Candidate name: Daniel Matthew Watson

Candidate Number: 014

Joseph Stalins political motives for

accepting the Nazi-Soviet pact

Illustration 1
Candidate name: Daniel Matthew Watson
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School Number:1179
School Name: Windhoek International
Word Count: 3054

Illustration 1 shows Hitler and Stalin, <http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/RUSnazipact.htm>. 1

Candidate name: Daniel Matthew Watson

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Abstract
This particular topic was chosen in order to explore the political actions and
motives that existed between the Soviet Union and the rest of the western
powers and Germany in the time leading up to the Second World War. The
political reasons as to why the pact was accepted by Stalin; such as the
failure of the anti-fascist alliance talks and the Soviet fear of a German
invasion will be explored in detail. The economical reasons as to why Joseph
Stalin accepted the pact will be explored below. These economical reasons
include military equipment trading as well as the Nazi soviet credit
agreement, which involved the trade of industrial equipment from Germany
to the USSR in order for the USSR to achieve its strategic economical plans
such as the five year plan. Conclusively, the secret protocol will be looked at,
and the ways in which it gave Stalin the incentive to accept the actual non
aggression treaty will be explored. The above scope of this essay will be
done in order to answer the question what were Stalins political motives for
accepting the Nazi-Soviet pact? The conclusion that was arrived at was that
Stalin accepted the Nazi soviet pact in order to preserve his country from
German aggression, obtain industrial equipment for his economic strategies
such as the 5 year plan, and essentially to increase the Soviet Sphere of
Influence in the east of Europe.
Abstract word count: 231

Candidate name: Daniel Matthew Watson

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Table of Contents

Abstract...........................................................................................
.... page 2
Introduction......................................................................................
.. page 4
Background......................................................................................
... page 5
Soviet Fear of German Invasion and anti fascist alliance
talks........... page 6
Military advantages gained by the
USSR............................................ page 8
Nazi soviet Credit
agreement............................................................. page 10
Military
Trading.................................................................................. page
12

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The secret
protocol............................................................................ page 13
Conclusion........................................................................................
.. page 16
Bibliography.....................................................................................
.. page 18

Candidate name: Daniel Matthew Watson

Candidate Number: 014

Introduction
On the 23rd of August 1939 the Non Aggression Treaty (Nazi-Soviet pact or
Molotov-Ribbentrop pact) between the Soviet Union (USSR) and Nazi
Germany was signed in Moscow. Under the terms of this pact, both
countries promised to remain neutral in the event of either country going to
war

[1]

. It was well known at the time of the signing that both the USSR and

Nazi Germany had deep distrust towards each other resulting from the First
World War. [2] Therefore, one would think; what were Joseph Stalins [3]
political motives for accepting the Nazi Soviet pact? This area of history
between the USSR and Nazi Germany is of high significance because it
establishes the political relationships of the western and central European
powers towards the USSR and Germany, and the political relationships
between the USSR and Germany during the pre-World War 2 period. These
political relationships are important because they explain and detail the
political events that essentially lead up to the Second World War. To answer
my research question, I will look at the various military and economical
strategies that were involved in the Nazi-Soviet Pact to give insight as to why
Joseph Stalin accepted it. These strategies go as follows; Anti Fascist alliance
talks with Western powers and Soviet fear of German invasion, Strategic
military advantages gained by USSR, Nazi-Soviet credit agreement, and
finally the Secret Protocol. The latter are the reasons as to why Stalin
accepted the Nazi Soviet pact, and they will be explored below. I believe that
Joseph Stalins main objective for accepting the Pact was to buy some time

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to reinforce his weakened Red Army [4] in anticipation of an inevitable German

invasion of the USSR.

