This work, published in 1948, serves as a response to Western narratives about the origins and development of World War II. Stalin critiques the portrayal of the Soviet Union as complicit in starting the war due to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, emphasizing that the USSR's actions were defensive measures aimed at delaying Nazi aggression and securing its borders. The text accuses Western powers, particularly Britain and France, of appeasement policies that emboldened Hitler, such as the Munich Agreement of 1938, which Stalin describes as a betrayal of collective security.
The essay asserts that the USSR was a steadfast advocate for anti-fascist unity and exposes what Stalin perceives as a deliberate distortion of history by capitalist nations to deflect their own culpability. It frames the Soviet Union as a victim of slander and highlights its pivotal role in defeating fascism, calling for vigilance against historical revisionism that undermines the sacrifices of the Soviet people. Stalin's polemic is both a defense of Soviet foreign policy and a broader ideological critique of Western imperialism.
