On 23 August 1939, Joseph Stalin's Soviet Union and Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany shocked the world. In a truly unprecedented turn of events, the European rivals of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact. The Nazi-Soviet Pact – also known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact – saw the countries agree not to take military action against one another for ten years.
Nazi-Soviet Pact Meaning
The Nazi-Soviet Pact was a Non-Aggression Pact between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, signed just before the outbreak of the Second World War. Foreign Ministers Vyacheslav Molotov of the Soviet Union and Joachim von Ribbentrop of Nazi Germany signed the Pact on 23 August 1939.
Non-Aggression Pacts
A non-aggression pact is an agreement whereby the signatory countries agree not to attack each other.
Nazi Soviet Pact 1939
Let's look at a timeline outlining the events which brought about the Nazi Soviet Pact in 1939.
| Date | Event |
| 1935 | 2 May | The Franco-Soviet Treaty of Mutual Assistance encircled Germany. |
| 1938 | 12 March | Germany annexed Austria. |
| September | The Munich Agreement allowed Germany to annex the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia; Stalin did not receive an invitation to the Munich Agreement. |
| 1939 | 15-16 March | Germany invaded Czechoslovakia. |
| 31 March | Great Britain and France guaranteed the independence of Poland. |
| 3 May | Vyacheslav Molotov became the foreign minister of the Soviet Union. |
| 23/24 August | The Nazi-Soviet Pact was signed. |
| 25 August | The Anglo-Polish military alliance was signed. |
| 1 September | Germany invaded Poland. |
| 3 September | Great Britain and France declared war on Germany. |
| 17 September | The Soviet Union invaded Poland. |
| 1941 | 22 June | Germany invaded the Soviet Union in Operation Barbarossa, terminating the Nazi-Soviet Pact. |
Nazi Soviet Pact Importance
In the late 1930s, Europe was an uncertain place; Hitler had annexed Austria, laid claim to the Sudetenland, and occupied Czechoslovakia. Britain and France did little to deter Hitler, despite his increasingly bold actions directly violating the Treaty of Versailles. To all involved, it appeared that Hitler's next move would be to invade Poland.
Annexation
Annexation refers to when a nation declares control of a territory.
For Nazi Germany, invading Poland appeared difficult; France and the Soviet Union had signed a military alliance in 1935, with Britain and France agreeing in March 1939 to guarantee Poland's independence. Furthermore, Hitler knew well that there was no way Stalin would allow the German invasion of Poland. If the Nazis invaded Poland, Germany would share a border with the Soviet Union.
Throughout the summer of 1939, Hitler laid the foundations for an invasion of Poland. He increased his demands on the Polish government and pushed claims that Germany should regain the city of Danzig. He also claimed that Germans living in Western Poland were being mistreated. With the invasion of Poland looking likely, Hitler was forced to rethink his dealings with the Soviet Union.
An Unlikely Alliance
With the inevitable invasion of Poland drawing closer, Hitler's generals were nervous. While Stalin's Great Purge (1937-8) had seen the execution of many of his leading military commanders, the Soviet army was still relatively strong. A Polish invasion could force Nazi Germany into a two-front war, battling the Russians in the east and the British and French in the west.
The Great Purge (1937-8)
Taking place between 1937 and 1938, the Great Purge, or Great Terror, was a campaign of oppression in the Soviet Union against the political opponents of Joseph Stalin.
What would Hitler gain from the Nazi-Soviet Pact?
There were several reasons why Hitler pursued a non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union:
- Avoiding a two-front war Hitler and his generals wanted to avoid making the same mistakes as the Germans in the First World War, fighting the Russians in the east and the British and French in the west. By signing a non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union, Germany could avoid a two-front war.
- Invasion of Poland Hitler knew that Stalin wouldn't idly stand by if he invaded Poland; an invasion of Poland would see Germany's borders extend to the Soviet Union. By signing a non-aggression pact, Hitler could invade Poland without any opposition.
- Trade Agreement Another critical factor was Hitler's desire to seek a trade deal with Stalin. Upon signing the pact, Russia provided vast amounts of grain and oil in return for German technical equipment. Hitler correctly judged that if war commenced and Britain imposed a naval blockade, he would need these materials.
Naval Blockade
The term naval blockade refers to when a nation prevents the movement of supplies or people via the sea.
Fig. 1 - Germany fights a two-front war during the First World War
What would Stalin gain from the Nazi-Soviet Pact?
There were several reasons why Stalin pursued a non-aggression pact with Nazi Germany:
- Rebuilding the militaryThe Great Purge had significantly weakened the Soviet army. An agreement with Nazi Germany would give Stalin time to strengthen his military.