Background

The Soviet Union around the period of the signing of the Nazi-Soviet pact was
still in economical stress resulting from the First World War and Russian civil
war,[5] which had ravaged the USSRs economy and military strength. A
German invasion at that time would have proved fatal to the weak Red Army.
Stalin feared that a German invasion of the USSR was imminent. His fear of
German aggression was due to the fact that Adolf Hitler[6] encouraged antiSemitism,[7] which the Nazi party associated with communism.[8] Due to this
aggression against the Soviet Union from Nazi Germany, Joseph Stalin tried
to form an Anti Fascist alliance with countries in the west in order to prevent
Germany from invading the Soviet Union. He believed that Germany would
not start a war against a united Europe. [9]However, Neville Chamberlain [10]
had deep distrust towards Russia and her motives; therefore such an alliance
was not possible. Thus the USSR saw the only way to delay a German
invasion of the Soviet Union was to form an alliance with the aggressor itself,
Nazi Germany. The Nazi Soviet pact was signed on the 23rd of August 1939.
[1]

. Simkin, John. "Spartacus Educational." Spartacus Educational. Peter McMillan,

n.d. Web. 13 Oct.2012. <http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/RUSnazipact.htm>.
[2]
Germany was a central power while Russia was part of the opposing Allied
powers during WW1
[3]
Premier of the Soviet Union (Head of government)
[4]
National Army of the Soviet Union

Candidate name: Daniel Matthew Watson

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[5]

Russian Civil War fought from 1917-1922, between 5,000,000-9,000,000 casualties by 1922.
Leader of the NSDAP (Nazi) party, and Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945
[7]
Discrimination or hatred towards Jewish people.
[8]
www.2history.com/experts/Kirill.../The_secret_protocol
[9]
Simkin, John. "Spartacus Educational." Spartacus Educational. Peter McMillan, n.d. Web. 13 Oct.2012.
Soviet Fear of German invasion and anti Fascist alliance talks
<http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/RUSnazipact.htm>.
[10]
Prime minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940
[6]

Joseph Stalin knew that a military invasion of the USSR by Nazi Germany
would be fatal for the already weakened Red Army (USSR military forces)
during the 1930s, and therefore he was concerned with Nazi Germanys
potential hostility towards the USSR due to Hitlers anti-soviet propaganda
and lebensraum[11] (living space) political ideas. Adolf Hitler was strictly
opposed to USSR ideologies such as socialism/communism and made
massive anti-Soviet propaganda campaigns within Germany, as well as
taking police measures against Soviet trade missions,[12] companies, press
publishers, and the communist party of Germany.[13] Stalin saw these
measures taken against communism and Soviets within Germany as a sign of
hostility towards the USSR and therefore tension between the USSR and
Germany increased. The already deteriorating relationship between USSR
and Germany was further damaged by Adolf Hitlers book on his political
ideologies Mein Kampf,

[14}

where he stated his lebensraum ideology.

Lebensraum meant the expansion of Germany across Eastern Europe in

order to gain more raw materials and living space for the German nation, and

Candidate name: Daniel Matthew Watson

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in Adolf Hitlers Mein Kampf book he directly addressed the Soviet Union as
part of this territorial gain idea.

[11]

Lebensraum was an idea mentioned by Hitler in his biography Mein Kampf

aimed at increasing
German living space by
expanding
Germanys
boarder.
Stalin
saw this
is a direct threat of a German invasion of the USSR.
[12]
Soviet owned trade companies importing and exporting within German
boarders.
German aggression towards Stalin was clear, the USSR negotiated
[13]
Communist political party within the boarders of Germany.

After the
and

signed the Franco-Soviet Treaty of Mutual Assistance [15] in 1935 with France,
which was aimed at containing Nazi Germanys aggression

[16]

. This pact

was proved ineffective after the Munich pact was approved between
Britain, France and Nazi Germany. The Munich pact was a pact permitting
Nazi Germanys annexation of Czechoslovakia, after this pact was agreed,
Joseph Stalin saw this co-operation between Nazi Germany and other
western powers as a sign that cooperation between the USSR and western
powers against Nazi Germany would be ineffective.
After the failure of the Franco-Soviet pact, the Soviet Union tried to initiate
talks with France and Britain in an attempt to contain German aggression,
but these negotiations failed as well. It was then clear to Joseph Stalin that in
order to preserve the USSR from German aggression, an alliance would have

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to be formed with Nazi Germany. During 1939, talks between Vyacheslav

Molotov

[17}

and Joachim von Ribbentrop

[18]

began and the Nazi-Soviet non-

aggression pact was signed by both Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. The
above were Stalins main reasons for going forward with the non-aggression
pact, as to preserve the USSR from German hostility after Nazi German
aggression control talks with Britain and France had failed and Nazi
Germany was showing clear signs of hostility towards the USSR.

