Exploring Lessons from Soviet Diplomacy and Western Allied Cooperation in World War II
https://doi.org/10.24833/2071-8160-2023-6-93-13-36
Abstract
Based on an analysis of documentary sources from Russian, American, and British archives, this article delves into the intricacies of coalition diplomacy among the Allies during World War II. It places special emphasis on the adherence to obligations and coalition behavior norms, encompassing respect for partners' interests, maintaining unity amidst divergences, coordinating actions towards shared objectives, and avoiding actions that risk coalition breakdown. The comparative analysis of Soviet and Anglo-American diplomacy reveals that the principal members of the anti-Hitler coalition generally adhered to these norms, contributing to the ultimate defeat of their common adversary. However, the study indicates that the Soviet Union exhibited greater fidelity in fulfilling its obligations and was more proactive in institutionalizing the coalition for enhanced stability and equal participation in strategic decision-making for war conduct and postwar arrangements. This quest for parity was often impeded by the Western powers' reluctance to accept the Soviet Union as an enduring, equal partner and legitimate member of the great powers' club, both during and after the war. This hesitance, the article argues, was rooted not just in geopolitical considerations but also in deep-seated cultural factors, particularly the traditional Western sense of superiority and perception of Russia as a 'lesser' civilization not fit for inclusion in the Euro-Atlantic community. The article brings to light lesser-known documents from US and UK archives to illustrate this mindset. It also acknowledges dissenting voices in Anglo-American political spheres who advocated for a more equitable relationship with the USSR. However, these perspectives did not significantly alter the overarching direction of Western policy.
About the Author
V. O. Pechatnov
MGIMO University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Vladimir O. Pechatnov – Dr. of Sciences (History), Professor, Department of European and American Studies; Distinguished Scholar of the Russian Federation
119454, prospect Vernadskogo 76, Moscow, Russia
References
1. Banac I. (Ed.). 2003. The Diary of Georgi Dimitrov, 1933–1949. New Haven. 547 p.
2. Feis H. 1967. Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin. The War They Waged and the Peace They Sought. A Diplomatic History of World War II. Princeton. 702 p.
3. Fenby J. 2007. Alliance. The Inside Story of How Roosevelt, Stalin and Churchill Won the War and Began Another. MacAdam Cage. 475 p.
4. Gilbert M. and Arnn L. (Ed.). 2017. The Churchill Documents. Vol. 19. Fateful Questions. September 1943 to April 1944. Hillsdale. 2752 p.
5. Gilbert M. 1983. Winston S. Churchill. Vol. 6. Finest Hour, 1939–1941. London. 1038 p.
6. Gilbert M. 2013. Winston S. Churchill. Vol. 7. Road to Victory, 1941–1945. Hillsdale. 1439 p.
7. Gilbert M. 2001. The Churchill War Papers. Vol. III. The Ever-Widening War 1941. London. 1888 p.
8. Harrison M. 1988. Resource Mobilization for World War II: the U.S.A, U.K., USSR, and Germany, 1938–1945. Economic History Review, 2nd ser. Vol. XLI. №2. P. 171–192.
9. Kimball W. (Ed.). 1984. Churchill and Roosevelt: The Complete Correspondence. Vol. 1–3. Princeton. Vol. I. 844 p.
10. Kimball W. 1997. Forged in War. Roosevelt, Churchill and the Second World War. Chicago. 432 p.
11. Lane A. and Temperley H. (Eds.) 1995. The Rise and Fall of the Grand Alliance, 1941–1945. Palgrave Macmillan.
12. Leffler M. 1991. Adherence to Agreements: Yalta and the Experience of the Early Cold War. World War II: Crucible of the Contemporary World: Commentary and Readings. Ed. by L. Lee. New York. P. 325–356.
13. McMeekin S. 2021. Stalin’s War. A New History of World War II. New York. 864 p.
14. Menings B., House J. 2015. Soviet Strategy. The Cambridge History of the Second World War. Ed.
15. by R. Bosworth, J. Maiolo. Vol. 1–3. Vol. 1. Fighting the War. Ed. by J. Ferris and E. Mawdsley. Cambridge. 213–244 p.
16. Moran Ch. 1966. Winston Churchill: The Struggle for Survival, 1940–1965. London. 864 p.
17. Ready J. 1996. World War II. Nation by Nation. Arms and Armour. New York. 352 p.
18. Stoler M. Allies at War: Britain and America against the Axis Powers, 1940–1945. Bloomsbury Press, 2007
19. Schroeder P. 1976. Alliances, 1815–1945. Historical Dimensions of National Security Problems. Ed. by K. Knorr. University of Kansas.
20. Snyder G. 1997. Alliance Politics. Cornell University Press.
21. The War Diaries of Oliver Harvey. 1978. London. 399 p.
22. Walt S. 1987. The Origins of Alliances. Cornell University Press;
23. Walt S. 1997. Why Alliances Endure or Collapse? Survival, Spring.
24. Cherchill U. 2014. Vtoraia mirovaia voina [The Second World War]. Book 3. Vol. 5–6. Moscow. 702 p (In Russian).
25. Chuev F. 2000. Molotov. Poluderzhavny vlastelin [Molotov. Semi-Sovereign Ruler]. Moscow. 736 p. (In Russian).
26. Degoyev V. 2022. Kratkii kurs istorii britanskoi russofobii [The Short Course of British Russophobia]. International Life. №9. P. 30–47 (In Russian).
