Rathenau and The Treaty of Rapallo

Abstract

The Treaty of Rapallo, which was signed by the German foreign minister Walter Rathenau and the Soviet Minister of Foreign Affairs Georgij W. Tschitscherin on 16th April 1922 during the International Conference of Genoa, changed the order that had been established in Europe after World War I. Bolshevik Russia dropped out of the circle of powers who were entitled to reparations, and it was legally recognized by Germany. Attempts of self-justification that were made by the German government and by German historians led to an interpretation of the era of Rapallo as a period of rather fertile relations concerning the political, economic and military cooperation between the two countries. The myth of the Rapallo spirit outlines a political and cultural time of awakening in Eastern and Central Europe that was characterized by the principle of pacifism. For eight decades, this myth has blinded the historiography of the two countries to the fact that the sources are not sufficient at all. The preparations and plans for the Rapallo treaty and the correspondence it required were subject to the strictest secrecy on both sides. On the Russian side, there were no specific clues to be found concerning those occurrences that led to the realization of the treaty. On the German side, there is just one single substantial source - the notes of Ago von Maltzan who was then the head of the Eastern department in the foreign ministry. In the light of the knowledge we have today the real intentions that led to this treaty are rather obscured than revealed. Sources from Germany and from other countries that have not been used so far corroborate earlier assumptions of contemporaries and historians who claimed that the treaty of Rapallo was primarily the product of military and political plans for revising history. In this respect it can almost be regarded as a preliminary stage of the later agreement between Hitler and Stalin. Rathenaus contrary initiative that was aimed at securing the peace expired when he was murdered.