On this day in 1939 the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was signed in Moscow between the foreign ministers of the Soviet Union, Vyacheslav Molotov, and Germany, Joachim von Ribbentrop. The pact was officially a non-aggression treaty between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, but it is most known for its secret protocol that divided up the lands between the two nations and divided them in German and Soviet spheres of influence. (See picture 2)

The consequences of this pact were noticed not much later by the international community when Germany and the Soviet Union invaded and conquered Poland in September 1939 and agreed on their new border. The Soviet Union also annexed the Baltic states and parts of Finland in 1940. The Molotov-Ribbentrop pact was violated in 1941 when Germany started operation Barbarossa and invaded the Soviet Union. 

What always strikes me about the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact and the events following its implementation in 1939 and 1940 is the selective collective memory in the West. When I grew up in the Netherlands and learned about WW2 in school, the Nazis were always portrayed as evil (of course), but the Soviet Union as good. They were 'our' allies and helped 'us' defeat the Nazis. This image is also part of the Dutch collective memory about WW2. 

Studying history, living in Poland and learning more about Central Europe has totally changed this perspective for me. The Soviet Union was as 'evil' and 'aggressive' when they declared war on Poland, annexed the Baltic states and invaded Finland. In my opinion, we should study WW2 and the Soviet legacy more from a geopolitical/realpolitik perspective and less with our finalistic 'good vs evil' glasses on. 

Originally posted on Instagram on August 23, 2021