German Soviet Relations During The Interwar Period

Germany and the Soviet Union had signed what is known as “Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact” of 1939 in order to acquire Poland’s land together. Although Hitler and Stalin did not like one another, they decided to put their differences aside for the moment in order to seize the opportunity. Hitler was interested in what was known as the Polish Corridor which had separated Germany from another piece of its property due to the Treaty of Versailles. Stalin was simply interested in expansion of Russia, and had plans to attack Germany once taking over Poland was successful. Germany took part in what was known as the

There were two main causes of tension between Russia and the West from 1941 and 1945. One cause, according to historians was the disagreements over a Second Front being opened. Tensions arose due to the West’s perceived delay in opening a front, the front being used as a political tool by Stalin and the perceived lack of supplies and materials being sent to the soviets as aid. A more significant cause of tension, however, is believed by some to be Stalin’s attempts to create a sphere of influence in Eastern Europe and his actions in Poland.

Stalingrad and the Turning Point on the Soviet-German Front, 1941-1943 is partitioned into seven distinct chapters: Introduction; Background; Geography, Politics and National Will; The Economies of

Emerging victoriously from World War II, America became the leader of the free-market capitalist world, and proved to be a military, economic, and political powerhouse. However, as one major war came to a close, another battle was brewing between the democratic United States and the communist Soviet Union. As the Soviet Union expanded farther West into Europe, America as well as its NATO allies worked together in an effort to contain the USSR’s expanding communist party. The Cold War went far beyond a battle between different ideologies. Rather, it developed into a global conflict where espionage, treason, and massive propaganda campaigns were inflicted on all aspects of individuals’ lives internationally. The plausibility of communism seeping into the confinements of the United States caused nation-wide fear to erupt. American businesses feared the idea of a communistic revolution on the basis that it would disturb the very groundwork that holds capitalism together. As a result, the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) was formed to investigate communist and fascist organizations within America. Unfortunately, the controversial tactics used during the HUAC hearings contributed to the fear, blacklisting, and repression that existed from 1940 through the 1950s. In the midst of the Cold War, several American opinions materialized concerning the role of the HUAC, in which Americans either praised the committee for its patriotic ideals, applauded but recognized the

The German invasion of Poland on September 1st 1939, was an experimental display of the most advanced and intense form of warfare the world had ever seen. With such a drastic use of power and with aspirations expanding so wide, the German “Wehrmacht”1, along with the Soviet Union and a small Slovak contingent, soon escalated a central European battle into a global conflict. The target of Poland, for such an experiment had been strategically chosen as a geographical and logistical advantage, a self-proclaimed repossession of pre-World War one land ownership, and an eastern front barrier with Germany’s newly established pact/ally (via the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact), the USSR.

After a long fought world war for resources Russia and Germany are the powerhouses controlling everything Russia decides to betray Germany.

At the time that the pact was signed, it was in both Germany’s and the USSR’s interest not to get involved in a war with one another. For Germany with its plans of European domination, a war on the Eastern (USSR) and Western fronts at the same time would break the effectiveness of the German Wehrmacht, whilst for the USSR war was not feasible because of the state of unpreparedness that both the Russian economy and military was in after the purges. In Russia’s case, the pact was even more attractive seeing that it gained territorial expansion as well, because of the secret clause that was included in the pact. On top of this its economy gained by trade agreements that they entered into with Germany. The pact was not seen as a symbol of an

Brandt believed that the Hallstein Doctrine which stated that West Germany would not recognize any country that associated with East Germany subsequently isolated East Germany from the rest of the world. The signing of the Moscow Treaty in 1945 which confirmed the division between the two nations was the catalyst that opened an era of detente in Europe. Pressure for detente did not derive solely from the superpowers but also from Ostpolitik which had encouraged links across the iron curtain.

World War II shocked and dismantled many Eastern European countries leaving Europe in a state of shock, with many unanswered, open ended questions. Buildings were blown up, streets cracked, people slaughtered, and governments destroyed. As turmoil struck Eastern Europe, an opportunity arose for a new political system to come into power. However, this process is never a simple one; two common political ideologies fought to control the heart of Europe. Capitalism led by the Western Allies, funded by the United States Marshall Plan, spread providing a short time of economic prosperity. The American’s plan however could not venture as far east as West Germany with Moscow’s direction of Communism led by Joseph Stalin and he took over a large portion of Eastern Europe with many open statements and empty promises. These two ideologies caused an enlarged time of tension stemming from the drastically different values they were known to embrace, leading to a horrific time known as the cold war.

