What was the significance of the pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union in 1939?

The pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union in 1939, known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, was significant primarily because it allowed for the division of Eastern Europe between the two powers and temporarily averted conflict. The agreement included a secret protocol that outlined how Poland and other territories in Eastern Europe would be divided between Germany and the Soviet Union. This arrangement effectively secured Germany's eastern front, enabling Hitler to invade Poland without the fear of Soviet intervention, which also aligned with Stalin's interests in expanding Soviet influence in the region.

This pact created a period of non-aggression between the two regimes, which was unexpected given their ideological differences. It bought time for both nations as they prepared for impending conflicts, but it also set the stage for the imminent outbreak of World War II with the joint invasion of Poland. It is crucial because the agreement altered the geopolitical landscape in Europe, influencing the war dynamics and alliances that would develop in the following years.

Other options are less accurate. While there was a notion of military support, the pact was fundamentally a non-aggression treaty rather than a full alliance for joint military efforts. It did not aim to spread communism; rather, it was a pragmatic agreement between two totalitarian regimes with differing