On 23nd August 1939 representatives of Germany and the Soviet Union signed a non-aggression treaty for a period of ten years.
The treaty contained the liability to neutrality in case of arguments with a third country.
That meant, that both countries promised each other not to support the treaty partners opponents in a war and not to join any alliance that is directed against the treaty partner.
The treaty was signed by the foreign ministers Ribbentrob and Molotow.

With signing the treaty were the British-French aims win the Soviets for a "large alliance" against the national socialist Germany failed.

The treaty contained a supplementary protocol which controlled the division of Poland and other countries in Eastern Europe.
Western Poland (up to the rivers Narew, Weichsel and San) and Lithuania should be controlled by Germany.
The Soviet Union should rule about Finland, Estonia, Latvia, the Eastern Poland and Bessarabien (today Moldavia).

With this treaty Germany and the Soviet Union offended against the international law which had a detrimental effect on Poland.
That's why the Soviet Union was as well as Germany to blame for the outbreak of the 2nd world war.
Both countries responsible for the 2nd world war.

The treaty was only of a short duration.
On 1st September 1939 Germany began the planned war against Poland.
The Soviet Union reacted immediately and occupied Eastern Poland up to the agreed border.
On 27th September Poland gave up.
On 28th August 1939 Germany and the Soviet Union signed a new treaty the "bordering and friendship treaty", again with secret supplementary agreements.
Germany and the Soviet Union exchanged occupied areas: Germany got central Poland up to the river "Bug", in return the Soviet Union was allowed to control Lithuania.

However, Hitler didn’t keep up to the treaty.
On 18th December 1940 Hitler enacted the "Führer-Weisung No.21".
With this instruction the concrete planning about the raid on the Sowjetunion called "Operation Barbarossa" was started
On 22.6. 1941 Germany broke the pact by attacking the Soviet Union.

It is uncertain whether Hitler would have attacked Poland if there hadn't been the treaty with the Soviet Union.

Why did Germany and the Soviet Union sign the pact?

Germany: Hitler

Germany wanted to avoid a two-front war (in the East and the West).

Sowjetunion under Stalins leadership:

Only with his treaty the Soviet Union could secure their claims to Eastern Poland. The Soviet Union alone was to weak for an attack on Poland.
The Soviet Union reacted to the invasion of the Germans in Poland.
Stalin was dependent on the polish troops weaked by the German "Reichswehr" so that nothing could prevent Stalin's troops from invade Poland.

© 2004 Claudius Ortbandt (shel)