Treaty of Rapallo (1922)

44°20′10″N 9°13′10″E / 44.33611°N 9.21944°E / 44.33611; 9.21944

Treaty of Rapallo

Chancellor of Germany Joseph Wirth (second from left) with Leonid Krasin, Georgi Chicherin and Adolph Joffe from the Russian delegation.
Type	Bilateral treaty
Signed	16 April 1922 (1922-04-16)
Location	Rapallo, Italy
Signatories	Walther Rathenau Georgy Chicherin
Parties	Germany  Russian SFSR
Ratifiers	Germany Soviet Russia

The Treaty of Rapallo was an agreement signed on 16 April 1922 between the German Reich and Soviet Russia under which both renounced all territorial and financial claims against each other and opened friendly diplomatic relations. The treaty was negotiated by Russian Foreign Minister Georgi Chicherin and German Foreign Minister Walther Rathenau. It was a major victory for Russia especially and also Germany, and a major disappointment to France and the United Kingdom. The term "spirit of Rapallo" was used for an improvement in friendly relations between Germany and Russia.^[1]

The treaty was signed in Rapallo. Ratifications were exchanged in Berlin on 31 January 1923, and registered in League of Nations Treaty Series on 19 September 1923.^[2] The treaty did not include any military provisions, but secret military co-operation was already scheduled between Germany and Russia, which was a violation of the Treaty of Versailles.^[1]

A supplementary agreement, signed in Berlin on 5 November, extended the treaty to cover Germany's relations with the other Soviet republics: of Ukraine, Belarus, Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. Ratifications were exchanged in Berlin on 26 October 1923, and the supplementary protocol was registered in League of Nations Treaty Series on 18 July 1924.^[3] The agreement was reaffirmed by the Treaty of Berlin, 1926.