[15]

Treaty between France and the USSR aimed at encircling Nazi Germany
and eliminating the threat of aggression.
[16]
Simkin, John. "Spartacus Educational." Spartacus Educational. Peter
McMillan, n.d. Web. 13 Oct.2012.
Military advantages gained by the USSR
[17]
Foreign minister of the USSR
[18]
Foreign minister of Nazi Germany

The Soviet Union also saw potential military advantages that could be

obtained upon the signing of the Nazi soviet non aggression pact. One of the
criteria that Germany had to follow upon signing the pact was that it could
not form an alliance with Japan. At the time of the pact being approved, the
Soviet Union was locked in a bitter battle with the Empire of Japan in the
battles of Khalkhin Gol (Nomonhan) [19]. The battle resulted in 1939 because
of Japans intention of invading Manchuria, which was at the time a puppet
state [20] of the Soviet Union. The Red Army was already weak, and the Soviet
Union could not afford an extensive battle on a second front elsewhere in the
world. Initially, Nazi Germany had plans of forming an alliance with The

Candidate name: Daniel Matthew Watson

Candidate Number: 014

Empire of Japan, which would mean German military support of Japan in

these battles. Therefore, Joseph Stalin thought that if an alliance was to be
made with Germany, Japan could not receive German military support and
would back off of Manchuria. Stalins thoughts were proved correct when
Germany did not forge an alliance with Japan upon the signing of the Nazi
Soviet anti aggression pact which resulted in the Red Army and various
Manchurian military divisions eradicating the Japanese 6th army that was
attempting to take control of Manchuria, and a cease fire between the Soviet
Union and Japan was established on the 16th December 1939.

The above battle of Khalkhin Gol (Nomonhan) was only the first step in a
larger military operation. Joseph Stalin wanted to invade Poland in order to
increase its sphere of influence [21] in Eastern Europe. However, Stalin did not
want to invade Poland while fighting in Manchuria, such that he did not want
[19]

The undeclared Soviet-Japanese border wars, fought between the Empire of Japan and
the Soviet
to Union
fight in
a Manchuria,1939
two front war. Stalin would only invade Poland once the Khalkhin
[20]
General term that indicates a government being controlled by a larger entity.

Gol battles had been put to rest. Therefore, upon Germanys signing of the
non aggression pact, and the possibility of a two front war being fought by
the Soviet Union put to rest, the Soviet Union invaded Poland on the 17th
September 1939.

Joseph Stalin also saw other possibilities to increase the Soviet Unions
sphere of influence. The treaty of non aggression meant that there was no
possible threat from German military towards the USSR, and that both

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countries would remain neutral in the event that either country found itself in
armed conflict. Joseph Stalin used this to his advantage in order to increase
the Soviet Unions sphere of influence. In mid June 1940, Hitler began his
invasion of France. The western powers were focused on Nazi Germanys
military actions and they began preparing for armed conflict. With the
western powers distracted, Joseph Stalin began the invasion of Lithuania,
Estonia and Latvia (in accordance with the secret protocol, see below). Soviet
troops invaded these countries, liquidated the original governments and set
up pro-Soviet [21] governments.

Thus one of the main reasons Joseph Stalin accepted the Nazi Soviet pact, as
to increase the sphere of influence of Soviet Russia without reprisal from
Germany nor any other western powers.

[21]

A government that is always in support of the government of the Soviet

Union.

