Infamous encounter? The Merekalov-Weizsäcker meeting of 17 April 1939
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8957528 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Geoffrey Roberts (0000-0002-8914-8364, University College Cork, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1992 |
| Volume | 35 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 921-926 |
| Publication date | 1992-12-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Historical Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0018-246X • E-ISSN: 1469-5103 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0018246x00026224 |
| OpenAlex | W1978540085 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 6 |
This article uses recently released documents from the Soviet diplomatic archives to examine the Merekalov–Weizsäcker meeting of April 1939. It argues that these documents show that western historians have been mistaken in assuming that this meeting was the occasion for Soviet signals of a desire for détente with Nazi Germany. The significance attached to the meeting in this respect is part of the cold war myth that the USSR's negotiations for a triple alliance with Great Britain and France in the spring and summer of 1939 were paralleled by secret Soviet–German discussions which eventually lead to the Nazi–Soviet pact of August 1939. The article seeks to demolish those elements of the myth that concern the Merekalov–Weizsäcker encounter and to present an alternative interpretation of the provenance and meaning of the so-called political overture by the Soviet ambassador at the meeting
Alliance · Ancient history · Archaeology · German · Interpretation (philosophy · Linguistics · Mythology · Nazism · Negotiation · Political science · Politics · Classics · European history and politics · German History and Society · Historical Geopolitical and Social Dynamics · History · Law · Philosophy
| Citations per year | 0.03 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 1992 - 1992 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |