Stalin's Foreign Policy

China:

During the reign of Stalin, China had descended into Civil War over the running of the country, between Nationalist and Communist forces. The war also co-incided with the invasion of China by Japan, and as such Stalin had to make a decision about who to support. Stalin eventually sided with Chiang Kai-Shek, The leader of the nationalist Kuomintang party, over Chairman Mao Tse-Tung, the Leader of the Chinese Communist Party, as he believed that the more established nationalists would be able to utilise the combined power they already had and Stalin's aid to beat the Japanese and keep them away from the Russian borders. In addition, Stalin disliked Mao's branch of communism, as it put too much emphasis on the role of the working class in achieveing communism

Spain:

Similarly, Spain had been in a civil war between 1936 and 1939. In anger at the Spanish Second Republic attempting to get rid of the monarch, many conservatives flocked to the Falangist group, a fascist party that was eventually led by General Francisco Franco. This group fought the Republic, who were joined by the international brigades sent by communist volunteers. Stalin himself, although supportive of the cause, limited his aid. He also demanded control over the direction of forces in exchange for his volunteers, as well as the spanish gold reserve…