No More Learning

R. dur-
ing the present war?
5. Arrange an attractive bulletin board exhibit of the pictures in the set,
"Life of a Family in Russia. " (Obtainable from The East and West
Association, 40 East 49th Street, New York City, for fifty cents. )
6. The film, "One Day in Soviet Russia," was written and narrated by
Quentin Reynolds. It gives a very complete account of many phases of
life in the Soviet Union. If this film is available, a small group may
preview it and mention to the class points of importance to be noted.
After the showing of the film, be prepared to discuss it with the class
and try to answer the questions it has provoked.
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? MEET THE SOVIET RUSSIANS 67
V. Foreign Relations
A. Pre-Revolutionary Policy
Russia had little influence upon general European history
before the end of the seventeenth century. Her isolation was
due, among other factors, to two centuries of Tatar rule, and
to her geographic position. Peter the Great ascended the throne
in 1689, after the Tatars had been driven eastward into Siberia
and southward into the Black Sea region by his predecessors. It
was his ambition to make Russia into a great European power.
He annexed Azov, a seaport on an arm of the Black Sea, and
succeeded in expanding Russian territory toward the north-
west, securing strategic porti in the Baltic Sea. He acquired
Latvia and Estonia in 1721; he also sent Vitus Bering to explore
the region now known as the Bering Sea and Bering Strait.
Peter the Great did not, however, succeed in securing a sea-
port in warm water which would be a secure outlet to the main
ocean routes.
Catherine II annexed the Crimea, and shared in the parti-
tioning of Poland, along with the rulers of Austria and Prussia.
In the nineteenth century, imperialistic Russia gained territories
in the Middle and Far East, and in the Caucasus region. During
the Napoleonic wars she secured Finland, and gained a larger
portion of Poland at the Congress of Vienna. Russian influence
over the Slavic peoples of the Balkans became extensive.
These activities naturally aroused antagonism among the
other powers. Great Britain feared Russian expansion toward
India, Japan opposed her expansion down the Pacific coast,
and Austria-Hungary feared the growth of Russian influence in
the Balkan states. Moreover, Russia's desire for an outlet to the
sea brought her into armed conflict with the Ottoman Empire,
which continued to hold Constantinople.
In the system of alliances which preceded the First World War,
Russia and France were bound in a military alliance, while
Russia and England settled their differences in the Anglo-Rus-
sian Agreement of 1907, thus completing the Triple Entente.
Russia's entrance into the war came, not only because of this
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? 68 MEET THE SOVIET RUSSIANS
alliance, but because of obligations she had assumed toward
Serbia.
The coming of war in 1914 intensified the domestic problems
of Russia; losses in the war were very great. These tremendous
casualties, successive military defeats, growing shortages of food
and other goods, and widespread dissatisfaction led to the abdi-
cation of the Tsar in March, 1917. The Provisional Government
then established was overthrown by Lenin and his followers in
November, 1917, thus leaving the Bolsheviks in control of the
government. They advocated peace with Germany, and in March,
1918, withdrew from the war under the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk.
As a result of this treaty and of later developments, Russia lost
all of its western provinces, Poland, Finland, the Ukraine, Lithu-
ania, Latvia, Estonia and Bessarabia. However, acceptance of
the terms of the peace gave the Bolsheviks the opportunity to
strengthen their own position. The revolutionary government,
in order to seize and hold power, resorted to harsh and ruthless
means, which led to resentment and further civil strife within
the country. Revolution and counter-revolution, foreign inter-
vention and economic stress combined to produce a period of
great turbulence and struggle.
B. Policy from 1918 to 1941
The Soviets were excluded from the Versailles Conference, but
Allied intervention and blockade continued until 1920. From
1922 to 1933, a primary concern of the Soviets was the stabili-
zation of their system of government, and they were successful
in establishing diplomatic and commercial relations with the
major powers. The United States was the last of these powers to
recognize the Soviet government, in 1933. Treaties were nego-
tiated with all neighboring countries, including Germany. The
Soviets participated in the disarmament conferences, and in
August, 1928, they became a signatory of the Kellogg-Briand
Treaty to outlaw war as an instrument of national policy. In
the Far East they abrogated extra-territorial privileges and es-
tablished friendly relations with Japan and China; but, in 1929,
due to difficulties with Manchurian troops, relations with China
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? MEET THE SOVIET RUSSIANS 69
were broken. After the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931,
friendly relations with the Chinese Republic were resumed.
