Non-Aggression Pact (Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact)

The Non-Aggression Pact, also known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, was an agreement between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed in August 1939. The pact stipulated that the two countries would not attack each other and included secret protocols to divide Eastern Europe into spheres of influence. This agreement allowed Germany to invade Poland in September 1939 without fearing Soviet intervention, marking the start of World War II. The pact was significant because it temporarily aligned two ideologically opposing countries and reshaped the geopolitical landscape of Europe at the time.