Question

why is the nonaggression agreement between the USSR and Germany signed on 23 August 1939 in Moscow known the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact?

Answer 1

Because it was prepared by the former Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov and the German foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop,

Answer 2

The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, also known as the Nazi-Soviet Pact or the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact, is named after the two foreign ministers who signed the agreement on behalf of their respective countries. Vyacheslav Molotov was the Soviet foreign minister, and Joachim von Ribbentrop was the German foreign minister.

The pact, signed on August 23, 1939, in Moscow, was a significant and controversial diplomatic agreement between Nazi Germany, led by Adolf Hitler, and the Soviet Union, led by Joseph Stalin. The pact contained a public non-aggression clause, where both countries pledged not to attack or support any attack against each other. However, it also included a secret protocol that divided Eastern Europe into spheres of influence, effectively allowing the two countries to carve up the region and pave the way for the invasion of Poland.

The pact was named after Molotov and Ribbentrop to emphasize the key role played by their foreign ministries in negotiating this agreement. It was a pivotal moment in the lead-up to World War II, as it not only temporarily ensured peace between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union but also set the stage for the subsequent invasion of Poland by both countries in September 1939, which marked the beginning of World War II in Europe. The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact is often remembered as a symbol of the realpolitik of the time, where two ideologically opposed regimes made a pragmatic deal for their own interests, and it had far-reaching consequences for the course of history in the years that followed.