Why did Nazi Germany sign a nonaggression pact with the Soviet Union?(1 point)
Responses
to go to war against Britain and France
to benefit both of their economies
to split up Poland
to further spread socialist ideas
to split up Poland
Nazi Germany signed a nonaggression pact with the Soviet Union primarily to further their own strategic goals. This pact, known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, was signed on August 23, 1939, just before the outbreak of World War II. The main reasons for this agreement were:
1. To gain Soviet neutrality: Nazi Germany aimed to avoid a two-front war, as they had experienced during World War I. By signing the pact with the Soviet Union, they aimed to secure Soviet neutrality or even cooperation in their planned invasion of Poland and potential future conflicts.
2. To divide Eastern Europe: The pact included a secret protocol that effectively agreed upon dividing Eastern Europe into spheres of influence. This meant that Germany and the Soviet Union agreed to split up Poland, with Germany taking the western part and the Soviet Union taking the eastern part.
3. To buy time for Hitler: By signing the pact, Hitler bought himself time to pursue his conquest of Western Europe without worrying about Soviet interference. By avoiding a war on two fronts, Germany was able to concentrate its forces on the western front, facing France and Britain.
It is important to note that the spread of socialist ideas was not a primary motivation for the signing of the pact. Nazi Germany under Hitler's leadership was vehemently anti-communist, and their ultimate goal was the suppression of communism and the destruction of the Soviet Union.
The nonaggression pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, officially known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, was signed on August 23, 1939. It was a significant geopolitical move that had several motives behind it.
The main reason for the pact was to divide Eastern Europe and allow both countries to expand their territories without interference from each other. By signing the pact, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union agreed not to engage in military aggression against each other and to remain neutral if either country was involved in a conflict with a third party.
Nazi Germany, led by Adolf Hitler, saw the nonaggression pact as a strategic move to ensure that the Soviet Union would not interfere with its plans to invade Western Europe. By securing its eastern border, Germany could focus on its military operations against Britain and France.
For the Soviet Union, under the leadership of Joseph Stalin, signing the pact bought time to prepare for a potential conflict with Germany. Stalin was well aware that Nazi Germany posed a threat, and he wanted to delay the inevitable invasion while the Soviet Union strengthened its military capabilities.
Furthermore, both countries had economic interests in the pact. Germany wanted access to Soviet resources, particularly oil, while the Soviet Union sought advanced German technology and industrial equipment to modernize its own economy.
While the pact did involve a secret protocol that divided Eastern Europe into German and Soviet spheres of influence, the main reasons behind its signing were strategic considerations and a desire to buy time rather than spreading socialist ideas.