The Soviet Union attempted to cooperate in building up a
system of collective security when it joined the League of
Nations in 1934. It favored sanctions when Italy invaded Ethi-
opia, and also aid to China in its difficulties with Japan. The
Soviets consistently advocated the value of collective security, but ?
at Munich, when collective security was threatened, they were
not consulted. The Soviet Union was ready and willing to par-
ticipate in invoking sanctions, and sent substantial aid to the
Loyalists in Spain and to the Chinese after the Japanese attacks
on Manchuria and China proper.
During the uncertainty of 1939, negotiations with Great Brit-
ain and France were unsuccessful, and in August of that year,
the U. S. S. R. entered into a non-aggression pact with Germany.
The conclusion of this pact resulted in greater suspicion of the
Soviet Union by the western democracies. Even though the agree-
ment was apparently one of friendship, the Soviets were aware
of ultimate danger from the Nazis. "From this pact," Stalin
said in 1941, following Germany's attack on the U. S. S. R. , "we
secured for our country peace for a year and a half and the op-
portunity of preparing its forces to repulse Fascist Germany
should she risk an attack on our country despite the pact. "1
When Polish resistance to the German attack was weakening
in 1939, the U. S. S. R. sent troops into Poland to occupy the
eastern areas. In November,- 1939, the Soviet Union attacked
Finland, ostensibly to gain strategic areas for her own defense.
The attack upon Finland weakened the Soviet international po-
sition; it almost created a break with France and England; and
the U. S. S. R. was expelled from the League of Nations. In the
ensuing struggle, the Soviets, apparently depending upon com-
munistic support within Finland which was not forthcoming,
were unprepared for the strong defense displayed by the Finns
and for the encouragement and assistance which came to Fin-
land from almost every country in the world. Through victory
lThe Soviet Union Today--An Outline Study, p. 74.
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? 70 MEET THE SOVIET RUSSIANS
in this war, the Soviet Union gained in 1940 the Karelian
Isthmus, the city and district of Viipuri, and a thirty-year lease
on the Hango Peninsula. The experience had served to make
the Soviet leaders aware of deficiencies in their military strength,
and they immediately began to concentrate on plans for the
defense of the Soviet Union.
The Soviets had initiated negotiations with the Baltic States
in 1939, and at that time secured the right to establish bases
within these countries. After the collapse of France in 1940,
the Baltic States were incorporated into the Soviet Union, and in
June, 1940, troops occupied Bessarabia and northern Bukovina.
Thus, within a few months, the western boundaries of the former
Russian Empire, with the exception of the Nazi-occupied part
of Poland, to which the Soviets laid no claim, had been restored;
and northern Bukovina and eastern Galicia, part of old Austria-
Hungary, added.
C. Policy from 1941 to 1944
During 1940-1941, preparation for war became the prime in-
terest of the Soviets. Armies were trained; armament plants
were moved beyond the Urals; new plants were constructed. The
Germans apparently decided to strike before full organization
could be accomplished, and on June 22, 1941, Germany invaded
Soviet territory.
The suspicion that existed between the Soviet Union and the
western democracies delayed the arrival at common understand-
ing. Following the invasion of the U. S. S. R. by Germany, how-
ever, Soviet funds which had been frozen in the United States
at the time of the Soviet-Finnish War were released. In Sep-
tember, 1941, the Soviet Union announced through its ambas-
sador its willingness to adhere to the fundamental principles
of the Atlantic Charter, in which the signatories declare that they
seek no territorial or other aggrandizement, and no territorial
changes not in accord with the peoples concerned, and that
they recognize the right of self-determination of nations. On
January 1, 1942, in Washington, one month after America's
entry into World War II, the Soviet Union, with twenty-five
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? MEET THE SOVIET RUSSIANS 71
other nations, signed a declaration of adherence to the Atlantic
Charter.
