Disinfo: The shift of all blame for WWII outbreak at the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact the best example of manipulation of history

Summary

The shift of all blame for WWII outbreak at the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact is the best example of manipulation of history. It is important to remember the existence of the Pilsudski-Hitler pact signed in 1934 (Non-Aggression Pact between Poland and Germany). Signing of this pact gave Hitler time to re-equip his army.

Disproof

This message is part of the Kremlin’s policy of historical revisionism and an attempt to erode the disastrous historical role of the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact by stating that other European countries signed various international agreements with Germany after 1934. See other examples referring to the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact here, here and here. First of all, it is impossible to compare the German-Polish Non-Aggression Pact of 1934 with the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact - it was a standard international agreement aimed at mutual recognition of borders and a declaration that existing political contradictions would be solved through diplomatic tools. There is no historical evidence that this pact contained any secret protocols, which assumed common aggressive actions of Germany and Poland against the USSR or other countries. Moreover, the pact of 1934 did not include any agreements on advanced political, economic and military relations between Poland and Germany - it was a basic agreement between two neighbouring states. Secondly, throughout the 1920s and 1930s, Polish authorities did not have any international competences or possibilities to control the military limitations imposed at Germany by the Treaty of Versailles, so they could not have prevented the re-armament of the German Army. See similar examples of the Russian historical revisionism concerning Poland here and here.

publication/media

  • Reported in: Issue 165
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 12/09/2019
  • Outlet language(s) Polish
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: USSR, Poland, Germany
  • Keywords: Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, Historical revisionism
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