German–Soviet Axis talks
On the 23rd of August 1939, the world watched as two enemies signed a non-aggression pact in Moscow. The German Foreign Minister Joachim Ribbentrop and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin met to finalize an agreement that would reshape the map of Eastern Europe. Behind closed doors, they drew lines on a map dividing Poland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Romania between their respective spheres of influence. This secret protocol remained hidden from the public for decades.
Just four days after signing the pact, Germany invaded western Poland on the 1st of September 1939. Two weeks later, the Soviet Union followed suit by invading eastern Poland on September 17. A joint parade took place in Brest-Litovsk where German and Soviet soldiers marched together. The Comintern suspended all anti-Nazi propaganda to align with the new political reality. Stalin told Ribbentrop that he guaranteed his word of honor that the Soviet Union would not betray its partner.
Germany faced a critical shortage of raw materials during the early years of World War II. A British blockade cut off access to oil, rubber, manganese, and grain from other sources. The only country capable of supplying these necessities was the Soviet Union. On the 11th of February 1940, both nations signed a trade pact over four times larger than their previous agreement from August 1939.
In the first year alone, Germany received hundreds of thousands of tons of cereals and vital minerals transported through Soviet territories. The Soviets also provided access to the Northern Sea Route for cargo ships and raiders like the Komet. This arrangement forced Britain to protect sea lanes in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. By mid-1940, Germany lacked 500,000 tons of manganese and 9.5 million tons of oil compared to 1938 figures. Hitler told generals that victories in Western Europe had freed his hands for what he called the showdown with Bolshevism.
On the 27th of September 1940, Germany, Italy, and Japan signed the Tripartite Pact, creating an alliance directed against the United States. German officials discussed including the Soviet Union as a fourth member to direct Soviet focus southward toward the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf. Ribbentrop stated that the Axis Powers were not considering how to win the war but rather how rapidly they could end it since victory was already won.
Molotov worried that the pact contained a secret codicil pertaining specifically to the Soviet Union. He attempted to extract information from Japanese ambassador Togo during a home visit. Ernst Köstring, the German military attaché to the Soviet Union, wrote on October 31 that the impression was growing that Russians wanted to avoid any conflict with Germany. Meanwhile, Germany conducted a massive air campaign against Britain to prepare for Operation Sea Lion, the plan to invade Britain.
Vyacheslav Molotov arrived at the Reich Chancellery at noon on the 12th of November 1940. His train stopped at 11:05 a.m., greeted by Ribbentrop with flags and flowers while an orchestra played The Internationale in Germany for the first time since 1933. Stalin closely supervised Molotov's talks via telegram, though some telegrams remained unpublished after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Ribbentrop told Molotov that England was beaten and only a question of time before admitting defeat. Hitler spoke of striking a final blow against England and stated that America could not endanger freedom before 1970 or 1980. They agreed that the United States had no business in Europe, Africa, or Asia. When Molotov returned to his hotel, he stated he was relieved at Hitler's amiability. That night, Stalin insisted that security of the Soviet Union could not be ensured without tranquility in the area of the Straits.
On the 25th of November 1940, the Soviets presented a counterproposal accepting the four-power pact but including rights to Bulgaria and a sphere of influence centered around Iraq and Iran. Stalin directed Molotov to draft a new pact dividing Europe, Asia, and Africa among the four powers. The proposal included German troops departing Finland in exchange for Soviet guarantees of continued nickel shipments.
Hitler saw these territorial ambitions as a challenge to German interests. He remarked to military chiefs that Stalin demanded more and more and called him a cold-blooded blackmailer. Although Hitler already wished to invade the Soviet Union, he evidently wanted to accelerate the process now. Germany never answered the counterproposal, worsening relations between the countries. On the 18th of December 1940, Hitler signed Führer Directive No. 21 setting the invasion date for the 15th of May 1941.
Germany ended the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact by invading the Soviet Union on the 22nd of June 1941. This action destroyed any hope of Ribbentrop's proposed alliance with the Soviet Union. Before the invasion, Stalin had anticipated war against Germany and told his generals they must be ready much earlier than Hitler thought possible.
On the 1st of March 1941, Bulgaria joined the Axis, further unsettling Stalin after Germany ignored his November 25 offer. Seven days later, Molotov asked whether parties could work out an agreement for entry into the Axis Pact but received no answer. The failure of negotiations led directly to Operation Barbarossa, which began six months after preparations started. Von der Schulenburg was executed as one of the conspirators in the 20th of July 1944 plot to assassinate Hitler.
In February 1948, the Soviet Foreign Information Bureau published a book titled Falsifiers of History edited personally by Joseph Stalin. He struck and rewrote entire sections of drafts before its release. In this text, Stalin claimed he was merely probing out Germany during Axis negotiations and had outright rejected Hitler's proposal to share a division of the world.
This version persisted without exception in all historical studies and textbooks published in the Soviet Union until 1990. Later, diplomat Victor Israelyan stated that the book certainly did nothing to disprove the existence of Soviet-German cooperation in the first years of World War II. According to Svetlana Alliluyeva, Stalin's daughter, she remembered her father saying after the war that together with the Germans they would have been invincible.
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Common questions
What was the purpose of German, Soviet Axis talks in 1940?
The purpose of German, Soviet Axis talks in 1940 was to negotiate Soviet entry as a fourth member of the Tripartite Pact. These negotiations aimed to direct Soviet focus southward toward the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf while dividing Europe, Asia, and Africa among four powers.
When did Vyacheslav Molotov arrive at the Reich Chancellery for German, Soviet Axis talks?
Vyacheslav Molotov arrived at the Reich Chancellery at noon on the 12th of November 1940. His train stopped at 11:05 a.m., where he was greeted by Ribbentrop with flags and flowers while an orchestra played The Internationale in Germany for the first time since 1933.
Why did German, Soviet Axis talks fail during 1940?
German, Soviet Axis talks failed because Hitler viewed Stalin's territorial demands as a challenge to German interests. Germany never answered the counterproposal presented on the 25th of November 1940, which worsened relations between the countries.
What happened after the failure of German, Soviet Axis talks in 1940?
The failure of German, Soviet Axis talks led directly to Operation Barbarossa, which began six months after preparations started. Germany ended the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact by invading the Soviet Union on the 22nd of June 1941.
How did Joseph Stalin describe his role in German, Soviet Axis talks in 1948?
In February 1948, Joseph Stalin published Falsifiers of History claiming he was merely probing out Germany during Axis negotiations. He stated that he had outright rejected Hitler's proposal to share a division of the world.