Soviet Arms Exports in the 1920s

Abstract

In the 1920s, the Soviet Union employed arms exports as a means of attempting to exert influence on its less-developed Asian neighbors, either by intervening in internal struggles or encouraging pro-Soviet and anti-capitalist foreign policy. In Turkey and Iran, Soviet arms aimed to promote friendly governments and head off potential intervention. In Afghanistan, the Soviets attempted unsuccessfully to prop up the regime of Amanullah Khan. In China, the Soviets pursued an unfocused policy of providing weapons to a wide range of factions and warlords in an effort to win favor, only to find their efforts collapsing with Chiang Kai-shek’s betrayal of the Chinese Communist Party in 1927. This led the Soviets to overhaul their management of arms exports, handing authority to Wostwag, a front company for Soviet intelligence.