Stalin on Soviet Policy Stalin's speech at the t8th Congress
of the Bolshevik party in Moscow was remarkable for its moderation ; but its im- plications were further developed by the head of the Russian Section of the Comintern, Manuilski. Taken together, these two speeches can only be read as a warning to the Western Powers ; they assert that the policy of the Popular Front between Communism and Democracy has failed, that the Soviet Union has therefore no choice but to retire into isolation and rely on her own armed strength and the assist- ance she can count on from the Western proletariat. The clue to this change of policy is the conclusions Russia has drawn from the Munich crisis. The ostracism of Russia prevented any attempt to maintain peace by collective action ; but since peace can only be maintained by collective action, it follows that the objective of British and French policy is not peace, but the defence of their own interests, which they hope to preserve by encouraging German aggression to the point where Germany will feel strong enough to attack the U.S.S.R. Stalin's analysis may seem fantastic ; but it is logical enough from his point of view. But Soviet policy may err by excess of logic. To the majority of people in this country the idea of encouraging Germany to attack the Soviet Union is as repellent as the idea of a joint attack on Germany by an alliance of the democracies and the Soviet Union ; and it is time that British diplomacy made this clear in Moscow.
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