In a European context, the term Border states policy, and Border states in a specific sense, refer to attempts during the interbellum to unite the countries that had won their independence from Imperial Russia due to the Russian Revolution, the treaty of Brest-Litovsk, and ultimately the defeat of Imperial Germany in World War I. The policy aimed at a united defense against the threat of Communist expansionism and World Revolution. An interbellum is a period between wars. ... Greater Arms of the Russian Empire, adopted in 1882 Flag of Russian Empire 1914-1917 Imperial Russia is the term used to cover the period of history from the expansion of Russia under Peter the Great, through the expansion of the Russian Empire from the Baltic to the Pacific Ocean... Russian Revolution can refer to the following events in the history of Russia: The Russian Revolution of 1905 was a series of riots and anti-government violence against Tsar Nicholas II The Russian Revolution of 1917, which included: February Revolution, which resulted in the abdication of Nicholas II of Russia... The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was a peace treaty signed on March 3, 1918, at Brest, formerly Brest-Litovsk, between Russia and the Central Powers, marking Russias exit from World War I. The treaty was practically obsolete before the end of the year but is significant as a chief... This article or section should include material from German Monarchy The term German Empire (the translation from German of Deutsches Reich) commonly refers to Germany, from its consolidation as a unified nation-state on January 18, 1871, until the abdication of Kaiser (Emperor) Wilhelm II on November 9, 1918. ... World War I was primarily a European conflict with many facets: immense human sacrifice, stalemate trench warfare, and the use of new, devastating weapons - tanks, aircraft, machine guns, and poison gas World War I, also known as the First World War, the Great War, the War of the Nations and... Communism refers to a theoretical system of social organization and a political movement based on common ownership of the means of production. ... World revolution is a Marxist concept of a violent overthrow of capitalism that would take place in all countries, although not necessarily simultaneously. ...

The Border states policy was never particularly successful. Disputes and different allegiances within the group of border states hindered unity.

The following countries were, in this context, considered border states:

• Finland
• Estonia
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Poland
• Belarus & Ukraine (until annexed by the Soviet Union)
• Romania

The Border states were commonly perceived as a cordon sanitaire, or buffer states, between the Soviet Union and the anti-Socialist powers in the West until the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact (1939) in effect assigned their territory to either Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Cordon sanitaire derives from the French for quarantine line, and is usually a barrier that is implemented to stop a disease or something undesirable from spreading and gaining momentum. ... A buffer state is a country lying between two rival or potentially hostile greater powers, which by its sheer existence is thought to prevent conflict between them. ... In the context of international relations and diplomacy, power (sometimes clarified as international power, national power, or state power) is the ability of one state to influence or control other states. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ...

With the exception of Finland, all Border states fell under Soviet occupation as a result of World War II. State motto (Russian): Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь! (Transliterated: Proletarii vsekh stran, soedinyaytes!) (Translated: Workers of the world, unite!) Capital Moscow Official language None; Russian (de facto) Government Federation of Socialist republics/ Communist state Area  - Total  - % water Largest on the planet 22,402,200 km² ?% Population  - Total  - Density 3rd before collapse 293,047,571 (July... World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrination, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atom bomb. ...

See also

• Mitteleuropa