- Distrust of Britain and France After being excluded from the Munich Agreement, Stalin was suspicious of Britain and France. He believed the West was encouraging Hitler to head east toward the Soviet Union.
- The Japanese Threat While the Pact was discussed, the Soviets were engaged with the Japanese and the Battles of Khalkhin Gol (May-September 1939). A non-aggression pact with Germany meant that the Soviet Union could focus its attention on the far east.
- Ambitions in Eastern EuropeStalin only became interested in the Nazi-Soviet Pact when territory was up for grabs. The Soviet Union would gain Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Eastern Poland without a fight.
The Battles of Khalkhin Gol (May-September 1939) were a series of conflicts between the Soviet Union and Mongolia against Japan at the beginning of the Second World War. Fought in Mongolia, China, the battles were won by the Soviet and Mongolian forces. The Soviet Union had achieved its objective of gaining territories in the Far East against Japan. This allowed Stalin to focus his efforts westwards for the Second World War theatre of conflict.
Fig. 2 - German and Soviet Officers shake hands
Throughout May 1939, several exchanges between Germany and the Soviet Union were unsuccessful. However, German foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop caught Stalin's attention when he hinted that the Soviet Union might be gifted some of Poland in the event of a Nazi invasion. Hitler sent a personal message to Stalin on 20 August before sending Ribbentrop to Moscow to discuss the terms of the pact.
Nazi-Soviet Pact Stalin and Hitler
On 22 August 1939, Joachim von Ribbentrop visited Moscow. He had a meeting inside the Kremlin with Stalin and Vyacheslav Molotov. The meeting had three significant outcomes:
- Ten years of non-aggressionRibbentrop proposed that the non-aggression pact would last 100 years; however, Stalin claimed that ten years would suffice.
- No third-party attacksIt was agreed that Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union would not assist a third party in its attack on either nation.
- Division of PolandThe final clause about the German invasion of Poland was secret. It was agreed that if Hitler invaded Poland, the Soviet Union would acquire Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and the East of Poland.
On 23 August 1939, the Nazi-Soviet Pact was agreed. Hitler was delighted; the pact nullified the treaty between France and the Soviet Union and removed any obstacles preventing the invasion of Poland.
Fig. 3 - Molotov and Ribbentrop shake hands
Hitler Invades Poland
The Nazi-Soviet Pact – apart from the detail about the division of Poland – was announced on 25 August 1939, the same day Hitler planned to invade Poland. That morning, however, Great Britain and France formalised their promise to Poland that both countries would come to Poland's aid if it were attacked. Despite this potential setback, Hitler gambled and invaded Poland on 1 September 1939. Subsequently, Great Britain and France declared war on Germany on 3 September 1939, marking the beginning of the Second World War.
Nazi Soviet Non Aggression Pact
After successfully taking control of Poland, Germany and the Soviet Union divided the nation between themselves. The Germans annexed western and central Poland, and the Soviet Union took control of the rest of Poland. Furthermore, the secret protocol of the non-aggression pact – regarding the division of Poland – was subsequently amended to give Lithuania to the Soviets. Throughout the following year, the Soviet Union invaded Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia, also taking control of the Romanian regions of Northern Bukovina and Bessarabia. It was during this time that Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed the 1940 German-Soviet Commercial Agreement.
1940 German-Soviet Commercial Agreement:
The 1940 German-Soviet Commercial Agreement was an economic agreement between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. The trade agreement saw Germany receive raw materials, supplies, and foodstuffs from the USSR to alleviate the effects of the British naval blockade of Germany. As well as providing supplies, the Soviet Union also granted Nazi Germany access to the naval base of Basis Nord, allowing the Germans to bypass the naval blockade. In return, the Soviets were given military supplies and access to German military technology.
However, the Nazi-Soviet Pact was terminated on 22 June 1941 when Germany invaded the Soviet Union in Operation Barbarossa. In the weeks preceding Operation Barbarossa, Stalin had persistently ignored warnings of a Russian invasion and consequently had not fully mobilised his army.
Operation Barbarossa saw the Soviet Union lose the territories it had acquired during the early part of the war within a matter of weeks. Within half a year, the Soviet Union had suffered over 4 million casualties, with an additional three million troops captured.
Nazi Soviet Pact – Key takeaways
- The Nazi-Soviet Pact was a Non-aggression Pact between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, signed just before the outbreak of the Second World War.
- The Nazi-Soviet Pact – also known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact – saw the countries agree not to take military action against one another for ten years.
- The pact agreed to 10 years of non-aggression, no third-party attacks, and the division of Poland.
- The Nazi-Soviet Pact was terminated on 22 June 1941 when Germany invaded the Soviet Union in Operation Barbarossa.
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