# Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact (1939)

URL: https://history-russia.com/timeline/1939-molotov-ribbentrop-pact
Categories: main-event

The Soviet Union and Nazi Germany signed a non-aggression pact whose secret protocol divided Poland, the Baltic states, Finland and Bessarabia into spheres of influence. On 17 September 1939 the Red Army invaded eastern Poland. The USSR denied the secret protocol until 1989. The pact opened the way to the Second World War.

## Why it matters
The pact opened the way to the Second World War.

Ruler at the time: [Joseph Stalin](https://history-russia.com/rulers/joseph-stalin)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molotov–Ribbentrop_Pact)
- [Wikipedia — Soviet invasion of Poland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_invasion_of_Poland)
- [Wikipedia — Stalinism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stalinism)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Molotov-Ribbentrop+Pact)
- [Wikipedia — Timeline of Russian history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Russian_history)