In October, 1941, Lend-Lease aid was extended to the U. S. S. R.
by the United States for the purchase of arms and supplies; in
certifying the arrangement in November, 1941, President Roose-
velt stated that the defense of the U. S. S. R. was vital to the
defense of the United States. In June, 1942, the amount of the
United States Lend-Lease to the Soviet Union was increased
from one to three billion dollars. In June, 1942, the Soviet
Union signed a twenty-year alliance with Great Britain for
common action not only during the war, but also for post-war
collaboration aiming toward security and economic prosperity
in Europe. By July, 1943, Lend-Lease supplies were moving from
the United States into the U. S. S. R. over the Iran route at the
rate of a million tons a month, in addition to those entering
through the ports of Vladivostok and Murmansk.
In April, 1941, the Soviets had signed a neutrality pact with
Japan, by which each contracted to remain neutral in case of hos-
tilities with other nations. Observance of this pact has enabled
the Soviet Union to concentrate on the defeat of Germany in
the west.
In October, 1943, a tripartite conference of the foreign min-
isters of Soviet Russia, Great Britain, and the United States was
held in Moscow. The conference resulted in a joint declaration,
in which the Chinese government also concurred, for unity in
the prosecution of the war and united action for post-war or-
ganization and maintenance of peace and security. A month
later, President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Churchill and Premier
Stalin met at Teheran, capital of Iran. A declaration following
this conference stated again that the three nations should co-
operate in the war and in the peace to follow.
The Communist International, or Comintern, organized in
1919 for the purpose of uniting all workers of the world in a
revolutionary movement to achieve a classless society, proved a
handicap to the Soviets in their foreign relations. Under Stalin's
leadership, the emphasis has been focused upon the development
of socialism within the Soviet Union; and the Comintern official-
ly ceased to exist in May, 1943.
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? 7* MEET THE SOVIET RUSSIANS
D. What of the Future?
The Declaration of the United Nations of January 1, 1942, the
Moscow Conference of October, 1943, and the Conference at
Teheran of November, 1943, promise continuance of collabora-
tion between the Soviet Union and the western democracies.
Reconstruction, rehabilitation of her devastated lands, and
resumption of development of her internal economy will be pri-
mary aims of the U. S. S. R. in the period immediately following
the war. The attainment of these objectives will require inter-
national cooperation for peace and trade. The Soviets will need
further importation from America and other countries of ma-
chinery, machine tools, railway and mining equipment, and
additional services of chemists, builders, and skilled machine
workers; they themselves will sell furs, platinum, manganese and
other products. In the achievement of world peace, world trade,
and collective security, the Soviet Union, with the other United
Nations, is pledged to play a vital role.
When considering the future of American-Soviet relations,
a glance backward may have many useful implications. A his-
torical survey of Russo-American relations previous to the
Bolshevik Revolution reveals many instances of cooperation
between the two countries and many times when mutual benefit
was derived from pursuing a common course of action. Even
though the American and Russian systems of government dif-
fered fundamentally, cooperation was possible and profitable.
Differences in political systems, therefore, do not bar the way to
cooperation.
There are, in fact, several factors which should tend to create
common bonds between the United States and the Soviet Union.
They are the only two great powers in the world which have
direct two-way traffic across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. In
the vicinity of the Bering Strait, they are neighbors, with pos-
sessions at one place about three miles apart. Both countries
had their origins in revolutions; both have large-scale social and
economic problems, and they have a similar pioneer heritage.
Optimism, the ideal of the abundant life, and a reliance upon
scientific methods and machine techniques are common to both
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? MEET THE SOVIET RUSSIANS 73
countries. Of prime importance is the fact that the international
aims and ideals of the two countries are in agreement in up-
holding world peace as a goal. Since, when the present war
ends, the United States and the Soviet Union will remain two
of the most powerful and influential nations on earth, the
future of world peace depends in large measure upon the extent
to which the peoples of the two nations can work together in
harmony in the difficult days and years ahead.
References on Foreign Policy:
Dallin, David J. , Soviet Russia's Foreign Policy, 1939-1942.
Dulles, Foster Rhea, The Road to Teheran.
