Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact

The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, signed in August 1939, was a non-aggression treaty between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. Named after the Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov and the German foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, the pact assured that the two countries would not attack each other. It also secretly divided Eastern Europe into spheres of influence. This agreement allowed Germany to invade Poland with the assurance that the Soviet Union would not interfere, leading to the start of World War II. The pact was broken in 1941 when Germany invaded the Soviet Union.