11. 2. 1945 – Yalta Conference: end of the war, post-war structure, war with Japan. 04/16/1945 – attack on Berlin 5/2/1945 – flag over the Reichstag 07-8. 5. 1945 – Germany surrenders. 17. 7. -2. 8. 1945 – Potsdam Conference: post-war structure, 3 “D”, reparations, Victory Flag over the Reichstag, German borders, trial of war criminals.

6. Defeat of Japan 1944 – Japan – seizure of territories in China. Kwantung Army– 5 million 6, 9, 8. 1945 – Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 08/09/1945 – The USSR declared war. Three fronts. 08/14/1945 – Emperor Hirohito surrenders. 2.9.1945 – Battleship “Missouri” – signing of surrender. End of World War II. Signing of the surrender Results: 54 million killed, 35 thousand settlements destroyed in Japan, cultural values ​​destroyed.

Results of the war Political consequences of the war Fascism is defeated - one of the forms of totalitarianism. The independence and sovereignty of the countries of Europe and Asia has been restored. Conditions have been created for socio-political changes, opportunities for the democratic development of states Based on Anti-Hitler coalition The United Nations was created. There is experience and further opportunity to develop relations between countries with different socio-political systems, there is an instrument for preventing wars. Development of military-technical thought, improvement of weapons. Appearance nuclear weapons The first attempts at “nuclear dictatorship” by the United States. The USSR's desire for parity with the United States in the field of nuclear and other weapons The liberation of the countries of Central and Eastern The growth of the influence of leftist forces in these states, Europe by the Soviet Union The USSR's desire to control the development of the region The growth of the international authority of the USSR The transformation of the USSR and the USA into superpowers In the post-war world, two contradictory trends are emerging : the possibility of maintaining peace and developing cooperation and the possibility of confrontation between states in a bipolar (bipolar) world.

“Peace is the virtue of civilization, War is its crime.” V. Hugo "Apotheosis of War" Vasily Vereshchagin

. V. Vereshchagin was an ensign, “attached to the Turkestan governor-general, wore civilian clothes and enjoyed the freedom of action and movement necessary to sketch and write what he saw. Until the spring of 1862, he tirelessly sketched nature, folk types, and scenes of everyday life Central Asia"Subsequently, the artist combined all his Turkestan paintings (together with sketches) into a series in order to enhance the ideological impact on the viewer. Following one after another, these paintings unfolded the entire plot before the viewer ("Beggars in Samarkand", "Opium Eaters", "Sale of a Child -slave" and others). In the canvas "Samarkand Zindan" V.V. Vereshchagin depicted an underground prison infested with bedbugs, in which prisoners who were eaten alive were buried. Every hour of their stay in this prison was cruel torture. And only the light falling from above , which dissolves in the evening darkness of the dungeon, connected the prisoners with life. Central location Among the Turkestan paintings of V.V. Vereshchagin are battle paintings, which he combined into the “Barbarians” series. The final painting in this series is the world-famous painting “The Apotheosis of War”. The painting by V.V. Vereshchagin is not so much of a concrete historical nature as of a symbolic one. The canvas "Apotheosis of War" is an image of death, destruction, destruction. Its details: dead trees, dilapidated deserted city, dried grass - all these are parts of the same plot. Even the yellow color of the picture symbolizes dying, and the clear southern sky further emphasizes the deadness of everything around. Even such details as scars from saber strikes and bullet holes on the skulls of the “pyramid” express the idea of ​​the work even more clearly. To express it more fully, the artist explained this with the inscription on the frame: “Dedicated to all great conquerors: past, present and future.” Continuing this idea of ​​the artist, the wonderful Russian critic V.V. Stasov wrote: “The point here is not only the skill with which Vereshchagin painted with his brushes the dry, burnt steppe and among it a pyramid of skulls, with crows fluttering around, looking for a still surviving, maybe maybe a piece of meat. No! Here something more precious and higher appeared in the picture than the extraordinary Vereshchagin virtuality of colors: this deep feeling historian and judge of humanity. . . In Turkestan, Vereshchagin saw enough of death and corpses: but he did not become coarse and dull, the feeling did not extinguish in him, like most people who deal with war and murder. His compassion and love for humanity only grew and went deeper and wider. He's not talking about individuals He began to feel sorry, but looked at humanity and the history going back centuries - and his heart was filled with bile and indignation. That Tamerlane, whom everyone considers a monster and a disgrace to humanity, that new Europe- it’s all the same!” Vasily Vasilyevich Vereshchagin’s noble service to humanity lies precisely in the fact that he debunked this beautiful bravura with a real demonstration of the bloody essence of war. The power of his picture was such that one Prussian general advised Emperor Alexander II to “order to burn all the artist’s war paintings, as having the most harmful influence.”

