TENTATIVE BRITANICE DE APROPIERE CU U.R.S.S. ÎN VARA ANULUI 1940
BRITISH ATTEMPTS TO APPROACH THE U.S.S.R. IN THE SUMMER OF 1940

Summary/Abstract: The study examines British attempts to approach the USSR in summer 1940, after France’s fall, to counter German hegemony. Using British (Foreign Office, Cabinet Papers) and Romanian archives, it reconstructs Anglo-Soviet diplomacy, highlighting disputes over Bessarabia and the Balkans. The UK explored an alliance with Stalin, offering recognition of Soviet annexations (including Bessarabia) in exchange for neutrality. However, Stalin rejected these overtures, preferring cooperation with Germany, as he believed the new "balance of power" (via the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact) better served Soviet interests. A key issue was control of the Straits. The British tried to mediate a Turkish-Soviet agreement, but Turkey refused any compromise. London also feared Soviet expansion in the Balkans would destabilize the region and push Turkey toward the Axis. Ultimately, in 1940, Moscow chose to maintain ties with Berlin, and British efforts to detach the USSR from Germany failed—though they laid the groundwork for the future Allied coalition post-1941.

• Details
• Contents