T

HE STATUS AND THE FUTURE
OF BALTIC STATES AND ROMANIA IN THE STRATEGY OF WESTERN ALLIES IN THE EARLY YEARS OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR: A COMPARATIVE VIEW

 

Ramojus Kraujelis

 

Vilnius University, Faculty of History, E-mail: Ramojus.Kraujelis@if.vu.lt

 

This paper has been presented at the First International Conference on Nordic and Baltic Studies in Romania:Romania and Lithuania in the Interwar International Relations: Bonds, Intersections and Encounters hosted by the Romanian Association for Baltic and Nordic Studies, Târgoviste, May 19-21, 2010.

 

Abstract:

The fate of Lithuania and Romania as well as future of the whole Central and Eastern European region was determined in the years of the Second World War. The common origin of their tragic and painful history was the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact – the secret deal between Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, which divided Central and Eastern Europe between two totalitarian regimes. In June 1940 the three Baltic States and a part of Romania were directly occupied and annexed by the Soviet Union.The main objective of this paper is to identify,analyze and compare the attitudesof the United States and Great Britain with respect to the annexation of the Baltic States and the Romania territoryand discussed the post-war future reserved to them. During the early years of the Second Word War (1940-1942) few interesting international discussions about possible post-war arrangement plans existed. Theanalysis of the Western attitude would enable us to give answers to certain questions: What could have been done by the Western states for the benefit of Central and Eastern European region; what have they, in fact, done and what did they avoid doing? The year 1943 witnessed the consolidation of the Western attitude with regard to Soviet Union’s western borders, which resulted in the fundamental fact that Moscow did not intend to retract its interests in the Baltic States, Eastern Poland, North Bucovina and Bessarabia while the West did not intend to fight for these territories. Considering the fact that at the Teheran conference (1943) the Western states agreed upon turning the Baltic states into a Soviet interest sphere, the United States and Britain entered the Yalta conference (1945) with no illusions as to the fate of Central and Eastern Europe in general.

 

Rezumat:

Soarta Lituaniei si a României, ca si viitorul întregii Europe Centrale si de Rasarit, a fost hotarâta în anii celui de-al Doilea Razboi Mondial. Cauza comuna a acestei istorii tragice si dureroase a fost Pactul Molotov-Ribbentrop si anexa sa secreta – întelegerea dintre Uniunea Sovietica si Germania nazista care a pus capat pacii din perioada interbelica si a împartit Europa Centrala si de Rasarit între doua regimuri totalitare. În iunie 1940 cele trei State baltice, precum si o parte a României, au fost ocupate si anexate în mod direct de Uniunea Sovietica. Principalul obiectiv al acestui articol este identificarea, analiza si compararea atitudinilor Statelor Unite si ale Marii Britanii – acele puteri occidentale care reprezentau punctul de vedere al democratiilor occidentale si abordau viitorul postbelic – cu privire la anexarea Tarilor baltice si a teritoriului românesc. În primii ani ai celui de-al Doilea Razboi Mondial (1940-1942) au existat putine discutii interesante cu privire la aranjamentele postbelice. Analiza atitudinii occidentale ne va permite sa dam raspunsuri la câteva întrebari: ce ar fi putut fi facut de statele occidentale în beneficiul regiunii Europei Centrale si Rasaritene?; ce au facut acestea în realitate si ce au evitat sa faca? Anul 1943 a fost martorul consolidarii atitudinii occidentale cu privire la frontierele occidentale ale Uniunii Sovietice, ceea ce a avut ca efect urmatoarea atitudine fundamentala clara si expresa: Uniunea Sovietica nu intentiona sa-si retracteze interesul sau în ceea ce priveste Tarile baltice, Polonia de est, Bucovina de nord si Basarabia, în vreme ce Vestul nu intentiona sa lupte pentru aceste teritorii. Având în vedere faptul ca în cadrul Conferintei de la Teheran (1943) statele occidentale au atribuit Tarile baltice sferei de interes sovietice, Statele Unite si Marea Britanie au mers la Conferinta de la Yalta (1945) fara a-si face iluzii cu privire la soarta Europei Centrale si de Rasarit, în general.

 

Keywords: international politics, the Second World War,  Lithuania, Romania, Baltic states, Great Powers

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 10.Kraujelis.pdf