International relationships on the eve of World War II. The beginning of the war.

Standard on the topic

(Global economic crisis of 1929 and the collapse of the Versailles-Washington system, militarism of Japan (Emperor Hirohito), fascism of Italy (Mussolini), Nazism of Germany (Hitler), breakdown of the Anglo-French-Soviet negotiations, non-aggression pact between the USSR and Germany (August 23 1939), Secret Protocols, the beginning of the Second World War (01 September 1939), Treaty of Friendship and Borders with Germany (29 September 1939), “expansion of the borders of the USSR (Soviet-Finnish war November 30, 1939 to March 12, 1940), exception USSR from the League of Nations, “sitting war”)

The results of the First World War were formalized at the Paris (Versailles) and Washington conferences, according to which:

- Germany was recognized as the culprit of the war

- demilitarization of the Rhineland

Alsace and Lorraine returned to France

— Germany was losing coal copies of the Saar Basin

Germany recognized the sovereignty of Poland and renounced Upper Silesia and Pomerania and the rights to the city of Danzig (Gdansk) in its favor.

Germany recognized the independence of all territories that were part of the former Russian Empire at the beginning of WWI and abolished the Brest-Litovsk Treaty of 1918

- Germany lost all its colonies

- the German army was reduced to 100 thousand people, a ban was introduced on the development of a new type of weapon and on its production

- the Austro-Hungarian monarchy was abolished

- broke up Ottoman Empire, Türkiye lost its colonies.

At the initiative of the United States, the League of Nations was formed (in 1919) with the goal of protecting world peace, but pacifist hopes were not destined to come true.

The antagonism of the socialist (USSR) and capitalist (England, USA) models, plus the emergence of fascist (Nazi) regimes, put the world under threat of existence.

In 1929, the Great Economic Crisis broke out, which again equalized the levels of development of England, France, the USA and Germany.

But the first idea of ​​“world domination” was hatched by Japan, which in 1931-1933 captured Chinese territory Manchuria and makes a puppet state of Manchukuo on it.

Japan leaves the League of Nations and continues the war against China in 1937.

Relationships between Soviet-Chinese border. in 1938-1939 between Soviet and Japanese troops near the Khalkhin Gol River and Lake Khasan. By the fall of 1939, the Japanese captured most coastal China.

Benito Mussolini

And in Europe Fascism appears in Italy with the ideological leader B. Mussolini. Italy seeks to seize dominance in the Balkans; in 1928, Mussolini declared Albania an Italian protectorate, and in 1939 he occupied its territories. In 1928, Italy captured Libya, and in 1935 it started a war in Ethiopia. Italy leaves the League of Nations in 1937 and becomes a satellite of Germany.

IN January 1933 A. Hitler comes to power in Germany , winning the parliamentary elections (National Socialist Party). Since 1935, Germany begins to violate the terms of the Versailles-Washington peace system: it returns the Saar region, restores compulsory military service and begins the construction of air and naval forces. October 7, 1936 German units crossed bridges over the Rhine (violating the Rhine demilitarized zone).

The Berlin-Rome-Tokyo axis (Germany, Italy, Japan) is being formed.

Why is the League of Nations inactive? The Nazi regimes perceived the USSR aggressively, the capitalist countries (USA, England, France) hoped to destroy the USSR with the help of Hitler and Mussolini.

The USSR came up with a proposal to create a collective security system (Anglo-French-Soviet alliance), but the negotiations reached a dead end and then Stalin decided to agree to Hitler’s proposal and conclude the Soviet-German Non-Aggression Pact and the Secret Protocols to it (August 23, 1939)

So let's repeat:

Italy - fascism (Benito Mussolini)

Germany - Nazism (Adolf Hitler)

Causes of the war:

1. Redivision of the world

2. Germany’s desire to take revenge for its loss in the First World War

3. The desire of capitalist countries to destroy the USSR

On the eve of the war

On August 23, 1939, a non-aggression pact was signed between the USSR and Germany

(Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact)

According to secret protocols, the USSR expanded its borders in 4 regions:

1, moved the border away from Leningrad ( Soviet-Finnish war November 30, 39 - March 13, 40) - for this fact, on December 14, 1939, the USSR was expelled from the League of Nations as an aggressor country.

2, accession of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia (August 1940)

3, formation of Moldova within the USSR (territories of Romania - Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina) (August 1940)

4, return of territories Western Ukraine And Western Belarus(“Polish” territories). (September 1939)

Beginning of World War II

September 28, 1939 - The German-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Border was signed.

Calm reigned on the western front.

The Anglo-French troops took no action. These events were called in history the “sitting war”

The US declared its neutrality.

In March 1941, on the initiative of US President F. Roosevelt, the American Congress adopted LEND-LEASE Law.

On April 9, 1940, Germany occupied Denmark, invaded Norway, and then captured Belgium, the Netherlands and France.

Result:

1. Germany begins preparations for war against the USSR (the Barbarossa plan was signed by Hitler back on December 18, 1940 - blitzkrieg - lightning capture)

2. Ties between Germany, Italy and Japan are strengthening (they sign the Tripartite Pact).

They are joined by Romania, Hungary, and Bulgaria.

3. The European economy worked for Germany.

The development of the Soviet Union in the pre-war years took place in a difficult international situation. The presence of hotbeds of tension in Europe and the Far East, the secret preparation of the countries of the capitalist world for the Second World War, and the rise to power in Germany of a fascist party clearly indicated that the international situation was actively and rapidly approaching a military conflict.

During the period between the end of the First and the beginning of the Second World War, qualitative changes occurred in the balance of power in the world community: the emergence of the first socialist state, the aggravation of contradictions between the world's metropolises and colonies, the restoration and new rapid economic rise of those defeated in the First World War and dissatisfied with their position in the world. state - Germany. The consequence of these changes in the international arena was a change in the nature of the approaching conflict. From the dispute between the imperialist powers over the redivision of the world, which, according to V.I. Lenin, there was the First World War, the approaching war was supposed to turn into an arena of opposition and clashing interests of both the imperialist states among themselves, and the entire bloc with a state of a different socio-economic formation - the Soviet Union. It was this circumstance, in our opinion, that determined the policies of the leading capitalist states and the USSR on the eve of the Second World War.

2. Participation of the USSR in international events preceding the Second World War.

2.1 The struggle of the Soviet Union to prevent war. Development of relations with capitalist states on the eve of the conflict.

Let us now see how events developed in international politics on the eve of the Second World War.

We can begin counting down events from 1933, as the date of the Nazi National Socialist Party, led by A. Hitler, coming to power in Germany, who already in 1934 concentrated in his hands all the power in the country, combining at the same time the posts of Chancellor and Fuhrer. The fascists established a dictatorship in the country, a regime of reaction, annulled the Versailles Peace Treaty, which did not suit this rapidly developing imperialist power, and began active preparations for a war to redistribute the world.

