Lenin pursued a dual foreign policy after the Russian Civil War. On one hand, he pursued pragmatic diplomatic and economic agreements when beneficial to the USSR, such as trade deals with Germany, Britain, and others. However, he also continued to instigate communist revolutions worldwide through the Comintern, providing funds and support to revolutionary groups despite also forming military alliances. This dual policy aimed to both strengthen the USSR while also exporting revolution internationally.

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