The Soviet regime emerged victorious from the civil war and intervention to face a country reduced to chaos, whose economy was in ruins as a result of seven years of continuous war and the virtual collapse of the old administration. With hopes of support from the expected revolutions in the advanced countries fading fast, the restoration of Russia had become essential for survival. The introduction of the New Economic Policy was matched by similar moves in the diplomatic field. The pressing need for a breathing space and the serious shortage of foreign capital and technical skill made it necessary to overcome the universal apprehension and distrust of the Bolshevik regime which had persisted after the failure of the attempt to overthrow it by force.

The first decade of Soviet diplomacy was marked by two major drives to reach a modus vivendi with the capitalist world. The first, culminating in the conclusion of the Rapallo Treaty of 1922, laid down the principles of Soviet diplomacy and is undoubtedly the more impressive in its achievements. In the short space of two and a half years the Soviet Union had emerged from a totally insignificant position in international affairs to secure de facto recognition from Britain and full recognition from Germany, and trade agreements from both countries – certainly the strongest economic powers apart from the isolationist United States. Even more overwhelming was the Russians' success in the East in obtaining recognition and treaties from Turkey, Persia and Afghanistan.