The Treaty of Rapallo (1922)

On Easter Sunday on April 16, 1922 in the Italian town of Rapallo, Germany and the Soviet Union signed a treaty which - although devoid of any outrageous provisions – came as a big surprise causing quite a stir in the international community. After all, here was an agreement between the two countries that had thus far been treated as pariahs by the states that guarded the Versailles peace order. The Rapallo pact caused particular concern in Poland where the return to cooperation between the two signatory states brought back sinister historical parallels. This was the worst-case scenario for Poland's security. The term “Rapallo” became a household name in international relations seen as synonymous with Germany and Russia going into cahoots against both the West and Poland.