THE ROAD TO WAR - WESTERN DIPLOMACY OF THE 1920S-30S AND PARALLELS WITH THE PRESENT

Abstract

The article discusses the similarities between the diplomacy pursued toward Nazi Germany in the 1920s-30s and toward modern Russia. Analyzing these parallels helps us identify and avoid future mistakes. The Second World War, just like the Russia-Ukraine war of 2022, cannot be explained solely by the actions of the aggressor states - misguided diplomacy by democratic countries also played a major role.

We have often heard comparisons between the appeasement policy applied to Nazi Germany in the 1930s and the policies adopted toward Russia by the United States and certain European countries from the 2000s until 2022. The similarities between Russia’s and Nazi Germany’s foreign policies are not coincidental. Their behavior stems from the specific features of the international order they opposed. While today’s world order may be more resilient than that of the 1920s-30s, the two systems share many structural characteristics, including the decisive importance of the principle of collective security. Also similar are the responsibilities democratic states bear in confronting authoritarian regimes.

Alongside the similarities, there are also differences - in 2022 the response to Russia’s aggression was more effective and unified than Putin had anticipated. Western countries were able to provide Ukraine with the necessary weapons at the very early stage of the war. Europe’s collective security system is far more effective than it was during the interwar period. However, there are still many challenges and problems, and confronting them requires the pursuit of sound diplomacy.