Fischer, Louis, The Soviets and World Affairs.
Vernadsky, George, A History of Russia.
Some Suggested Activities on Foreign Policy:
1.
In 1807, Alexander I signed a friendship pact with Napoleon; five years
later, Napoleon invaded Russian soil; in 1939, Stalin signed a non-
aggression pact with Hitler; in 1941 Hitler invaded the U. S. S. R. Many
people have noted an interesting parallel in these two situations. Read
about both; then, using the title "Does History Repeat Itself? " write
a summary of your findings. Be sure to describe the circumstances lead-
ing up to the agreements, and the immediate, as well as the ultimate,
results. See Vernadsky, History of Russia.
2. In connection with the parallel suggested in (1), can you picture the
modern representatives of Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia signing the
1941 non-aggression pact, mutually distrustful, with the shadows of their
1807 predecessors over them? Could you draw a cartoon to represent
this situation? (Suggestion: see cartoon depicted in Vera M. Dean's
Russia at War, Foreign Policy Headline Book, p. 69. )
3. From material in the classroom or public library, obtain as complete
and up-to-date statistics as possible regarding United States Lend-
Lease to the U. S. S. R. , to Britain, and to China. Make a bar graph,
or other chart, depicting clearly the comparative amounts of Lend-
Lease aid to these three Allies.
4. Write to the American Russian Institute, 58' Park Avenue, New York
City, and ask, for information as to the total cost of the war in dollars
to the U. S. S. R. in 1941, 1942, 1943 and 1944. Make a chart showing the
comparison of United States Lend-Lease aid to the total cost of the war
to the U. S. S. R.
5. On a world map entitled "Possible International Trade--1950" indi-
cate, by means of symbols and arrows, the products and the direc-
tion of possible exchange between the U. S. S. R. and the U. S. A. Indicate
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? 74 MEET THE SOVIET RUSSIANS
methods and possible routes of transportation. (Suggestion: see "The
Future of American-Soviet Trade Relations" by E. C. Ropes in the
book, The US. S. R. in Reconstruction; also the article "To Bridge the
Gulf Between the U. S. and Russia," by Eric Johnston, Readers Digest,
August, 1944. )
6. Using the references in (5), above, prepare an oral report on the
possibilities of post-war trade with the U. S. S. R.
7. The Communist International proved a handicap to the Soviet Union
in its foreign relations. Look up the story of this organization and
determine why it was found to be a real disadvantage to the
U. S. S. R. With a committee of three other members of the class, pre-
pare a radio interview in which you act as Stalin, and the others as
questioners. The scripts, by means of questions and answers, should
explain the origin and purposes of the Communist International, some
of its activities, and the reasons for its official ending. References:
Vernadsky, A History of Russia; Dean, Vera, Rusia at War.
8. During the present war, Japanese boats, manned by Japanese- sailors,
are guiding American ships laden with Lend-Lease supplies for the
U. S. S. R. , safely into the Soviet port of Vladivostok. How can this
situation exist, when the supplies are to be used against Japan's ally,
Germany?
Write answers to the following questions:
a. Under what agreement is this activity carried on?
b. What are the advantages and disadvantages in 1944 of the
existing relationship between Japan and the U. S. S. R. ?
c. How could the U. S. S. R. , at peace with Japan (with whom the
United States was at war) and the United States, at peace with
Finland (with whom the U. S. S. R. was at war), sign a common
declaration in regard to the carrying on of World War II in
January, 1944? References: Dallin, Soviet Russia's Foreign
Policy, 1939-1942, pp. 391-393-
9. Choose one of the following historic events in the history of relations
between the United States and Russia, and write as thorough and
interesting a report as you can, being sure that it covers the follow-
ing points:
a. What was the feeling of each country toward the other, and
in what ways was it shown?
b. Why did each country feel and act as it did at the time of:
1. the American Revolution when Catherine the Great was
ruler of Russia.
2. the attempt of the United States through its first envoy
to Russia, Francis Dana of Massachusetts, to obtain
recognition of the young republic at the court of the
Tsars.
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? MEET THE SOVIET RUSSIANS 75
3. the 26-year period from 1783-1809 when the United States
endeavored to obtain formal recognition by Russia.
