Vyacheslav Mikhaylovich Molotov (1890–1986) served as one of the most influential Soviet politicians during the years of Joseph Stalin. As a foreign minister, he was instrumental in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics' (the USSR) foreign policy system during World War II and was especially known for his hawkish diplomacy.
The Winter War
In 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Finland, in what has become known as the Winter War. During the Winter War, the Soviet planes bombed Finnish towns.
However, Molotov publicly claimed the planes were dropping food supplies for the starving population. This was yet another early example of propaganda that was quickly turned against him and his government.
Moltov Bread Baskets
The Finns then took to calling the Soviet bombs “Molotov bread baskets,” cutting the minister’s lie into dark humour. In response to the Soviet attack and lies, Finnish soldiers drew inspiration from something used first during the Spanish Civil War in 1936-1939.
So, Finnish soldiers started assembling their unusual weapons, essentially made of glass bottles with flammable liquids and rags. What made it interesting was the name the Finns chose for these bombs. They began to call these crude bombs “Molotov cocktails,” a playful “drink” to accompany the Soviet foreign minister’s “bread.”
A cheap and deadly weapon
Ultimately, "the Molotov cocktail" was devastatingly effective against Soviet tanks in the near-arctic conditions of Finland. As a cheap and deadly weapon of use, it quickly gained global popularity.
In fact, during the second world war Finland mass produced these bombs, which were used against tanks. Other countries also started using these for major wars.
Popular with resistance movements
Soon, these crude bombs became a symbol of guerrilla warfare and resistance movements around the world throughout the 20th century. “Molotov cocktail” eventually became a part of popular vocabulary to embody a spirit of defiance to authority.
Vyacheslav Mikhaylovich Molotov lived until 1986. History remembers the Soviet leader less for his political manoeuvring, lies and denials, and more for the fiery bombs named after him, which later became immensely popular with anti-authority protest movements across the world.
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