Who set Hitler against Stalin?. Nikolay Starikov

leaders in front of the entire “civilization”. And as usual, money was discussed. The Western governments pushed immense financial claims out, which included both pre-war and war debts plus interests. Besides, Bolsheviks were required to repay all property provided to the White governments, which they hadn’t paid (!) with interests, as well as to reimburse cost of all enterprises, which had been owned by foreign citizens. In opinion of Western experts, all of it was worth 18 billion golden rubles.

      Naturally, Bolsheviks couldn’t pay that much. Annual payment would have equaled 80 % of Russia’s state balance of that time. Naturally, it was expected that Bolsheviks incapable of paying back would have surrendered Russia and have finalized its enslavement, passing it to their ex-partners from the Entente, who had crushed the Russian Empire by means of revolution, aided by Kerensky and Lenin.

      And that was then that Vladimir Ilyitch gave the finger to the negotiating partners. Instead of implicit acknowledgement of debts and driving Russia into financial servitude the Soviet delegation didn’t hesitate to push a counterclaim out, which included foreign intervention and the Blockade. The total amount was 30 billion golden rubles. Several days later dumbstruck Western diplomatic officials were offered a softer version of the claim. Bolsheviks agreed to acknowledge pre-war debts of Russia and were ready to provide former owners with the right to lease their ex-property or to take it on concession terms. In exchange England, France and Italy were to acknowledge the Soviet government de jure, provide it with financial support, “forget” about nationalized enterprises, as well as forgive war debts and corresponding interests.

      No one had ever talked to the winners in World War I that boldly. Besides, while Western delegations were discussing incredible Bolsheviks’ demands, the Soviet delegations managed an extremely important diplomatic step. On April 16, 1922 a termless agreement between RSFSR and Germany was signed in Rapallo, the Genoa suburb. Parties mutually gave up their claims in regard to reimbursement of military expenses and non-military losses; moreover, Germany acknowledged nationalization of the German state and private property in the RSFSR! This Agreement was signed in secret, at night, and diplomatic officials of other Western delegations learnt about it only after it had been signed[78].

      That was too much! Actually, Lenin’s Russia managed to trick both the British and the French. Naturally, the Genoa conference ended in nothing. Right after it another attempt to make Bolsheviks surrender Russia to the West failed. During the Hague conference on June 15–22, 1922, the Soviet delegation held to the same stand as it had done in Genoa. It became clear that Bolsheviks got out of control and should have been talked to in a different way. And it was also necessary to bring discipline to Germany, which so clearly had showed its independence. The British Intelligence Service didn’t accomplish revolutions in Russia and Germany to make two of them friends!

      Two days after the Treaty of Rapallo had been signed, on April 18, 1922 governments of the Entente countries, the Little Entente countries (Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Romania) and Poland, and Portugal addressed Germany with a sharp note. They accused Germany of being disloyal to the Allies, as well as of “secretly signing of the agreement with Russia behind backs of its colleagues”. The Mass Media caused incredible disturbance. Finally, Joseph Wirth and Walter Rathenau, leaders of the German delegation, paid a visit to the Soviet delegation next day, on April 19th, and begged (!) to return them the signed agreement. The representatives of the “free democratic” Germany were in such panic that they were visiting the British embassy, calling Berlin and coming back to talk the Soviet delegation into pretending there hadn’t been an agreement signed all the time! Naturally, Russian diplomatic officials didn’t understand that, and the agreement remained in effect.

      And instantly the powers required by the Anglo-Saxon roused in the country of beer and sausage. Like frogs in the drying up moor they were waiting for their time. When the moor dries up, they are waiting petrified. Though, when some vivifying moisture is spilled, they become extremely active. It was just like that with German political parties. With the necessary ones, naturally, with the nationalistic ones.

      Let me remind you that the Treaty of Rapallo was signed on April 16, 1922. And of all things “the abrupt increase of the amount of party members” of NSDAP started right in spring 1922![79] It was in 1922–1923 that runaway inflation started in Germany. The population was rashly becoming poor.

