Vyacheslav Molotov

Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Molotov (Russian: ????????? ??????????? ????????) (February 25, 1890 (O.S.) (March 9, 1890 (N.S.))–November 8, 1986), Soviet politician and diplomat, was a leading figure in the Soviet government from the 1920s, when he rose to power as a protege of Joseph Stalin, to the 1950s, when he was dismissed from office by Nikita Khrushchev. He was the principal Soviet signatory of the Nazi-Soviet non-aggression pact of 1939.

Foreign Minister

In 1939, following the Munich agreement of 1938 by which Britain and France surrendered Czechoslovakia to Hitler, Stalin decided that it would not be possible to form an effective system of collective security against Germany through alliances with the western powers, which remained committed to appeasement, or with Poland, which would not countenance the idea of Soviet troops on its soil. He therefore decided that a treaty with Hitler was necessary, to divert Hitler's attention to Poland and the west and to buy time before the inevitable war between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. In May 1939 Foreign Minister Maxim Litvinov (who was Jewish and thus not appropriate for these negotiations) was dismissed, and Molotov appointed to succeed him, while Stalin became Prime Minister.

Related Topics:
1939 - Munich agreement - 1938 - Britain - France - Czechoslovakia - Collective security - Appeasement - Poland - Maxim Litvinov - Jewish

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Hitler at first rebuffed Soviet diplomatic hints that Stalin desired a treaty, but in early August, having decided to invade Poland and thus risk a war with the western powers, he authorised Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop to begin serious negotiations. A trade agreement was concluded on 18 August, and on 22 August Ribbentrop flew to Moscow to conclude a formal non-aggression treaty. Although the treaty is known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, Molotov and Ribbentrop acted only as agents for their masters, Stalin and Hitler. The most important part of the agreement was the secret protocol, which provided for the partition of Poland and the Baltic States between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, and for the Soviet annexation of Bessarabia (then part of Romania, now Moldova). This protocol gave Hitler the green light for his invasion of Poland, which began on 1 September, and guaranteed that he would face no threat from the Soviet Union when he attacked the western powers in 1940.

Related Topics:
Joachim von Ribbentrop - 18 August - 22 August - Moscow - Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact - Baltic States - Bessarabia - Romania - Moldova - 1 September - 1940

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Under the terms of the Pact, Stalin was in effect given an authorisation to occupy and annex Estonia, Latvia and Bessarabia, as well as the part of Poland east of the Curzon Line, an area in which Ukrainians and Byelorussians were the majority of the population.(He was also given a free hand in relation to Finland. In the Soviet-Finnish War that ensued, a combination of fierce Finnish resistance and Soviet mismanagement resulted in Finland losing parts of its territory, but not its independence.) Germany was authorised to occupy the western two-thirds of Poland (much of which was annexed to Germany), as well as Lithuania, but the Pact was later amended to allocate Lithuania to the Soviet sphere in exchange for a more favourable border in Poland. All these annexations led to massive suffering and loss of life in the countries which were occupied and partitioned by the two dictatorships.

Related Topics:
Estonia - Latvia - Curzon Line - Finland - Soviet-Finnish War - Lithuania

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact governed Soviet-German relations until June 1941, when Hitler, having occupied France and (as he thought) neutralised Britain, turned east and attacked the Soviet Union. Following the invasion Molotov conducted urgent negotiations with Britain, and later the United States, for wartime alliances, travelling to London in 1941 and to Washington in 1942. In 1942 he signed the Anglo-Soviet Treaty of Alliance; he also secured Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill's agreement create a "second front" in Europe. He accompanied Stalin to the Teheran conference in 1943, the Yalta conference in 1945 and the Potsdam conference which followed the defeat of Germany. He represented the Soviet Union at the San Francisco Conference which created the United Nations. Even during the period of wartime alliance, Molotov was known as a tough negotiator and determined defender of Soviet interests. In this he was of course carrying out Stalin's wishes.

Related Topics:
1941 - United States - London - Washington - 1942 - Anglo-Soviet Treaty of Alliance - Franklin D. Roosevelt - Winston Churchill - Teheran conference - 1943 - Yalta conference - 1945 - Potsdam conference - San Francisco Conference - United Nations

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~