Assess the impact of internal concerns over external security in the Soviet Union and how this affected government policy making in the period 1918 - 1934.

Concerns over external security affected government policy making to an enormous extent in the Soviet Union in the period from 1918 to 1934. Fear of being besieged by other nations drove Russia's leaders to develop foreign policies that would ensure collective and national security. Within this period Russian foreign relations were caught in a flux between 2 contradictory policies; world revolution, or peaceful coexistence with its capitalist neighbours. As Russia found itself increasingly isolated as the only Communist …

…of mutual assistance was signed with France. According to the historian McCauley, had the USSR not gone through the forced industrialization of the 1930s, she would have succumbed to the German's onslaught. In conclusion, Russia had become increasingly aware of its isolation from the other nations. It feared attack from stronger world powers and recognized the need to industrialise. This fear of security drove Russia to develop foreign policies that would ensure their collective security.