Nazi Soviet Credit agreement

Joseph Stalin and his economical advisors saw that Nazi Germany was
becoming a highly industrious state with massive new heavy industry
forming because of war preparation, thus Stalin saw Nazi Germany as a great
benefit to his third five year plan.[22] The USSR was in the process of the

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third five year plan which was an economic strategy aimed at rapid
industrialisation of the Soviet Union and was focused on heavy industry, and
Joseph Stalin and his economic advisors knew that the USSR would need
massive new industrial machinery/technology inputs in order to make the
five year plan successful. At the same time, Nazi Germany was preparing for
conflict and thus needed large amounts of raw materials for weapons
manufacturing, however these commodities were scarce in Germany. The
USSR was rich in raw materials which Germany needed for pre-war
production, and Germany was in a period of manufacturing massive amounts
of heavy machinery/technology which the USSR needed for its economic
strategy, so the two nations began economic negotiations in October 1938
prior to the signing of the Nazi-Soviet non aggression pact, and finally the
Nazi-Soviet credit agreement was signed on August 19th 1939.

The agreement stated that the Soviet Union would export large amounts of
[22]

An economical strategy adopted within the USSR in order to increase productivity of

economy. raw materials from the year 1946 onwards, and in return the USSR

would

receive a credit of 200 million Reichsmark[23]over a period of 7 years to

purchase capital goods within Germany (Factory equipment, transport,
industrial machinery etc.) The industrial equipment received from Germany
would be used exclusively for the production purposes of the five year plan.

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This is one of the reasons why Joseph Stalin began initial political
negotiations with Nazi Germany, so he would be able to receive much
needed heavy machinery in the USSR, and these initial economical deals
subsequently lead to the non aggression pact being signed between the two
nations, due to political ties being made from the credit agreement.

[23]

The currency used in Nazi Germany, replaced in 1948 after collapse of Third Reich

Military Trading

As mentioned above, the Soviet Union required massive amounts of heavy

industrial machinery and other industrial technology in order to successively
carry out her five year plan, and the way in which Stalin would gain such
industrial equipment and technology was through the industrialising state of

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Germany. However, along with the benefits of the USSR receiving industrial
commodities from Nazi Germany, Stalin also saw key military trading
possibilities with the German nation who was manufacturing mass amounts
of arms and military equipment in preparation for war. Consequently, the
German-Soviet commercial agreement of February 11 1940 was signed, just
one year after the initial Nazi soviet credit agreement was signed.

Under the terms of the German-Soviet commercial agreement, the USSR

would transport massive amounts of raw materials such as oil, wheat, cereal,
steel and other such primary goods, and in exchange the Soviet Union would
receive the plans to Germanys great battle cruiser the Bismarck, a set
amount of Germanys latest war planes and bombers, military vehicles and
tanks and field artillery. There would also be large trade of Diesel engines;
military purposed chemical agents, small arms, ammunition, oil machinery,
turbines and other items.
So in conclusion, the two above mentioned benefits from trade towards the
USSR as a result of an alliance with Nazi Germany are one of the main
reasons for Joseph Stalin accepting the Nazi-Soviet pact, as the trading
benefits were integrated with the pact.

The secret Protocol

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Prior to the initial signing of the Nazi-Soviet pact, the two foreign
representatives (Molotov and Ribbentrop) met in August 1939 to discuss the
possible allying of their two countries. During these meetings, the initial
secret protocol document was created, prior to the signing of the Nazi-Soviet
pact. The secret protocol was essentially a document endorsed by both the
USSR and Nazi Germany that entailed the details of an invasion of a number
of European countries. These Eastern European countries were Finland,
Latvia, Estonia, Romania, Poland and Lithuania. All the above countries were
sought after by both Nazi Germany and the USSR in order to increase their
respective sphere of influences.
The secret protocol created between the two countries consisted of invasion
plans for each targeted country, and more importantly which countries would
be given to either Nazi Germany or the USSR in the event of their capture.
Joseph Stalin wanted to increase his sphere of influence in the west of
Europe; he essentially wanted to create a buffer [24] of countries around the
USSR so in the event of an invasion, the red army could stop the invading
force in the buffer countries and not wage war in the USSR itself.
Illustration 2 on the next page gives a clearer idea as to Stalins motives.
Joseph Stalin wanted to capture the countries Romania, Poland, Lithuania,
Latvia, and Estonia in order to create a shield of satellite states in order to
protect the USSR from aggression directed from the west.

