What was Stalin's foreign policy up to 1941?

Answer 1

in late summer 1939 germany and russia signed the molotov-ribbentrop pact, by which each country guaranteed not to take any aggressive action against the other.

this meant that when the nazis invaded poland there was no hindrance of their endeavour by the soviets (even though the soviet system and nazism were naturally antagonistic political structures), in fact the soviets annexed the eastern part of poland while the nazis took the west.

then when the soviets invaded finland later the same year the germans stayed out of things (and finland was annexed in march 1940).

during the early years of the war russia was a mahor supplier of oil and steel to the german war machine (germany had ample hard currency, which russia lacked).

the mutually beneficial arrangement came to an end only when hitler invaded russia in operation barbarossa (june 22 1941) - one of the strangest decisions of the war, and almost certainly the direct cause of germany's rapid defeat.

Answer 2

Until Hitler rose to power in Germany, it was to gain political recognition from western countries and gain membership in the League of Nations.
From the rise of Hitler until the Munich pact, it was to form an alliance with England and France against Germany.
After the Munich, it was to keep the Soviet Union out of the war as long as possible by signing the non-agression pact with Germany.

Answer 3

In short? make an alliance with Hitler and invade as many countries as possible. After that he murdered the inhabitants- but that counts as "internal policy" I guess

Answer 4

Please go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stalin and then browse half page down to "World War II, 1939-1945" Chapter. That should answer your question in detail....