The Russians have been seen from many countries throughout history as an enemy. It is no surprise that Russians were, at the beginning of WW2, allies with Germany and the Nazi party. Joseph Stalin being the leader of the infamous communist USSR was polar opposites from Adolf Hitler the fascist leader of Germany (Study.com, 2017). They did, however, both have the idea of expansion on their minds and they found common ground when they invaded Poland in September 1939. While Stalin went on to invade Finland and other parts of Eastern Europe, Germany had started to carry out their original plan. The Nazi party invaded the USSR in the summer of 1941. Although the Germans had the element of surprise on their side, they didn’t conquer in time and

Today, the German and the US diplomatic relations are becoming more solid that it was initially in the entire of Europe. The US is beginning to have confidence that they can establish a lasting diplomatic relationship with Germany after their long separation since the World War II. It has not been an easy journey for both countries as historical scholars have studied. The two countries share the same level of enthusiasm and western civilization despite the difference in geographic location. It is also interesting to note over fifty million Americans have German ancestry. During pre-1871, the relations between German states and the United States were not formal, but in 1875, they signed various trade agreements with the Prussian kingdom. They sent their representatives to each of the countries to oversee these trade relations. The long history of the German empire that saw some of the great reformists such as Otto von Bismarck emerged to lead one of the strongest and most powerful empires in Europe, but requires extra resources to run the empire from American the late 19th century. The plans to find resources such as coal to run their

The Nazi-Soviet pack allowed Hitler to invade Poland and then fight France and Britain without having to worry about the powerful Soviet army. (6) A surprise attack by the Germans on the Soviet Union on June 1941 ended the Nazi-Soviet pact. This drove the Soviet Union to join the allies, but they found no love in the hearts of the United States and Britain. It was only Germany’s might and murder policies that held the Grand Alliance together. (7) As the tide turned in favor of the Allies in the eastern theater, the side where the Soviet Union was fighting on, the soviets army was pushing into several Eastern European countries which were formerly allied or controlled by Germany. As the soviets controlled occupied these countries, they were able to control them. The same fear that had arisen in 1812 arose again: Would Russia become so powerful that it, instead of Germany, would threaten to dominate Europe. (8) To avoid this nightmare Britain and the United States invited the Soviet Union to a conference to discuss how to establish a durable peace. The “Big Three” met at Yalta, a resort on the Black Sea shore in the southern part of the Soviet Union. At the final diner at Yalta, hosted by Stalin on February 8, in a toast to Churchill and Stalin, President Roosevelt said he felt “the atmosphere between them was that of a family.” (9) Harry Hopkins, one of Roosevelt’s closest advisors and his special envoy to other heads of the state

The signing of the 1939 Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact was extremely significant in regards to the outbreak of war in Europe. Both Germany and Russia possessed considerable motives for signing the pact.

In early September of 1945, Germany lay in total and utter ruins. In the years following World War Two, having been defeated, Germany was placed under allied occupation - divided into two main zones: West and East Germany. “West Germany was established on May 23, 1949, as one of two successor states—East Germany being the other.” ("Germany, West." Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia (2015): 1p. 1. Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia. Web. 6 Apr. 2016.) East Germany was ruled by the Soviet Union whilst West was under the rule of the Allied Powers. A chancellor by the name of Konrad Adenauer was put into power and it is said under his rule that Germany flourished. This research seeks to find out whether his role was important in the

As it began, our century drew to a close, with Germany once again the economic powerhouse and political hub of Europe. What is remarkable is how quickly this happened, how unbidden and unanticipated: the toppling of the Berlin Wall in November 1989; the reunification a year later; the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War in late December 1991; a resurgent impetus to West European integration in 1992; and NATO enlargement, which was consecrated in April 1999. Unquestionably, this chain of events has profoundly affected Germany’s situation over the past decades. For the first time since the establishment of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) in 1949 and the painstaking process of