      And in the middle of 1922 Adolf Hitler got some money. Rather a lot of money, in fact. It was because he planned to hold a party conference in Munich in January 1923. Five thousand of perfectly (and freshly!) uniformed troopers should have marched in front of their leader[80]. At the same time twelve sites for holding of meetings were leased. Orchestras, folk dancers and even a famous clown were hired to attract the audience[81]. Right after Rapallo, in spring 1922, the print run of the Hitlerite newspaper rapidly increased from 8 to 17.5 thousand copies[82]. And when the conference ended, they started to issue Völkischer Beobachter every day. So, there were some coincidences…

      Now we can answer the question why the mysterious foreign sponsors supported the young Nazi movement. German nationalists actively used outer forces to destabilize the situation in the country. Nazis were effective and valuable not personally but for the ability to provoke in Germany the governmental crisis and to remove the cabinet, so disliked by the Anglo-Saxon, that had guts to sign an agreement with Bolsheviks. Weimar Republic was the democratic country and the cabinet would easily resign should the political situation in the country go worse. Instead of resignation (if not accepted) the nationalists could also organize assassination. Let us once again remember the date of conclusion of the Soviet and German treaty of Rapallo. It was April 16, 1922. And on June 24, 1922 the group of nationalist plotters assassinated the Minister of the Foreign Affairs of Germany, Walther Rathenau, who was ethnic Jewish. This was an obvious example for all German politicians: the assassinated was for approximation with Moscow[83]. Though for gradual approximation, looking back to the West.

      Already on November 14, 1922 Josef Wirth, German Chancellor, resigned. He was the one who authorized the Treaty of Rapallo. Wirth frankly wanted the approximation of Germany with the Soviet Russia, however, he was for gradual steps and feared reaction of the western states to such foreign policy and independence of Germany[84]. Death of Walther Rathenau was convincing and showed that such fears did really had grounds.

      Along with the tension inside the German government the pressure from outside also grew stronger. Delays in payment of reparations became an excuse. Some time earlier in the history the Entente countries did not rush Germany but then it was the different time. After Rathenau’s assassination and resignation of Wirth some crucial measures followed. In January 1923 the French troops occupied the major industrial land of Germany – Ruhr[85] to take under control coal mining and shipment. German government urged the population to put up passive resistance. The French really did behave as the invaders. For example, they executed by shooting from the machine gun a demonstration of workers at one of the factories in Essen. Thirteen people were killed and over thirty were injured. When the funerals of the killed were visited by about half a million people, the French military court sentenced the owner of the firm and eight employees that held management positions to fifteen and twenty years of imprisonment accordingly[86].

      The whole Germany clenched its teeth in indignation. Diversions and attacks of the French soldiers started on the territory of Ruhr which were followed by numerous death sentences[87]. What about the Nazis that dressed as the extreme German patriots at the meetings?

      For those who understands the true financial sources of Hitler, it would be no surprise that members of his party did not participate in struggle with the French. On the contrary, Hitler personally promised to expel anyone who was actively participating in the resistance of Ruhr occupation! There were actual cases when he fulfilled his

78

Danilov, A.A., Kosulina, L.G. History of Russia. The XX century. M., 1998. P. 235.

79

Fest, I. Hitler. Perm. V.1. P. 253.

80

During the Genoa conference Henry Deterding, Head of the oil company Royal Dutch offered to establish a united consortium that would get all oil concessions in Russia. When the offer failed, he instantly appeared among those financially supporting the beginning politician Adolf Hitler (Geiden, K. NSDAP way. The Führer and his party. M., 2004. P. 146).

81

Fest, I. Hitler. V.1. P. 261.

82

Ibid. P. 352.

83

Sadovaya, G.M. Walther Rathenau: the Path to Rapallo // History and Historiography of the Foreign World in Persons Samara, 1999. P. 121–139.

84

Gintzberg, L.I. Josef Wirth: a Path to Struggle for Peace and Partnership between the Peoples/Modern and Contemporary History 1981. No. 1.P. 105–124; No. 2.P. 102–121.

85

The Ruhr land is approximately 90 km long and 45 km wide. We will mention this land later on again but keep in mind for now that this small piece of land produced about 80 % of German coal, cast iron and steel and had the most developed railway system in the world.

86

Fest, I. Hitler. V.1. P. 265.

87

In Ruhr land 400 people were executed for acts of sabotage and 300 of them were executed by … the German authorities (Preparata, G.G. Hitler Inc. How Britain and America Made the Third Reich. P. 191).