1. The treaty was signed on August 23rd, 1939. Hitler’s Nazi Germany invaded Poland on September 1st shortly after. This pact was the final step the Nazi’s had to pursue in order to execute their expansionist agenda. Hitler knew if he had to fight a two front war, he would undoubtedly lose.
2. The treaty does not only take into consideration the emphasis on the non-violence/aggression aspects that were very important to avoiding a two front war, but considered the possibility of inadvertent war as a product of alternative foreign pacts.
3. The secret aspect of the treaty is the most significant aspect to understanding the motives behind its mutual signing. With a wink and a nod, the Russian’s signed this treaty with the secret hopes that they would regain territory in Poland and south east European nations. Germany would also gain Baltic lands and a portion of Europe as well.
Two questions
1. What could have been a potential result of World War II, had the Nazi’s not broken the pact by invading Russia in 1941?
2. Should Russia be held more liable for the invasion of Poland due to their acceptance of the Treaties obvious intentions?
It is interesting to think about how the two nations put aside their rivaling political ideologies in order to gain land. Would Russia rather have national socialism expand at the same time communism did than democracy?
Russia’s motive to sign the Nazi-Soviet Pact was the secret protocol which included the division of property between the two countries; it also allowed Russia to feel a sense of security, though false, to build up its troops. Hitler was more than willing to agree to Russia’s demand because his intent was to buy himself time to avoid a two front war, while shrewdly his concealing his true intentions of attacking Russia in the future. The pact with Russia basically allowed Hitler to invade Poland without fear of Russia intervening. What is surprising is that Russia seemingly trusted Hitler, even though Hitler had violated pacts between Great Britain and France by invading Czechoslovakia.
When reading this document, I found the paranoia involved very prominent. This presented itself during the multiple times that they mention the course of action regarding a third party. Article II mentions the agreement to not back a third party if that party is threatening the other party of the treaty, article IV mentions that a party should not join an alliance with a group of parties aimed against the other party, and others allude to the strength at which this treaty presents between the USSR and Germany. It is evident that both wanted to ratify this alliance as quickly as possible, and that in the aftermath of WWI they were both cautious of issues with countries having multiple alliances.