UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Russo-German Treaty

Q1. What was the initial duration (in years) for which the Russo-German Treaty of Berlin, signed on 24 April 1926, was concluded before its first renewal in 1931?

  • A. Three years
  • B. Five years
  • C. Seven years
  • D. Ten years

Q2. Who was the German Foreign Minister who negotiated and signed the Russo-German Treaty of Berlin in April 1926?

  • A. Walther Rathenau
  • B. Konstantin von Neurath
  • C. Gustav Stresemann
  • D. Heinrich Brüning

Q3. With reference to the Russo-German Treaty of Berlin (1926) as compared to its predecessor, the Treaty of Rapallo (1922), consider the following statements: 1. The Treaty of Berlin reaffirmed and extended the friendly relations established between Germany and Soviet Russia at Rapallo. 2. Whereas Rapallo primarily normalised diplomatic and economic relations and mutually renounced war claims, the Treaty of Berlin obliged each party to remain neutral if the other were attacked by a third power. 3. Unlike the Treaty of Rapallo, the Treaty of Berlin received the unanimous approval of all political parties in the German Reichstag. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The Treaty of Berlin reaffirmed and extended the friendly relations established between Germany and Soviet Russia at Rapallo.
  2. Whereas Rapallo primarily normalised diplomatic and economic relations and mutually renounced war claims, the Treaty of Berlin obliged each party to remain neutral if the other were attacked by a third power.
  3. Unlike the Treaty of Rapallo, the Treaty of Berlin received the unanimous approval of all political parties in the German Reichstag.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q4. With reference to the provisions and accompanying features of the Russo-German Treaty of Berlin (1926), consider the following: 1. Mutual neutrality if either signatory were attacked by a third power. 2. A German pledge not to participate in any League of Nations economic or financial sanctions directed against the U.S.S.R. 3. A mutual Soviet–German guarantee of the existing Polish–Soviet frontier. 4. A German credit of 300 million marks extended to the Soviet Union. Which of the above is/are NOT correctly identified as a provision/feature of the treaty?

  1. Mutual neutrality if either signatory were attacked by a third power.
  2. A German pledge not to participate in any League of Nations economic or financial sanctions directed against the U.S.S.R.
  3. A mutual Soviet–German guarantee of the existing Polish–Soviet frontier.
  4. A German credit of 300 million marks extended to the Soviet Union.
  • A. 3 only
  • B. 2 and 3
  • C. 1 and 4
  • D. 2, 3 and 4

Q5. On the German side, which one of the following organs of the Weimar Republic negotiated and operationalised the Russo-German Treaty of Berlin (1926)?

  • A. The Reich Chancellery (Reichskanzlei) under the Reich Chancellor
  • B. The Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt) under the Foreign Minister
  • C. The Reichswehr Ministry under the Defence Minister
  • D. The Reich Ministry of Economics (Reichswirtschaftsministerium)