Final answer:
Hitler signed the Non-Aggression Pact with Stalin to avoid a two-front war during Germany's expansion into Eastern Europe, and Stalin agreed to it for territorial gains and to strengthen the Soviet military against future threats. This agreement led to the division of Poland and foreshadowed the start of World War II.
Step-by-step explanation:
Reasons Behind the German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact
In a move that shocked the world, Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin signed a Non-Aggression Pact in August 1939. This agreement, known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, committed both Germany and the Soviet Union to peaceful relations and included a secret protocol to divide Poland between them. Hitler's main goal was to prevent a two-front war during his planned expansion into Eastern Europe, avoiding Germany's World War I mistake. Meanwhile, Stalin sought to protect the Soviet Union from Hitler's aggression and gain additional territory while the Western powers were distracted.
For Hitler, the pact was strategic, ensuring that he could invade Poland without the threat of Soviet intervention, and acting as a temporary safeguard against a war on two fronts, something that had been ruinous to Germany in World War I. For Stalin, the pact was an opportunity to gain territorial expansion and buy time to strengthen the Soviet military. Despite their ideological differences, the mutual benefits of the pact led these two leaders to a temporary and pragmatic alliance.
Appeasement by European democracies had provided Hitler cover to advance his territorial ambitions, and when Britain and France did not adequately respond to aggression, it informed Stalin's decision to secure his own interests through the pact. The Non-Aggression Pact effectively paved the way for World War II, allowing German troops to invade Poland and start the cascade of events leading to the broader conflict.