Lecture 10: Part II

Road to Second World War

 1930’s Pre-World War II Situation

 There was conflict between Russia and Germany.

i. 1930’s was a Tri-polar Europe.

ii. Hostility between the Fascist camp and the communist
camp was much greater than that between the Fascist
camp and the democratic camp.
iii. The democratic camp, Britain and France were pursuing
the appeasement policy towards Germany.
iv. Germany had this basic design to expand in the eastern
direction; the Drang Nech Osten.
  There emerged latent conflict between Germany and the
Democratic Camp.
i. It came to the fore because appeasement policy was given
up in 1939 after Czechoslovakia was taken into two bites.
ii. The next was Poland.
iii. Hitler even guaranteed the British Empire and its security if
it would declare neutrality.
iv. Hitler was even willing to forget about the Alsace and
Loraine issue.
 Reconciliation between Germany and Russia

 23th of August 1939: Nazi-Soviet Pact.

i. It was technically a ‘No War’ pact but it was an alliance

practically.
ii. The anti-Russian discourse stopped in Germany and
vise versa.
iii. Appeasement policy was over.
iv. France, while staying on the sidelines, rejected the
German proposition.
 How Nazi Soviet Pact amounted to a Conflict
Exacerbation.

i. Germany would not have started the war had Germany not
the luxury of the confirmation that this war would be a one-
front war.
 1917-1941: ON-Going Conflict: Russia versus
Democratic Camp

i. 1917: Communist Revolution came in Russia.

ii. America, Britain, France and Japan sending their forces;
intervening in the Russian Civil War trying to undermine the
communist government.
iii. Britain would recognize Russia only in 1924.
iv. America did in 1933.
v. Communist Russia would join the League of Nations only in
1934.
vi. In the 1930’s Hitler came to power and Britain and France did
not accept Russia’s offer to form an alliance against Germany.
vi. 1939, When Britain and France gave up the appeasement
policy, one thing was clear that war might come because
Germany was all willing to attack Poland. Even then Britain
and France did not approach Russia seriously.
vii. The Nazi-Soviet pact of 1939.
viii. They provided Germany oil and minerals.
ix. When German forces were making their headway, the
French Communist Party made it clear that the German
forces were not to be resisted.
x. Further ill will was created in the West when Russia
attacked on Finland in the fall of 1939.
xi. Russia was expelled, ex-communicated or ostracized from
the League of Nations in 1939.
i. Germany attacked Russia in 22nd June 1941; Operation
Barbarossa was launched.
ii. The largest land offensive. Millions of Germans were rolling
into Russia.
iii. According to Paul Kennedy, in his book ‘Rise and Fall of
Great Powers’, Germany was able to make 700 miles in
depth advancement into Russia.
iv. If Germany would have access to Russian resources. This
would make Germany hopelessly unmanageable for the
West.
v. In December 1941, only after six months of this attack,
Germany declared war on America also.
 Grand Alliance
 Grand alliance of 1941.

i. It was a remarkable conciliation and strange alliance as well

with communist country on the one hand and the capitalist
countries on the other hand.
i. The 11 billion dollars aid that the West gave, it stiffened
Russia’s spine. It gave Russia the wherewithal to stay in the
conflict.
ii. January 1942 (New York): 26 states who were fighting the
Axis powers calling themselves the United Nations, and
made it clear that nobody would sign a separate peace with
Germany.
iii. There were tensions in Grand Alliance, and there always was
the doubt that Russia would conclude a separate peace with
Germany.
iv. Russians had hinted that if the Second Front was not
opened and if the West continued delaying the opening of
the second front Russia might conclude a separate peace
with Germany.
v. There was always a fear in the minds of Russia that West
would conclude a separate peace with Germany.
vi. In January 1943 there was a meeting between Churchill and
Roosevelt in Casablanca, Morocco, in which they made
another stipulation very clearly that war, would not end
until Germany was forced to make an unconditional
surrender. Again this was an assurance for Russia that, mid-
war separate peace, at the expanse of Russia, would not be
made with Germany.