Commissioner G.V. Chicherin and the foreign policy of the Soviet Union

Foreign political positions of Peoples Commissar of Foreign Affairs G. V.Chicherin were considered by soviet historians in the context of his being subordinated to the party discipline. Archive funds documents,which have recently become accessible for investigation, testify to the fact that by the beginning of 1920s Сhicherin had already realizedthe impeding influence on the establishment of normal relations of the Soviet Russia with the capitalist encirclement of the soviet leadershiporientation towards world revolution and people support, fighting for social and national liberation. This undermined the confidencein the Soviet government and confirmed the inability to maintain its official obligations - non-interference into affairs of othercountries. Peoples Commissar felt the necessity of changes in the Soviet foreign policy and accents removal from the propaganda of theworld revolution to the establishment of peaceful relations with representatives of the west. In the course of preparation to the conferencein Genoa serious disagreement arose between V .Lenin and G. Chicherin concerning the questions of state interests defence of theSoviet Russia. In August 1922, Chicherin openly expressed his dissatisfaction with the directives of the Politburo of the Central Committeeof the Russian Communist party (Bolsheviks), who did not give a carte blanche and compromise settlements to the Soviet delegationsin Genoa and Gaga, but recommended only negotiations rupture. He thought that methods of the Soviet foreign policy grew hopelesslyold and new relations with leading capitalist countries could not be built with the use of such methods. Chicherin was afraid of I.Stalin and did not openly bring himself to come out against the Soviet foreign policy. Knowing Stalins attitude to different opinions,Peoples Commissar, in spite of the fact that he kept aloof from the inner-party fight in all-Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks) andComintern, did not exclude the possibility of his political and even physical removal. With Soviet - English and Soviet - Chinese relationsrupture Chicherin draws I. Stalins attention to demoralizing Cominterns activity abroad, bringing all the efforts of the Sovietdiplomacy to naught and complicating diplomatic relations with governments of foreign countries. Due to his health worsening in 1928,Chicherin insistently raises the question of his leaving the post of Peoples Commissar. During one year he underwent medical treatmentin Germany and his illness deprived him of hope to recovery. In the end of June, 1929, Peoples Commissar decided to tell Stalin abouthis disagreements with the Party leaders concerning the questions of foreign policy. Chicherins frankness in his letters to I. Stalin, V.Molotov, A. Rykov and other Soviet leaders pre-determined his fate. Chicherin understood that in Moscow he would not be forgiven forapostasy from the foreign political course of all-Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks) and delayed his departure from Germany bydifferent excuses in every way possible till January, 1930. After dismissal he was doomed by the party elite to slow agonizing death,being without attention, nursing and treatment. Forming Stalins system did not forgive Chicherins different opinion and consigned hisname to political oblivion.

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