That Non-Aggression Pact

No. It was not Soviet perfidy.

In this time when geopolitics is front and center, a look at the German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact would not go astray. Also, the 80th anniversary of VE Day is coming up so it is bound to be part of the accompanying chatter. The Pact was signed on August 23, 1939. Then, a week latter Germany invaded Poland and started World War II. According to the popular narrative it was Soviet perfidy. But was it really?

The historical counter-factual is a security pact between Britain, France and the Soviet Union. This, however, had a number of big obstacles. The French and British were either unable or unwilling to compel the Poles to allow Soviet troops into their territory. The British army was tiny. And the Soviet side correctly suspected that the French would simply sit behind their Maginot Line fortifications rather than invade Germany. Indeed, their army was totally geared to defensive operations. This would have left the Soviet Union holding the baby.

Those who slam the Pact claim that the Soviet Union and Germany were co-belligerents in Poland and it was to share in a predatory carve up of eastern Europe as set out in secret protocols.

It is important to note that Soviet troops only crossed the border after the Poles had been defeated, the Polish state had ceased to exist and its leaders fleeing to Romania. Although there was some clashes with Polish troops, they were remnant forces. And keep in mind, the area the Red Army occupied was populated mainly by Belarusians and Ukrainians, and had been seized by Poland from the Soviet Union in 1921.

In the case of the Baltic states, the reality is that once hostilities eventually broke out they would be war zones and inevitably occupied by one or other of the belligerents. If it wasn't the Soviet Union it would be Germany.

And in reference to Soviet actions, Churchill said in a radio talk on October 1, 1939 ".. that the Russian Armies should stand on this line was clearly necessary for the safety of Russia against the Nazi menace." He also pointed out that they were a road block to any move by Germany into the Balkans, and this was in the interest of Britain and France in their war with that country.

The Pact is an example of how a lot of people have an axe to grind when it comes to the whole Soviet Union experience. As with all things we are best served by being as objective and evidence based as we possibly can.