Men of Influence
Stalin's Diplomats in Europe, 1930-1939
Published on 10. October 2008
Book
Hardback
352 pages
978-0-7486-2219-1 (ISBN)
Description
This book provides a notable addition to the new historiography of mid-twentieth-century Soviet history. Sabine Dullin has researched the history of Soviet diplomacy from 1930 to 1939 through a variety of now-accessible diplomatic, political, administrative and social archives. She has added to the mix the memories and testimonies of diplomatic personnel.Through her research, Dullin sheds light on the workings of the Soviet bureaucracy and in particular the role of Maxim Litvinov, Soviet Foreign Minister, and his relations with Stalin. She examines in detail Soviet foreign policy and the process of Stalinisation, and argues persuasively that these 'men of influence' were not simply agents of the Kremlin, but were able, through the 1930s and with the emergence of Soviet power on the eve of the Second World War, to initiate and pursue their own agendas.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Edinburgh
United Kingdom
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 236 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 28 mm
Weight
748 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7486-2219-1 (9780748622191)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
07/2019
1st Edition
Edinburgh University Press
€0.00
Available for download
Persons
Sabine Dullin is Associate Professor of History at the University of Paris 1 and Junior Member of the Institut Universaire de France. She is a specialist in Soviet history and international relations and author of Histoire de l'URSS, 1917-1991 (2005).
Content
TABLE OF CONTENTSINTRODUCTIONCHAPTER ONE. Stalin's actions and the part played by Litvinov.Litvinov and Stalin: a marriage of convenience The expert on the West Litvinov and the right-wing opposition A servant of the state with no political influence The working relationship between Stalin and LitvinovStalin's obsessions The West, adversary and model "We must push grain exports furiously" Between reality and propaganda: the anti-Soviet war scare.Litvinov's own sphere of action The intervention of diplomats on the economic front Fashionable diplomacy SuccessCHAPTER TWO. Diplomats who were not quite like the restPortrait of a crocodile The radical and daring militant The years in England An old Bolshevik serving the new RussiaAn elitist profile Cultured and cosmopolitan diplomats The rejection of plebeians The circle of the faithfulLitvinov, chief administrator The conflict between Chicherin and Litvinov Towards a single command structure The pre-eminence of ambassadorsThe specific characteristics of state service in the USSR A restricted way of life Under the eye of the militant Diplomats confronted by professional communistsCHAPTER THREE. Tactical oscillationsAway from Germany and towards France The German threat The potential of the French The categorical imperative of security and compromises with the real world The three sides of the geopolitical triangle Several readings Germanophiles versus the anti-fascistsThe quest for a policy of equidistance The impossible Franco-Soviet military agreement One policy against another "Competent comrades" carry the dayCHAPTER FOUR. Gathering information, exerting influencePro-Soviet milieuxParis-London: different degrees of intimacy Geneva - the new focus of attentionSoviet diplomats and the press The means of action Tremendous possibilities for France Spreading positive information about the USSR t