The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was a non-aggression treaty between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, signed in Moscow on 23 August 1939 by the foreign ministers Vyacheslav Molotov and Joachim von Ribbentrop. A secret protocol attached to it divided Eastern Europe into German and Soviet spheres of influence, covering Poland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Bessarabia. Germany invaded Poland on 1 September, starting the Second World War, and the Soviet Union entered eastern Poland on 17 September. The Soviets later annexed the Baltic states and attacked Finland. The existence of the secret protocol was denied by Moscow for decades. The pact ended when Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941.
Before and after
- from 11 May 1939 to 16 September 1939Battles of Khalkhin Gol
- 22 May 1939Pact of Steel
- 2 July 1939Founding of Hewlett-Packard
- 9 August 1939Birth of Romano Prodi
- 23 August 1939Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact
- 31 August 1939Gleiwitz incident
- from 1 September 1939 to 6 October 19391939 Invasion of Poland
- from 1 September 1939 to 2 September 1945World War II
- from 1 September 1939 to 3 September 1939Battle of Mława
More in Wars, politics & history
- from 25 April 1915 to 9 January 1916Gallipoli Campaign
- 4 June 1917Pulitzer Prize
- from February 1919 to March 1921Polish–Soviet War
- 24 July 1923Treaty of Lausanne
- from 7 December 1941 to 2 September 1945Pacific War
- from 6 June 1944 to 29 August 1944Normandy landings
The era
This moment belongs to the Modern era (1914 CE to 1945 CE), world wars and a changing world. You can also browse everything in the 20th century.