The Gallakhan Declaration and the background of the return of Turkish territories by the USSR
The Galakhan Declaration was a manifesto issued by the leader of Soviet Russia, Lenin, in 1920, declaring that the Soviet Union would return the Chinese and Turkish territories occupied by Tsarist Russia. However, in practice, the USSR did not fully fulfill what was agreed in the declaration, imposed a number of unacceptable conditions on China, and did not return any Chinese territory. At the same time, in the second year of the declaration, the Soviet Union unexpectedly returned the Turkish territories seized by Tsarist Russia. This raises the question: Why did the Soviet Union return only Turkish territory but refused to return Chinese territory? Could it be that Turkey was stronger than China at that time?
Actually, that's not the case. In the final analysis, the Soviet Union took into account different factors when dealing with the Turkish and Chinese issues. Turkey was faced with the forced cession of occupied territory and had a strong need to give up that part of it. At the same time, the influence of the Soviet Union was crucial for Turkey. The Soviet Union wanted to defend itself against Western interference by supporting Turkey. The two sides took what they wanted, so the Soviet Union agreed to return the territory of Turkey and signed the relevant treaty.
The historical background of Turkey's land occupation by Tsarist Russia
To understand the historical background of Turkey's land occupation by Tsarist Russia, it is necessary to go back to the period of the Ottoman Turkish Empire. The Ottoman Turkish Empire was a vast empire that spanned three continents: Europe, Asia, and Africa. However, the Ottoman Turkish Empire gradually declined in the late period and suffered a crushing defeat in World War I. According to the signed Treaty of Sèvres, the Ottoman Turkish Empire was divided among the Entente powers, leaving only the current Turkish territory, giving Turkey a place to live.
In the 10th Russo-Turkish War, Russia seized part of the territory of Turkey, located in the southern Caucasus Mountains, by brutal means. The Russo-Turkish War also led to the independence of Serbia, Romania, Montenegro and Bulgaria from the Ottoman Turkish Empire.
The evolution of relations between the USSR and Turkey
When the Garrahan Declaration was announced, the Soviet Union was in the process of being established. The Soviet Union, which was beleaguered both internally and externally, hoped to receive external support, especially in the face of interference from Western countries such as Britain and France. At that time, Turkey was also in dire need of external support, and it happened to have common enemies with the Soviet Union, namely Britain and France. Therefore, the USSR wanted to defend itself against intervention in front of Western countries by supporting Turkey. So, in the Galahan Declaration, the USSR promised to return the occupied territories of Turkey and signed the relevant treaties.
However, Turkey soon changed its tune with the Soviet Union, improved relations with countries such as Britain and France, and joined NATO. The Soviet Union, on the other hand, proposed to amend the Kars Treaty or change Turkey's control of the Black Sea straits in order to counterbalance Turkey, but Turkey did not accept it. Thus, the USSR, probably, also took into account the evolution of relations with Turkey, as well as the confrontation with Western countries, when returning Turkish territory.
Relations with the Chinese question
Unlike Turkey, China did not join any military alliance at that time and did not conduct any actions to threaten the Soviet Union. Therefore, the attitude of the USSR towards China may be more based on interests. The Soviet Union did not return Chinese territory, probably because they believed that China's territorial issue was more complicated and involved more interests and disputes. In addition, the attitude of the Soviet Union towards China could also be influenced by domestic political and diplomatic factors.
In general, the approach of the USSR on the issue of the Galakhan Declaration and the return of territory by Turkey was not entirely consistent. Turkey had common interests and enemies with the USSR, and China was probably not so important to the USSR at that time. Behind the Garrahhan Declaration and the issue of Turkey's return of territory are complex geopolitical and international relations considerations.