4. the freedom of the seas issue during the Napoleonic Wars.
5. the War of 1812.
6. the Crimean War, 1856.
7. the American Civil War, 1861-1865.
8. the purchase of Alaska, 1867.
9. the Russo-Japanese War, 1904-1905.
References: Dulles, Foster R. , The Road to Teheran, Chapter I, "The
Common Cause" and subsequent chapters regarding special events;
Vernadsky, A History of Russia.
Some Suggestions for General Activities:
1. Read Irina Skariatina's The First To Go Back to get a picture of
Soviet Russia through the eyes of one who had lived in Tsarist Russia.
If you would like to read a book on the pre-revolutionary era, read
Grand Duchess Marie's Education of a Princess.
9. Display on the bulletin board striking headlines, book jackets, cartoons,
maps, and pictures related to each major phase of the topics of study
about the U. S. S. R.
3. Find some story on Russia in the daily press which has some significance
for an important aspect of Soviet life. Discuss the implications of it.
4. Lewis Gannett says, "It is not a pretty fact, but it is a fact, that no
reports of Soviet factories, kindergartens, or any of the Soviets' 'social'
advances have aroused a tithe of the sympathy in America which has
been stirred by the indisputable achievements of Russia's Red Army. "
As preparation for a class discussion, read Walter Duranty's USSR,
pp. 122-123, wherein he examines the reasons for American anti-
Soviet prejudices.
5. Collect from two or more newspapers for a period of one week as
many cartoons as you can depicting the Soviet Union. Turn these over
to a committee to decide the type of appeal that each makes. From
this analysis, list the main arguments being used, making sure to draw
up separate lists for opposing points of view. You may wish to arrange
a showing of these cartoons, and to present a report to the class.
6. If you are interested in a book about Russia at the height of the German
attack, read Erskine Caldwell's book, All Out on the Road to Smolensk.
The description of a tank battle is one you will be likely to remember.
Write a few paragraphs telling why you would or would not recom-
mend this book to your classmates.
7. Arrange for some able person who has visited Russia to meet with
the class. Explain to him that you will not expect him to make a
formal address, but that you would like to ask him some questions
on things he observed in the Soviet Union.
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? MEET THE SOVIET RUSSIANS
Make a poster illustrating what you consider to be the outstanding
features of the U. S. S. R.
Read Walter Duranty's USSR, pp. 53-64, on the "Hostile Circle. " Pre-
pare to discuss this chapter in class, considering particularly the impli-
cations for us today.
Trace the relations between Russia and the United States from 1724
to 1944. Write a paper describing these relations, and discussing the
outlook for American-Soviet relations in the future. (For reference,
see Vernadsky, History of Russia, and Davies, Mission to Moscow; also
last two chapters in Williams, The Russians. )
Book Review.
a. Choose, for a review, one of the books suggested in the student
list. As you read, note carefully any incidents which reveal
interesting things about Soviet life today.
b. Write a book review including these items:
(1) Two incidents showing interesting aspects of Soviet life,
(*) Values of the book in helping you to understand the
Soviet Union.
Throughout the study of the Soviet Union, it is suggested that appre-
ciation of many geographic and historic similarities, comparisons and
parallels between Russia and the United States, based upon fact, and
non-controversial, may be developed through activities. A few sugges-
tions of subject matter for such activities are:
Geography:
Size and location: the U. S. A. and the U. S. S. R. unusually large
countries, both with coastlines allowing for Atlantic and Pacific
shipping.
Resources: vast natural resources; items to be imported, or arti-
fically developed, similar.
Climate: unusual variations in climate in both countries.
Peoples:
Large numbers of nationalities, races and religions among the
peoples of the U. S. A. and the UJS. S. R.
History:
Peaceful relations with Russia throughout America's entire history.
Friendly acts of Russia toward America during the American
Revolution.
The interesting parallel between the fact that in the early years
of American national existence, Russia was the last of the great
powers to recognize the new revolutionary government, and a
century and a half later, America was the last great power to
recognize the new revolutionary government of Russia.
Mutual viewpoint concerning freedom of the seas during Napo-
leonic Wars.