# Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact (1939)

URL: https://poland-history.com/timeline/1939-molotov-ribbentrop-pact
Location: Moscow
Categories: main-event

Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed a non-aggression pact whose secret protocol divided Poland and eastern Europe into spheres of influence. Within the broader Second Republic period: The Second Polish Republic built a state from three former partitions, weathered political crises and the May Coup, and developed its economy and culture before being threatened by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. At this point in the timeline (23 August 1939), the governing authority was Ignacy Mościcki (President of Poland). Chemist and inventor elected with Piłsudski's backing; interned in Romania in 1939 he transferred office to Raczkiewicz. Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact mattered because its terms redrew borders or alliances and constrained Poland's options for years to come. The event is placed here so readers can follow it alongside changes in government, warfare, society, religion and culture across Polish history.

## Why it matters
Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact mattered because its terms redrew borders or alliances and constrained Poland's options for years to come.

Ruler at the time: [Władysław Raczkiewicz](https://poland-history.com/rulers/wladyslaw-raczkiewicz)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molotov%E2%80%93Ribbentrop_Pact)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Molotov%E2%80%93Ribbentrop+Pact)
- [Wikipedia — Second Polish Republic (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Polish_Republic)