Negotiations between Stalin, Chamberlain, and France’s Prime Minister, Edouard Daladier ⇒ continued through the first half of 1939 → their intent was to form an alliance → against Hitler. ⇒Stalin was also meeting Germany’s foreign minister ⇒ about a very different alliance. 23 August 1939 ⇒ 2 opposing forces ⇒ USSR and Germany⇒ signed the Nazi Soviet pact.
Nazi Soviet Pact
- both countries agreed not to attack each other.
- Privately → they also agreed to divide Poland ⇒ between them.
- Germany ⇒ agreed to let USSR take eastern Poland and Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. → in reality: neither Hitler nor Stalin ⇒ had any faith in the agreement.
Stalin ⇒ had decided ⇒ that British and French ⇒ were probably took weak ⇒ to stand up against Hitler. → was playing for time to get this forces ready in the event > that Hitler turned against the Pact. ⇒ on the other hand: Hitler got the guarantee → he needed to invade Poland.