Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact

The Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact was a 1939 agreement between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union where both countries promised not to attack each other. They also secretly divided Eastern Europe into spheres of influence, with Germany gaining western Poland and the Soviet Union eastern Poland and the Baltic states. The pact allowed Germany to invade Poland without fearing Soviet retaliation, leading to the start of World War II. It was a tactical move, showing both nations prioritized their own strategic interests over ideological rivalry at that moment, until Germany later broke the pact by invading the Soviet Union in 1941.