Font size:
Print
Germany – Soviet Union Non-Aggression Pact
Context:
On the night of August 23-24, 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, a non-aggression agreement that included a secret division of territories between them.
German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact Overview:
- Date: August 23, 1939
- Parties Involved: Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union
- Purpose: Nonaggression agreement and division of Eastern Europe into spheres of influence.
Background:
- Failed Collective Security: The Soviet Union could not secure an agreement with Britain and France against Nazi Germany, particularly at the Munich Conference (September 1938).
- Change in Soviet Policy: Facing German military expansion, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin sought a new strategy, dismissing pro-collective security Foreign Minister Maksim Litvinov on May 3, 1939, and appointing Vyacheslav Molotov to negotiate with Germany.
- Stalin’s Goals: Aimed to ensure Soviet peace with Germany, buy time for military buildup, and capitalise on Western hesitance against Hitler.
Key Negotiations:
- Negotiators: Joachim von Ribbentrop (Germany) and Vyacheslav Molotov (Soviet Union).
- Public Terms:
- Agreement not to attack each other.
- Not to support any third party attacking the other.
- Consultation on mutual interests.
- Duration of ten years, with potential five-year extension.
Secret Protocol:
- Division of Eastern Europe:
- Eastern Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Bessarabia assigned to the Soviet sphere of influence.
- Germany and the Soviet Union agreed on the division of Poland along the Narew, Vistula, and San rivers.
Impact and Execution:
- Invasion of Poland: Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939; Britain and France declared war on Germany on September 3.
- Soviet forces invaded Poland from the east on September 17, 1939.
- Partition of Poland: By September 29, 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union divided Poland, with Germany occupying the west and the Soviets the east.
Subsequent Actions:
- Soviet Expansion:
- November 30, 1939: Soviet Union invaded Finland, annexing territory after the Winter War (March 1940).
- Summer 1940: Annexation of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and parts of Romania (Bessarabia).
End of the Pact:
- Hitler’s Intentions: Hitler viewed the pact as temporary, planning to attack the Soviet Union to establish “Lebensraum” after defeating Poland and Western powers.
- Operation Barbarossa: Preparations for invasion began in July 1940, with Directive 21 signed on December 18, 1940.
- German forces invaded the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941, effectively ending the pact, which lasted less than two years.