“The main aim of Russian/Soviet foreign policy in Europe between 1919 and 1941 was to promote collective security.” Discuss.

The question requires that candidates offer a considered and balanced review of the statement that the main aim of Russian/Soviet foreign policy in Europe between 1919 and 1941 was to promote collective security. Candidates may argue that the Treaty of Rapallo in 1922 and the Treaty of Berlin in 1926 helped resolve tensions between Germany and the USSR, advancing collective security in the early part of the inter-war years. Candidates may refer to individual non-aggression pacts (i.e. with France and Czechoslovakia) as well as the USSR’s entry into the League of Nations in 1934 as also promoting collective security. Some may argue that Soviet disillusionment with the British and French appeasement of the fascist powers affected collective security and altered the aims of Russian foreign policy. Other relevant factors may be addressed, for example the non-aggression pact with Germany in 1939; Soviet involvement in the Spanish Civil War and the breaking of the non-intervention pact in 1936 could be seen as not pursuing collective security. Candidates’ opinions or conclusions will be presented clearly and supported by appropriate evidence.

The question required that candidates offer a considered and balanced review of the statement that the main aim of Russian/Soviet foreign policy in Europe between 1919 and 1941 was to promote collective security. Few responses were seen to this question. There were some good answers which discussed the Treaty of Rapallo, Soviet entry into the League of Nations, Soviet disillusionment with Anglo-French appeasement and the Nazi-Soviet Pact.