15,697
edits
Changes
no edit summary
{{Mediawiki:kindleoasis}}
__NOTOC__
[[File:Stalin and Ribbentrop.jpg|thumbnail|left|275px|Stalin greeting German Foreign Minister Rippentrob.]]
On August 23, 1939, Hitler and Stalin signed a non-aggression treaty, popularly called the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. It shocked the world. The two countries were bitter ideological enemies and many expected a war between the two to be imminent. Instead, they had pledged not to attack each other. They had gone from sworn enemies to allies in the space of months. This article will discuss the impact of this diplomatic agreement on Europe and on the origins of the Second World War. It will argue that the pact was a strategic mistake by Stalin and it allowed Germany to take control of western Europe and this gave them to strength to attack the Soviet Union.
In 1939, the Soviet Union was something of a ‘rogue’ state.<ref>Bendersky, Joseph, ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1118294785/ref=as_li_tl?ie=BackgroundUTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1118294785&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=ef7d32545f1ecdddb1c073906b750f1b A History of Germany: 1919–1945]'' (Rowman & Littlefield, London, 2000), p. 78.</ref> It had little or no relations with the western power, who suspected Moscow of trying to spread Communism throughout the world. Despite being ideological rivals, Germany, and the Soviet Union began secret negotiations in 1939. The situation in Europe was tense and many expected another general European war. They were conducted in secret and were overseen by the foreign ministers of the respective countries. In 1939, the Pact was announced by the foreign ministers of Germany (Ribbentrop) and of the Soviet Union (Molotov). The Ribbentrop- Molotov pact, named after the negotiators, as it came to be known, was composed of two parts, a public agreement, and secret protocols.<ref>Bendersky, p. 56.</ref> Publicly, the pact stated that Germany and the Soviet Union would not engage in any aggressive actions towards each other. The parties to the agreement stated that they would not go to war with each other.[[File:Molotov.jpg|thumbnail|250px|Molotove greeting a German diplomat (September, 1939).]]Much of the Pact was secret. The reasons for this was that it allowed both Hitler and Stalin’s regime to further their national and strategic interests.<ref>Moorhouse, Roger. ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0465030750/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0465030750&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=08750b91a33dc7c11ca385a6d821b1cb The Devils' Alliance: Hitler's Pact with Stalin, 1939–1941]''. (The Bodley Head. London, 2014), p. 78</ref> In fact, many of the protocols were denied by the Soviets until 1989 and the fall of the Berlin War. The secret protocols involved dividing up eastern Europe into separate spheres of influence. Poland was to be divided between Germany and the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union was allowed to take control of the Baltic States and Bessarabia (now Moldovia). More importantly for the Soviet Union was the fact that Stalin did not want a war and some have speculated that he wanted Hitler and the Western Allies to fight each other and weaken themselves until their states were ripe for a Communist takeover.<ref>Bendersky, p. 66</ref>. Another possible reason for Stalin signing the Pact with his ideological enemy was that he feared an attack from Japan in the East.
==Invasion ==The end of Polandthe Pact====Hitler had always made clear that he considered the Soviets as his greatest enemy. However, Stalin was lulled by the Pact, into believing that Hitler would never attack his territories.<ref> Taylor, p. 134</ref> There had been many indicators that the Germans were preparing for an invasion of the Soviet Union. The German forces had been building up in Western Poland and elsewhere. Stalin refused to believe that evidence that his desperate Generals presented him with. He even refused to order a general mobilization of the Soviet Divisions. In fact, Stalin even permitted the export of important raw materials to Germany right up to the outbreak of hostilities.
==Strategic Implications==Conclusion====The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was initially seen as a triumph for Stalin. He was able to secure large swaths of territory that had once been part of the old Tsarist Empire. It also secured his western borders against attack. Stalin Pact allowed the Germans to dominate Europe and then allowed them when they were strong enough to attack the Soviet Union, with the real possibility of success. Ultimately, the Pact exposed the USSR and nearly led to their defeat of the Soviet Union. If the Soviet Union had collapsed it is difficult to envision the Allies defeating Germany.
<references/>
[[Category:German History]] [[Category:Military History]][[Category:World War Two History]] [[Category:World War One History]]
{{Contributors}}