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[24]

Essentially a shield from any hostile forces

Illustration 2

An agreement was come upon in the secret protocol. The USSR would receive the
countries Estonia, Latvia, Finland, and Lithuania. Poland would be divided up
between the USSR and Germany, and the USSR would receive control of Romania in
the event of its capture. As detailed above, Stalin wanted the countries to the west
that were bordering the USSR, and the secret protocol made this possible.

Illustration 2 shows a map of Europe in 1940.

http://www.euroheritage.net/serbscroatsbosnians.shtml

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Therefore, Stalin wants to create a buffer between Western Europe and the USSR
would have been fulfilled due to the plans of the secret protocol, and due to the fact
that the secret protocol was formulated before the initial signing of the Nazi-Soviet
anti aggression pact on the 23rd of August 1939, the secret protocol would have
given Stalin excessive incentive to accept the Nazi-Soviet anti aggression pact.

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Conclusion
Therefore, the above shows how Joseph Stalin accepted the pact due to
these main reasons. Stalin feared that Nazi Germany would invade the USSR,
and Stalin thought the most strategic way to prevent an invasion of the USSR
was to form an alliance with the aggressor. Secondly, Stalin saw that there
were sufficient trades in arms and raw materials to be made with Nazi
Germany, and the Soviet Union needed military equipment to reinforce its
struggling Red Army, as well as heavy industrial equipment for the USSRs
strategic economic plans. And finally, Joseph Stalin wanted to create a buffer
of satellite states around the USSR so aggression from the west could be
halted in the satellite states, and there would be no warfare and structural
damage taking place in the USSR itself.
The above body of this essay gives the main political, economical and military
orientated advantages to Joseph Stalin presented when he accepted the Nazi-Soviet
non aggression pact of August 1939. The reasons as to why Joseph Stalin accepted
the Nazi Soviet pact have been given coherently and in detail above. The above
given reasons are essentially the foremost arguments as to why Joseph Stalin
accepted the pact, and they outline what Stalins intentions were when he accepted
the pact.
However, the above are only the main reasons as to why Joseph Stalin accepted the
pact, and does not include all the smaller more politically orientated reasons that
Stalin and the USSR were subjected to in the time leading up to the actual signing of
the pact.

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Conclusively, this essay gives arise to one fundamental question. Essentially, the
Nazi-Soviet anti aggression pact was broken when Germany invaded Russia in 1941,
and the German army was making good headway into Russia towards the capital
Moscow before they were stopped purely by the cold Russian winters. So the
question arises, if Joseph Stalin accepted the pact in order to try and delay an
inevitable German invasion of the USSR, why did he not foresee the German
invasion of the USSR, and reinforce the Red Army respectively? This question arises
from the fact that one of the main reasons Stalin accepted the pact was in order to
preserve the USSR from German hostility.

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Bibliography
Books
Radzinsky, Eduard. "Pages 442,443,452." Stalin. N.p.: Anchor, n.d. N. pag. Print.
Service, Robert. A History of Twentieth-century Russia. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP,
1998. Print.
Websites
avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/addsepro.as
history1900s.about.com ... Wars & Conflicts World War II
www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/triumph/tr-pact.htm
www.johndclare.net/RoadtoWWII8.htm
www.lituanus.org/1989/89_1_03.htm
www.pbs.org/behindcloseddoors/pdfs/NonAggressionPact.pdf
Simkin, John. "Spartacus Educational." Spartacus Educational. Peter McMillan, n.d.
Web. 13 Oct.2012. <http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/RUSnazipact.htm>.
www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005156
www.2history.com/experts/Kirill.../The_secret_protocol

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