The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact
- Date
- 1939
- Category
- Politics & governance
- Region
- Europe (Soviet Union)
- Era
- Modern
- Significance
The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact was the shock non-aggression treaty between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union that cleared the way for the Second World War in Europe.
Signed in Moscow on 23 August 1939 by foreign ministers Vyacheslav Molotov and Joachim von Ribbentrop, the public agreement bound the two ideological enemies not to attack each other for ten years. Its true significance lay in a secret protocol dividing Eastern Europe into German and Soviet "spheres of influence," carving up Poland and assigning Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Bessarabia to Moscow. The pact stunned the world—Communists and anti-fascists everywhere felt betrayed—and freed Hitler from the danger of a two-front war. Just over a week later, on 1 September, Germany invaded Poland from the west; the Soviets invaded from the east on 17 September, and the two powers partitioned the country. The Soviet Union subsequently absorbed the Baltic states and attacked Finland. The alliance of convenience lasted until June 1941, when Hitler betrayed it by invading the USSR.
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Empires active in 1939
- Soviet Union1922 CE – 1991 CE
- Empire of Japan1868 CE – 1947 CE
- French Colonial Empire (Second)1830 CE – 1962 CE
- British Empire1583 CE – 1997 CE
- Spanish Empire1492 CE – 1976 CE
- Portuguese Empire1415 CE – 1999 CE
Related politics & governance events
- The Munich Agreement Cedes the Sudetenland1938
- Stalin's Great Purge (Great Terror)1936–1938
- Founding of the United Nations26 June 1945 (in force 24 October 1945)
- Hitler's appointment and Nazi consolidation of power30 January 1933 – August 1934
- Treaty of Versailles and the founding of the League of Nations28 June 1919 (in force 10 January 1920)
- Russian Revolutions of 1917March & November 1917 (February & October Revolutions, O.S.)
Further reading
The wider story
Conquerors: How Portugal Forged the First Global Empire
Fast-paced narrative of Portugal's seaborne empire.
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