Foreign Relations Between the Soviet Union and Germany: 1929 Through 1953

Soviet/German Relations in the Stalin Era

Soviet/German relations can be divided into six major periods, based on Stalin’s policies: 1929 through 1933; 1934 (the end of German/Soviet cooperation) through 1938; 1939 (Nazi-Soviet Pact) through May 1941; June 1941 (onset of WWII) through January 1943; February 1st 1943 (Soviet victory at Stalingrad) through April 1945; May 8th 1945 (German surrender) through 1953 (Stalin’s death). I will briefly delineate and describe each of these periods and I will evaluate the effectiveness of Stalin’s policies.

1929 through 1933: Understanding and Cooperation
Throughout the 1920’s and early 1930’s, Stalin felt that an understanding and good relationship with Germany was a vital factor in his desired political achievements. (Lifka, 02/17/04). Leading up to Hitler’s coming to power, both armies benefited by secret planning: they shared military ideas, the Germans helped the Soviets build a better Russian army, and Russians gave Germans a chance to secretly try out new weapons. When Hitler came to power (officially in 1933), Stalin saw it as a temporary phenomenon and even as a somewhat positive factor because it was the destruction of the left. (Lifka, 02/17/04).
Stalin’s first mistake throughout his relations with Germany was his under-estimation of Hitler’s powers. If he had had the foresight to see Hitler’s aims – particularly once Hitler started taking over other countries – Stalin could have built up his military sooner and possibly, though not likely, have even prevented war with Germany completely. Stalin could have lessened the impact of the war quite a bit by simply being prepared for it.