the Nazi-Soviet pact and invasion of Poland

• Stalin signed the Nazi-Soviet Pact on August 23rd, 1939, believing it would buy him time to prepare for war, even though he knew Hitler planned to eventually attack the USSR
• Stalin's choices:

  • Alliance with Britain: would lead to war with Hitler over Poland
  • Alliance with Germany: would grant him half of Poland and time to prepare for the coming war with Germany
  • Stalin chose the latter option and signed the Pact with Hitler on August 23, 1939
• The day after signing the Nazi-Soviet Pact, Stalin explained to Lavrenti Beria that he knew Hitler's intentions and believed he had tricked Hitler into thinking he was outsmarted
• Consequences of the Nazi-Soviet Pact leading to the outbreak of WW2:

  • Freed up Hitler to invade Poland without fighting the USSR
  • Ended Britain's hopes of an alliance with Russia to stop Hitler, speeding up British war preparations
  • Gave Hitler confidence to invade Poland without fear of practical intervention from Britain and France due to their perceived weakness
• Invasion of Poland timeline:

  • September 1st, 1939: Warsaw struck by bombing raids, German army groups invade Poland
  • September 2nd, 1939: Chamberlain sends ultimatum to Germany, demanding withdrawal from Poland
  • September 3rd, 1939: Britain declares war on Germany, followed by France, marking the beginning of WW2
  • September 17th, 1939: Soviet Troops invade Eastern Poland
  • September 27th, 1939: Poland surrenders