Non-Aggression

• In the public portion of the pact, Germany and the Soviet Union agreed not to attack each other, and they also agreed they wouldn't support other countries that attacked Germany or the Soviet Union. This was significant because Germany had planned to invade Poland and then move to attack England and France, and did not want to face another war with the Soviets on its eastern front. The countries agreed the pact would last for 10 years, which would be extended at the end of this term unless one of the countries decided to terminate it.
  
  

Communication

• Germany and the Soviet Union agreed to communicate about issues that impacted both countries during the term of the pact. If any disagreements arose, the two countries agreed to resolve them through negotiation or arbitration. This was another public term of the pact.
  
  

Secret Protocols

• In addition to the public terms of the pact, the Soviets and Nazis made a secret agreement that was signed the same day as the public pact. The secret agreement divided up eastern Europe into Soviet and German territories. The countries agreed that portions of Poland, and all of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Finland would go to the Soviets, and the rest of eastern Europe would go to the Nazis. Later secret agreements clarified and slightly modified these divisions of eastern Europe. The Soviets denied the existence of these secret agreements until 1989.
  
  

Outcome

• Just days after the pact was signed, World War II began. Germany and the Soviet Union invaded Poland from the east and west in early September. Poland fell shortly after the invasions and control of its territory was split between Germany and the Soviet Union. Ultimately, the pact stood for less than two years. In the following months, Germany invaded much of western and central Europe, and invaded the USSR without warning on June 22, 1941. The Soviet Union joined the opposition force, the Allies, soon after. The Allies defeated Nazi Germany in 1945.