During the same period (30s) there was a significant intensification foreign policy In Italy, in which fascism had been the dominant ideology since 1922, its influence on the balance of power in the world community increased.

One of the first aggressive acts committed by these states was the seizure in 1935-36. Ethiopia and the establishment of a fascist regime there.

In 1936-37, Germany, Japan and Italy concluded the “Anti-Comintern Pact”, which marked the beginning of the formation of new military blocs, further progress towards military conflict, and also testified to the manifestations of fascism aggression against the USSR.

Thus, a most dangerous hotbed of future war has emerged in the Center of Europe.

At this time, political circles in England, the USA, and France pursued a policy of encouraging Germany, trying to direct its aggression against the Soviet Union. This policy was carried out both on the world stage and within the states themselves. For example, in almost all countries a campaign was waged against the USSR, the idea of ​​a “growing Soviet danger” and the idea of ​​“Russian military preparations” were actively promoted. In foreign policy, British and French leaders, as evidenced by documents, solved the problem of how to ward off the threat of German aggression and defuse the energy of Nazism and expansion to the East.

In this situation, the USSR comes up with proposals to ensure peace and collective security. In response to the policies of capitalist states, our country is taking the following steps:

1933 - establishment of diplomatic relations with the USA.

1934 - The USSR joins the League of Nations, where it makes its proposals regarding the creation of a system of collective security and resistance to conquerors, which, however, do not find support. At the beginning of 1934, the Soviet Union came up with a convention on the definition of the attacking party (aggressor), which emphasized that aggression is an invasion of the territory of another country with or without a declaration of war, as well as bombing the territory of other countries, attacks on sea ​​vessels, blockade of coasts or ports. The governments of the leading powers reacted coldly to the Soviet project. However, Romania, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, and later Finland signed this document in the USSR.

1935 - France, Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union sign a mutual assistance pact. This pact could have played a significant role in preventing Hitler's aggression, but at the insistence of France a clause was included in this treaty. Its essence was that military assistance to Czechoslovakia from the USSR could be provided only if France also provided it. Soon it was this reservation and the indecisiveness of the then Czechoslovak government that facilitated aggression on the part of Germany.

Events began to take on particular urgency in 1938, when Germany occupied Austria and included it in the Third Reich and intervened in civil war in Spain, where she helped establish a fascist dictatorship, demanded that Czechoslovakia transfer the Sudetenland and annexed it after the approval of this action by the Munich Conference of Heads of Government consisting of England, France, Germany, Italy, which decided to dismember Czechoslovakia, at which the USSR and Czechoslovakia were not present. This “Munich agreement” encouraged the aggressor and pushed him to further intensify his actions; under its terms, about 20% of its territory was torn away from Czechoslovakia, where a quarter of the country’s population lived and about half of the heavy industry capacity was located.

The leaders of capitalist states, continuing to support fascist aggression, signed a number of non-aggression treaties with Germany (1938 - England and France).

Having untied his hands in this way, Hitler continued his aggression: in March 1939 he completely captured Czechoslovakia and seized the port of Klaipeda from Lithuania in favor of Germany. In April 1939, Italy captured Albania.

The USSR, continuing its peaceful policy, did not recognize the occupation of Czechoslovakia and offered it military assistance, which the government of this country refused. France did not fulfill its obligations under the treaties military assistance with this country and did not support it.

Thus, the foreign policy of the Soviet Union in 1930 (until 1939) can be considered an example of the desire to prevent war and curb the aggressor. Our country was the most implacable and consistent opponent of fascism, exposed it, identified it with war.

However, by the summer of 1939, the situation had changed, and the result of this change was subsequently the signing of the treaties of August 23 and September 28, 1939 and secret protocols to them, under the terms of which the USSR became almost a partner of Germany. What caused this turn of events? In our opinion, there were several such reasons.

First of all, it should be noted that the very situation that had developed on the world stage by the spring of 1939 objectively contributed to the fact that the Soviet Union could not continue its activities alone, and it had to take care of its security, since by the spring of 1939 The Second World War in its localized phase was already a reality. In the current military-political situation, the USSR had three alternatives: reach a military agreement with France and England; to be left alone; conclude an agreement with Germany. The Anglo-French-Soviet agreement on mutual assistance directed against Nazi Germany. It would lead to the creation of a unified anti-fascist coalition, would effectively serve to deter fascist aggressors and, perhaps, would prevent the outbreak of a world war.

In the summer of 1939, on the initiative of the Soviet side, negotiations began between the USSR - England - France on concluding a mutual assistance pact and creating an anti-German coalition. At these negotiations, the Soviet Union made radical proposals to resolve the issue of collective security, but for Western states that continued the policies developed at the Munich meeting, these proposals turned out to be unacceptable. By August 20, negotiations had reached a dead end and effectively failed. At the request of the British and French, a break was announced for an indefinite period, although both Moscow and London knew that aggression against Poland was scheduled for the end of August. The USSR failed to reach an agreement with the Western powers. Both sides are to blame for this. But the guilt of the Western powers, especially England, is much greater than that of the Soviet Union. The Soviet side did not have enough restraint, it showed haste, overestimated the degree of hostility of the Western powers towards the USSR and the possibility of their collusion with Nazi Germany. The Western powers did not have a sincere desire to move closer to the USSR, which can be explained, apparently, by various reasons, including fears of possible betrayal, and the inhumane internal policy of the Stalinist leadership, which contradicts his assurances on the world stage, and an underestimation of his strength as a possible ally in the fight against fascist bloc, and deep hostility towards a country of a different socio-economic formation. The Western powers conducted negotiations with the USSR primarily in order to put pressure on Germany, to force it to make concessions to them; they tried to impose their own conditions on the Soviet Union and neglected its interests. “The blame for the failure to create a broad alliance of England, France and the USSR, capable of containing German ambitions,” admits the English researchers R. Hight, D. Maurice and A. Peters, “should be placed directly on the Western allies. It is precisely those methods "with which they resolved the major international crises of the 1930s, gradually undermined faith in the cause of collective security... French and British leaders consistently preferred to pacify Berlin, Rome and Tokyo rather than attempt to use Soviet power to protect international stability."

Thus, by the beginning of the autumn of 1939, the Soviet Union failed to solve the problem of reaching a military agreement with England and France. It would be appropriate to emphasize the following here. At this time, England and France had already formalized their non-aggression agreements with Germany and, thus, were objectively in an advantageous position over the USSR.

However, despite the failure, the beginning of Anglo-French-Soviet contacts caused alarm among the leadership of Nazi Germany. It realized that an agreement on mutual assistance between the three great powers could pose a serious obstacle to Hitler's expansionist plans, and began to make persistent efforts to prevent such an agreement.

Since May 1939, employees of the German foreign policy department, following the instructions of Ribbentrop, repeatedly came into contact with representatives of the USSR in Berlin, making it clear in various unofficial and official ways about Germany’s readiness to move closer to the USSR. Until mid-August 1939, while there was hope for concluding an agreement with England and France, the Soviet government left the German side’s probing unanswered, but at the same time closely monitored its actions. For a long time, a major role in countering the German “courtship of Moscow” was played by the People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs Litvinov, who believed that no concessions could be made to Nazi Germany. However, in May 1939 he was removed from his post, where he was replaced by V.M. Molotov. Such a replacement could not go unnoticed and, probably, it indicated some changes in the orientation of the Soviet leadership. Therefore, the second reason that the union of the USSR and Germany became possible, in our opinion, must be the personal ambitions and expansionist plans nurtured by the Stalinist government. It seems to us that the similarity between these aspirations and Hitler’s plans for the conquest of the world largely contributed to the signing of the illegal secret protocols of 1939.

In continuation of German attempts at rapprochement with Moscow, in early July, the Soviet embassy in Berlin received an anonymous letter proposing the idea of ​​​​rehabilitating the 1926 neutrality treaty or concluding a non-aggression and borders treaty. The German side, the letter said, proceeded from the assumption that both governments had a natural desire to restore their 1914 borders. At the beginning of August 1939, in a conversation with the Soviet plenipotentiary in Berlin Astakhov, Ribbentrop had already officially stated that the USSR and Germany could agree on all problems related to the territory from the Black Sea to the Baltic. The Soviet side left these attempts at rapprochement unanswered. Apparently, Stalin first wanted to clarify what results could be obtained from the Anglo-French-Soviet negotiations.

It should be noted that the Germans had a backup plan in case the Soviet leadership refused to accept Germany's proposals. On secret negotiations in mid-August, London and Berlin agreed on a trip on August 23rd for the second-ranking figure of the “Third Reich” Goering to British Isles for a secret meeting with Chamberlain. Judging by the documents, the two empires were going to work out a “historic compromise,” ignoring the interests of not only the USSR, Poland and a number of other Eastern European countries, but even France.

On August 15, 1939, the German Ambassador in Moscow F. Schulenburg asked for an urgent appointment with the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the USSR V.M. Molotov. The ambassador read out Ribbentrop's statement, which proposed that all existing controversial issues be resolved to the full satisfaction of both sides, for which the German Foreign Minister was ready to arrive in Moscow in the very near future. Although the statement did not openly talk about resolving territorial issues, they were meant. This aspect of Soviet-German relations, along with the non-aggression pact and increased trade with Germany, interested the Soviet government to the greatest extent.

The situation for the Soviet government was very difficult. It began a risky political game. Negotiations with England and France were still ongoing, but reached a dead end. Germany, on the contrary, made concessions to the USSR, expressed its readiness to take into account its state interests, it even promised to influence Japan in order to normalize Soviet-Japanese relations, which was beneficial for the Soviet Union, since at that time there were fierce battles between the Soviet and Japanese troops on the Khalkhin Gol River. In such a situation, Stalin gave permission for Ribbentrop to come to Moscow.

Soviet-German negotiations were carried out under political time pressure. On the night of August 23-24, 1939, in the presence of Stalin, Molotov and Ribbentrop signed hastily agreed upon Soviet-German documents: the Non-Aggression Treaty, under the terms of which the parties pledged not to interfere in armed conflicts against each other for 10 years from the date of signing the document, and the Secret Protocol, according to which Germany assumed a number of unilateral obligations:

In the event of a German-Polish armed conflict German troops were not to advance beyond the border of the Narew, Vistula, San rivers and not to invade Finland, Estonia and Latvia;

The question of preserving a unified Polish state or its dismemberment had to be decided during further development political situation in the region;

Germany recognized the USSR's interest in Bessarabia.

The Non-Aggression Pact was published on August 24, 1939. Top management The USSR did not inform either party or state bodies about the existence of a secret agreement. The Supreme Soviet of the USSR on August 31, 1939, without discussion, ratified only the text of the Non-Aggression Treaty.

The news of the conclusion of a Soviet-German non-aggression treaty came as a complete surprise not only to the world, but also to the Soviet public. It was difficult to comprehend the revolution that had taken place in relations between the USSR and Germany. After the signing of this treaty, London and Paris completely lost interest in the USSR and began to look for ways to obtain from Germany commitments for the future that were stronger than those that it gave during the Munich Conference. Documents show that the day after the signing of the non-aggression pact with Germany, Stalin, being in extreme uncertainty about Hitler's integrity, tried to persuade England and France to continue the military Moscow negotiations. But there was no response to these proposals.

There are different points of view on the question of the need to sign a non-aggression pact with Germany.

Serious researchers - Soviet, Polish, British, West German and others - admit that on August 19-20, 1939, at the moment Stalin agreed to Ribbentrop's visit to Moscow to finally clarify Germany's intentions, the Soviet Union was left with no choice. The USSR alone could not prevent the war. He failed to find allies in England and France. All that remained was to think about how not to fall into the maelstrom of war, for which the USSR was even less prepared in 1939 than in 1941.

True, there is another point of view on this matter. Some historians believe that Germany in 1939 was also not ready for war with the USSR. This may be true, but at the same time it was impossible not to take into account the very obvious likelihood of Berlin’s deals with other Western powers against the Soviet Union.

Assessing the non-aggression treaty from the standpoint of today, it can be noted that for the USSR it had both positive and negative consequences. Positive:

The Soviet Union avoided a war on two fronts, since the agreement created a crack in Japanese-German relations and deformed the terms of the Anti-Comintern Pact in favor of the USSR;

The line from which the Soviet Union could conduct its initial defense was moved several hundred kilometers away from Leningrad, Minsk and other centers;

The treaty contributed to the deepening of the split of the capitalist world into two warring camps, thwarted the plans of the Western powers to direct aggression to the east, and prevented their unification against the USSR. Western powers began to be forced to reckon with the Soviet Union as a military and political power that had the right to outline its interests on the political map of the world.

Negative:

The treaty undermined the morale of the Soviet people, the combat effectiveness of the army, lulled the vigilance of the military-political leadership of the USSR, disoriented the democratic, peace-loving forces, and, therefore, became one of the reasons for the failures of the Soviet side in the initial period of the Great Patriotic War;

The treaty provided fertile ground for accusations against the Soviet Union by Western powers of supporting the aggressor and starting a war;

The positive result of the conclusion of the Non-Aggression Treaty for a long time it was believed that the USSR received about two years to prepare for war and strengthen its defense capabilities. However, this time was used less effectively by the Soviet Union than by Germany, which in 22 months to a greater extent increased its military potential. If at the beginning of 1939 the military-political leadership of Germany assessed the Red Army as a very strong enemy, a clash with which was undesirable, then at the beginning of 1941 they already noted the weakness of the Armed Forces of the USSR, especially their command staff.

The legal, political and historical assessment of the Secret Protocol attached to this agreement may, in our opinion, be more unambiguous and categorical. This protocol can be considered as a great power request for “territorial and political reorganization” in the region, which, from a legal point of view, was in conflict with the sovereignty and independence of a number of states. It did not comply with the treaties that the USSR had previously concluded with these countries, with our obligations to respect their sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability in all circumstances. This protocol completely contradicted the official assurances about the abolition of secret diplomacy that the leadership of the USSR made to the world community, was a revision of the strategic course towards collective security and actually authorized an armed invasion of Poland.

Having freed its hands by signing a non-aggression pact and secret protocols, Germany attacked Poland on September 1, 1939.

England and France declared war on Germany, but did not provide effective military assistance to Poland and it was defeated.

The USSR and the USA declared their neutrality in the war.

On September 17, 1939, units of the Red Army entered the territory of Western Ukraine and Belarus, which was provided for by the provisions of the secret protocol.

So, the Second World War began.

At this time (end of September 1939), the leadership of the USSR, led by Stalin and Molotov, overstepped the bounds of reason in relations with Germany. On August 28, 1934, in Moscow, Molotov and Ribbentrop signed the Treaty of Friendship and Borders with the annex of several secret protocols, which, like the previous secret protocol, were not ratified. According to these documents, the spheres of influence of the USSR and Germany changed, the borders of countries in Poland were determined, the parties agreed on economic cooperation and the prevention of agitation directed against the other side. The territory of the Lithuanian state was recognized as a sphere of interests of the USSR, provided that the existing economic agreements between Germany and Lithuania would not be affected by the activities of the Government of the Soviet Union in this region. At the same time, the Lublin and Warsaw voivodeships were transferred to the German sphere of influence with appropriate amendments to the demarcation line. In one of the protocols, each side pledged to prevent “Polish propaganda” directed at the region of the other country.

