The Baltic States and Weimar Ostpolitik

Abstract

The historical and geographical significance of the Baltic Sea as a Russian gateway to the West has sometimes overshadowed its reciprocal significance as a German window on the East, but in the period after the First World War the Baltic was to become of critical importance to a German state then shorn of much international authority. This study shows in detail how the Weimar Republic sought to develop its economic influence in the newly independent Baltic states, to ensure the retention of a vital 'springboard' into Russia after 1918. At one level this book therefore presents a fresh chapter in the chronicle of Weimar–Soviet relations. In addition, however, Germany's highly successful trade policy involved competition with other Western powers, notably Britain, and necessarily had important implications for inter-war international politics: analysis of Polish and French diplomatic intentions in the region leads Dr Hiden to a wider evaluation of the whole relationship between trade and foreign policy in Weimar Ostpolitik.

From Imperial Trade to Ethnic Business? The Economic Consequences of the Tartu Peace Treaty and the Bank G. Scheel & Co.

“…Right after the First World War, Germany began using active trade as compensation for its lack of military power. 45 Germany was one of the countries that needed Estonia as a bridge to the Soviet market. 46 The Scheel Bank was its reliable partner for placing its credits.…”

East Prussia, Lithuania and the Soviet Union After the First World War: The Foreign Strategy of a German Exclave During the 1920s

“…Those obligations, as a general rule, could cease to have effect five years from the date of their coming into force after the Peace Treaty came into effect on 10 January 1920. Since the Baltic States were not bound by the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles, they were able to play an intermediary role between Germany and Soviet Russia until 10 January 1925 [13].…”

FROM WAR TO PEACE: BRITAIN, GERMANY AND THE BALTIC STATES 1918–1921; pp. 38–48

“…The pursuit of such treaties with the East European states and the welfare of the German minorities there were interdependent objectives of Weimar governments. 44 They offered potential leverage against the restraints placed on a weakened Germany by the Versailles Treaty.…”