27. Falin V.M. 2000. Vtoroj front. Antigitlerovskaya koaliciya: konflikt interesov [The Second Front. The Anti-Hitler Coalition: Conflict of Interests]. Moscow: Centrpoligraf. (In Russian)
28. Gromyko A. 1990. Pamyatnoe [The Memorable]. Second enlarged edition. Moscow. 512 p. (In Russian).
29. Israelyan V.L. 1985. Diplomatiya v gody vojny. 1941–1945 [Diplomacy during the war. 1941– 1945]. Moscow: Mezhdunarodnye otnosheniya.
30. Istomin I. 2018. Logika povedenia gosudarstv v mezhdunarodnoi politike [The Logic of State Behavior in International Politics]. Moscow: Aspect Press. 304 p. (In Russian).
31. Koul’kov E. (otv. red.). 2002. Mirovye voiny XX veka: kniga 3. Vtoraya mirovaya voina. Istoricheskii ocherk [World Wars of the 20th Century: Book 3. The Second World War. Historical Survey]. Moscow. 596 p. (In Russian).
32. Krivosheev G. et al. 2010. Rossia i SSSR v voinah XX veka. Kniga poter’ [Russia and the USSR in the 20th Century Wars. The Book of Losses]. Moscow. 624 p. (In Russian).
33. Litvyn A., Myagkov M. (Otv. red). 2017. Osvobozhdenie. 1944–1956. V 2 knigah. Kniga 1. Ocherki. Strana v ogne: V 3 t. T. 3. Redactor-sostavitel’ D. Surzhik. [The Country Ablaze. Vol. 1–3. Vol. 3. Liberation. 1944–1945. In 2 books. Book 1. Essays]. Moscow: Abris. 717 p. (In Russian).
34. Pechatnov V. 2002. Moskovskoie posol’stvo Averella Garrimana [Averell Harriman’s Ambassadorship in Moscow]. Modern and Contemporary History. №3. P. 180–204 (In Russian).
35. Pechatnov V. 2017. Diplomatichesskaia missia A. Klarka-Kerra v Moskve (A. Klarke-Kerr’s Diplomatic Mission to Moscow (1942–1946). Modern and Contemporary History. №5. P. 119–150 (In Russian).
36. Pechatnov V., Magadeev I. 2015a. Perepiska Stalina s Rouzvel’tom i Cherchillem v gody Velikoi Otechestvennoi voiny. Docoumental’noe issledovanie. T. 1–2. T. 1. [Stalin’s Correspondence with Roosevelt and Churchill during the Great Patriotic War. A Documentary Investigation]. Vol. 1–2. Vol. 1. Moscow. 656 p. (In Russian).
37. Pechatnov V., Magadeev I. 2015b. Perepiska Stalina s Rouzvel’tom i Cherchillem v gody Velikoi Otechestvennoi voiny. Docoumental’noe issledovanie. T. 1–2. T. 2. [Stalin’s Correspondence with Roosevelt and Churchill during the Great Patriotic War. A Documentary Investigation]. Vol. 1–2. Vol. 2. Moscow: Olma Media Grupp. 768 p. (In Russian).
38. Sipols V.Ya. 2000. Velikaya Pobeda i diplomatiya [Great Victory and diplomacy]. Moscow: Novina. (In Russian)
39. Soyuzniki SSSR po antigitlerovskoi koalitsii [Allies of the USSR from the Anti-Hitler Coalition]. Velikaya Otechestvennaya voina 1941–1945. V 12 t. T. 9. 2014b. Moscow. 864 p. (In Russian).
40. Soyuzniki v vojne. 1941–1945 [Allies in the war. 1941–1945]. 1995. K 50-letiyu Pobedy. Otv. red. A.O. Chubar'yan, U.F. Kimboll, D. Rejnolds. Moscow: Nauka. (In Russian)
41. Stalin v gody voiny [Stalin during the War]. 2013. Velikaya Pobeda. Mnogotomnoie prodolzhayousheesya izdanie pod obshei redaktsiei S.E. Naryshkina i academika A.V. Torkunova. T. 9. Moscow: MGIMO. 652 p. (In Russian).
42. Vneshnaya politika i diplomatia Soveyskogo Soyuza v gody voiny [Soviet Foreign Policy and Diplomacy during the War]. 2014a. Velikaya Otechestvennaya voina 1941–1945. V 12 t. T. 8. Moscow. 864 p. (In Russian).
43. Volodin A., Filatov S. 2023. Russofobia: korni i krona [Russophobia: Roots and Brunches]. International Life. №4. P. 40–57 (In Russian).
44. Zueva K. 2010. Sovetsko-frantsuzskii dogovor o soyuze I vzaimopomoshi 1944 goda. [The Soviet-French Treaty of Alliance and Mutual Assistance of 1944]. Russia and France: 300 years of special relations. Moscow. 327 p. (In Russian).
Review
For citations:
Pechatnov V.O. Exploring Lessons from Soviet Diplomacy and Western Allied Cooperation in World War II. MGIMO Review of International Relations. 2023;16(6):13-36. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.24833/2071-8160-2023-6-93-13-36
Views:
509
Email this article 