At the same negotiations, Molotov made a statement in which he substantiated the idea that the fight against fascism was unnecessary and that an ideological agreement with Germany was possible. Together with Ribbentrop, he signed a note in which all responsibility for starting the war was shifted to England and France and stipulated that, if these countries continued to participate in the war, the USSR and Germany would consult on military issues.

The assessment of these agreements, in our opinion, should be unambiguous. If the conclusion of a non-aggression treaty in the minds of the Soviet people was justified by the need to avoid participation in the war, then the signing of the Treaty of Friendship and Borders between the USSR and Germany was completely unnatural. This document was signed after the occupation of Poland and, consequently, was an agreement concluded with a country that committed an overt act of aggression. He questioned, if not undermined, the status of the USSR as a neutral party and pushed our country into unprincipled cooperation with Nazi Germany.

In our opinion, there was no need for this agreement at all. The change in the boundary of division of interests, recorded in the secret additional protocol, could have been formalized in a completely different way. However, motivated by the strengthening of personal power, Stalin went to great political and moral expense at the end of September in order to secure, as he believed, Hitler in a position of mutual understanding, but not with the USSR, but with him personally. It should be recognized that Stalin’s desire for parallel actions with Germany, which had been established since the end of September, expanded the freedom of maneuver of the Nazi leadership, including in carrying out a number of military operations.

Thus, in modern historical science, the Treaty of Friendship and Borders of September 28, 1939 is assessed sharply negatively. The conclusion of this agreement should be considered a mistake by the then leadership of the USSR. The treaty and everything that followed it in the media and in practical politics disarmed the Soviet people spiritually, contradicted the will of the people, Soviet and international legislation, and undermined the international authority of the USSR.

Summing up the story about the Soviet-German treaties of August 23 and September 28, 1939, it should be noted that according to the conclusions of the Commission of the Congress of People's Deputies, the Non-Aggression Treaty and the Treaty of Friendship and Borders lost their force at the time of the German attack on the USSR, and the secret protocols , as signed in violation of existing Soviet legislation and international law, are not valid from the moment of signing.

After the signing of the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation and the secret protocols, the Soviet Union began to steadily implement all their provisions. In addition to the moral damage caused to the Soviet people by the terms of these documents, the practical activities of the Soviet leadership caused great damage country. For example, discontent among anti-fascists living in the USSR was caused by individual unfriendly actions of the government towards some of them. Thus, in the fall of 1939, orphanage No. 6, previously created specifically for the children of German political emigrants, was closed in Moscow. At the beginning of 1940, several groups of German and Austrian anti-fascists who were repressed in the 30s and were under investigation or imprisoned were transferred to the German authorities. In most cases, this was done against the will of those being transferred. In addition, there were many cases of repression against Soviet citizens conducting anti-fascist propaganda. After the introduction, under the terms of the last Treaty, of the Red Army into the territory of Western Ukraine and Belarus, Lithuania and Poland, repression began there, the imposition of command and administrative methods of leadership, and the suppression of the national movement in these areas.

From 1939 to 1941, almost until the start of the Great Patriotic War, the external rapprochement between Germany and the Soviet Union continued. The USSR, right up to the German attack in 1941, strictly complied with all the terms of the treaties it signed. So he did not participate in the events of 1940 -1941, when Hitler subjugated almost all European states, including France, and defeated the European contingent of British troops. Soviet diplomacy did everything in order to delay the war and avoid fighting it on two fronts, in order to allow the USSR to prepare for war. For example, in 1941 the following were signed:

A note with Turkey, in which both sides pledged to remain neutral;

Non-aggression pact with Japan.

However, these measures could not solve the main problem of foreign policy and prevent war.