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Nazi-Soviet Pact, Stalin's Speech
Posted on April 7, 2015 by drawbaud
The Nazi-Soviet pact was a non-aggression pact signed in Moscow on August 23, 1939. It stated that neither country would attack the other, and that neither would ally with an enemy country of the other. In addition it divided Poland, Romania, Lithuania, Estonia, and Finland into Soviet and German "spheres of influence" through a secret protocol.
The pact gave the Soviet Union safety from the Nazis, which was important because the Soviets were neither militarily nor economically prepared for war. It gave Germany access to Poland, which they invaded on September 1, 1939. The pact was broken when Germany invaded the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941.
Stalin's speech addressed the industrial advancements the Soviet Union saw during the mid 1900s, and the challenges it faced during WWII. Stalin explained that the advancements were due to the communal hard work of the Soviet people during the five-year plans, and described WWII as an obstacle that was overcome through coordination and strength.
This entry was posted in HIST107-Archive and tagged Non-Agression Pact, soviet union, WWII by drawbaud. Bookmark the permalink.
3 thoughts on "Nazi-Soviet Pact, Stalin's Speech"
myersjac on April 7, 2015 at 10:57 pm said:
You mention that Germany, by invading the Soviet Union, broke the pact that they had made with the USSR. Do you believe that Hitler signed this pact in hopes that the Soviet Union would relax and not expect an attack in later years? We always talk in class about how Hitler always seemed to be scheming and this would be another example, as he created a sense of security amongst the citizens in the Soviet Union. However, what makes this difficult to understand is that Stalin was a smart man and does not strike me as one who would easily be fooled.
pastoree on April 7, 2015 at 11:16 pm said:
You provide a good summaries of the pact and the speech. I believe there is more behind the pact itself and more to think about (considering Jacob's questions above). It gave both countries exactly what they wanted, the Soviet Union, a country economically and socially unable to fight, freedom from the war and Hitler the ability to execute his ultimate plan without the threat of a two front war. As history eventually played out, Germany broke this pact and I believe Stalin, being the smart man he was, should've seen it coming.
nicholsc on April 8, 2015 at 1:32 am said:
You present a great description of the two articles, and the connection between them (The Pact), through the economic lens you mention is great. But focusing more on some of the specifics of "The Pact", the language used seemed to be spoken of with such high regard, as High Contracting Parties was used repeatedly to discuss the countries involved. More so on Stalin's speech, he seems to praise Russia for the progress it has made, and even goes to the extent of gathering numerical data to show the progress. He presents a task of development that "the motherland" accomplished in 13 years, making it seem as though no other country was capable of making that exact same transformation in that given time frame. His language is definitely empowering in the speech, in regards to the events to come.
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