Sawyer 3
HIS 220 Milestone Three: Comparison of Naratives
Sarah Sawyer
HIS 220 Modern European History 1890 – Present
Dr. Clyde Deloach
Novemeber 27, 2022
On June 22, 1941, Germany invaded the Soviet Union, effectively ending a two year long non-aggression peace pact between the two countries. Originally drafted and signed in August of 1939 between Germany and The Soviet Union, the Molotov Ribbentrop Pact was an agreement to not attack each other for ten years and divide the countries that lay between them.
The Molotov Ribbentrop Pact was a pact of non-aggression between Germany and The Soviet Union to protect each country from attack from one another. This was a pact of non-aggression between Germany and The Soviet Union to protect each country from attack. This pact was an unexpected move between the two countries, which helped to strengthen the relationship, and was a move to align powerful countries together while on the verge of a World War.
Compare how the objective facts are represented differently by the opposing perspectives. How do the objective facts of this event compare with each country’s representation of those facts? Are there any inconsistencies?
Leading up to the signing of the pact, Adolf Hitler was aware that the Soviet Union would likely not tolerate any act of aggression toward Poland, especially since France and the Soviets already had its own pact in the form of a defense alliance. With this, Hitler still felt that Poland was considered to be a threat to his country. The objectives of the pact were that Germany and the Soviet Union promised to not attack each other. Germany needed the Soviet Union to stand down so that Hitler could move his message through Europe. Within ten days of signing the pact, Germany invaded Poland without fear of intervention from the Soviet Union. Shortly after this invasion, the Soviet Union invaded from the east.
Identify biases present in each of the perspectives. What specific subjective viewpoints or predudices differentiate this country’s perspective from objective fact? How do these biases impact each country’s perspective on the event?
Explain how cultural norms, values, assumptions, and histories created the biases observed in each perspective. How might the country’s history or culture account for these biases? What is the origin of the biases or prejudices?
Identify information about the event that is still needed in order to develop a clear, unbiased record of this event. What additional documents, data, records, or resouces would you like to be able to see, or would be helpful in fully understanding this event?
At this time, there is enough information about the Molotov-Ribben Pact to form an unbiased and thorough record of this event.
Include a bibliography of all the sources for your final project.
“German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. Accessed November 18, 2022. https://www.britannica.com/event/German-Soviet-Nonaggression-Pact.
This is a summary of the pact and the impact it had on Germany and The Soviet Union, and the surrounding countries. The website goes into detail of the main signers of the pact, the worldly response to the pact.
History.com Editors. “Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, November 9, 2009. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/molotov-ribbentrop-pact.
This article gives a good summary of the pact, the impacts it had on Europe, and what was going on around the world at the time of the pact.
Nelsson, Richard. “The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact – Archive, August 1939.” The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, July 24, 2019. https://www.theguardian.com/world/from-the-archive-blog/2019/jul/24/molotov-ribbentrop-pact-germany-russia-1939.
This article is an overview of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. It breaks down parts of the pact and explains what it means. It also has a breakdown from the perspective of London.
United States holocaust memorial museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Accessed November 18, 2022. https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/german-soviet-pact.
This article is a breakdown of the pact itself and what it promised to each country that signed.
Wesolowsky, Tony, and Matthew Luxmoore. “Molotov-Ribbentrop What? Do Russians Know of Key World War II Pact?” RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, August 23, 2019. https://www.rferl.org/a/molotov-ribbentrop-what-do-russians-know-of-key-wwii-pact/30123950.html.
This article summarizes the pact, the influence on Europe, and the people involved in the pact. The article speaks to the history of the pact looking back on it today and how it changed the protocol of the war.
“World War II: The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.” The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact (August 1939). Accessed November 18, 2022. https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-molotov-ribbentrop-pact-august-1939.
This is the text of the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact.