Unholy Alliance
Lesson 3: Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
Introduction: Plot Twist. On August 23, 1939, the world woke up to impossible news.
Adolf Hitler (the arch-enemy of Communism) and Joseph Stalin (the arch-enemy of Fascism) had signed a peace treaty.
It was the geopolitical equivalent of fire making a deal with water. Communists in London and Paris felt betrayed, tearing up their party cards in the streets. But behind the handshakes and smiles lay a secret deal that would doom millions.
Public Deal
August Shock
German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop flew to Moscow to meet with Stalin and his Foreign Minister, Vyacheslav Molotov.
- Toast: At the banquet, Stalin raised a glass and said, “I know how much the German nation loves its Führer; I should therefore like to drink to his health.”
- Agreement: Publicly, it was a “Non-Aggression Pact.” Germany and the Soviet Union promised not to attack each other for 10 years.
- Reaction: Britain and France were horrified. They had been counting on Stalin to threaten Hitler from the East. Now, Hitler had a secure border.
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Real Deal
Secret Protocol
The public treaty was a distraction. The real agreement was a secret document attached to the back, which was denied by the Soviet Union for 50 years until 1989.
- Carving Cake: They took a map of Eastern Europe and drew a line right down the middle.
- Germany’s Slice: Hitler got Western Poland and Lithuania.
- Russia’s Slice: Stalin got Eastern Poland, Latvia, Estonia, and Finland.
- Implication: This proves that WWII didn’t start as a war against tyranny; it started as a partnership between tyrants to steal land from their neighbors.
One Front War
Hitler’s Calculus
Why would Hitler deal with his mortal enemy? It wasn’t friendship; it was math.
- WWI Trauma: Hitler remembered that Germany lost WWI because it fought on two fronts (France in the West, Russia in the East).
- Plan: By neutralizing Stalin, Hitler could throw his entire army at Poland and then turn West to crush France.
- Disposable Friend: Hitler told his generals: “My pact with Poland was meant only to stall for time. My pact with Russia is meant only to stall for time.”
Buying Time
Stalin’s Game
Stalin was arguably the bigger winner in the short term.
- Military Weakness: Remember Lesson 9 (Great Purge)? Stalin had just killed all his best generals. He knew the Red Army wasn’t ready to fight Germany yet.
- Buffer Zone: The pact gave him hundreds of miles of new territory (Eastern Poland) to put between Moscow and the German border.
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Supply Line:
As part of the deal, Stalin agreed to send oil, grain, and rubber to Germany. For the first two years of the war, Soviet fuel powered the Nazi tanks that conquered Europe.
Diplomacy
Betrayal of West
Stalin had actually been negotiating with Britain and France first. Why did he choose Hitler?
- Western Arrogance: Britain sent low-level diplomats to Moscow on a slow boat. They offered Stalin nothing but “vague promises.”
- German Speed: Hitler sent his top man by plane. He offered Stalin half of Europe.
- Realpolitik: Stalin realized the democracies were weak and indecisive, while the dictatorships could make things happen instantly.
The Conclusion
Summary
The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was the starting gun for World War II. It removed the last obstacle for Hitler. Only one week after the ink dried, German tanks rolled into Poland, secure in the knowledge that the “Red Plague” in the East would just stand and watch.
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Sources for Lesson 3:
Primary Documents (The Evidence)
Stalin’s Speech to the Politburo (August 19, 1939): Soviet Archives. (Stalin explains to his inner circle why a long war between Germany and the West is good for Communism).
Pravda Announcement (August 24, 1939): Official Newspaper. (The Soviet government publicly announcing the friendship with Germany).
Halder Diaries: General Franz Halder. (Personal diary of a German general reacting to the shocking news of the alliance).
Historical Analysis (The Experts)
Anthony Read: The Deadly Embrace (W.W. Norton). Focuses on the negotiations and the shock to the West.
Edward E. Ericson: Feeding the German Eagle (Praeger). Details the massive amount of raw materials Stalin sent to Hitler to fuel the war machine.
Claudia Weber: Pact: Stalin, Hitler and the Story of a Deadly Alliance (Oxford University Press). Examines how the pact led directly to the Holocaust and other atrocities.
Gustav Hilger: The Incompatible Allies. (Written by a German diplomat who was actually in Moscow for the signing).
William Shirer: The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich (Simon & Schuster). (Standard text detailing the diplomatic maneuvering).
Personal Accounts & Visuals
David Low: Political Cartoons (Evening Standard). Famous cartoons from 1939 mocking the “marriage” of Hitler and Stalin (e.g., “Rendezvous”).
Nikita Khrushchev: Khrushchev Remembers. (Stalin’s successor reflects on how Stalin trusted Hitler more than he trusted his own generals).
