Why did Russia sign the Nazi-Soviet Pact

• Hitler and Stalin secretly agreed to split Poland between them. Stalin could destroy Poland and reclaim land that had been taken from Russia. He would gain territory in Poland and didn't have to lift a finger to take it; Hitler would do all the fighting
• Stalin didn't really trust Hitler. He suspected that Hitler would turn against him at some point (which he did, in 1941, when he invaded Russia with Operation Barbarossa). Signing this pact meant that he was able to buy time, which allowed Russia to build up its army ready for war
• The USSR could see that Britain and France wouldn't stand up to Hitler; they hadn't consulted Stalin over key issues such as the Munich Agreement, and chamberlain had insulted him by sending a diplomat with no real power or status to negotiate an alliance. Stalin felt isolated. Some Soviet historians have said that Stalin had no choice but to agree to the pact. It was better to be allies with Hitler rather than invaded by him