Who else invaded Poland in 1939 besides Germany?

In 1939, besides Germany, Poland was invaded by the Soviet Union. The invasion of Poland by Germany began on September 1, 1939, marking the start of World War II. On September 17, 1939, the Soviet Red Army entered Poland from the east. This joint invasion was a result of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, also known as the Nazi-Soviet Pact, which was a non-aggression treaty signed between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union on August 23, 1939. One of the secret protocols of this pact was the agreement to divide Poland and other territories in Eastern Europe into German and Soviet spheres of influence.

The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact surprised many countries because Germany and the Soviet Union had been seen as ideological enemies, with Nazism being fundamentally opposed to communism. However, both nations sought to gain territory and buffer zones, and this agreement served their tactical purposes in the short term. The pact allowed Germany to wage war on Western Europe without having to worry about a two-front war.

The invasion of Poland led to its occupation and division between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. The eastern half of Poland was occupied by the Soviets, where they began implementing their policies, which included deportations of Poles to Siberia. The western half of Poland was annexed by Nazi Germany, which started the brutal occupation, marked by severe repression, the establishment of ghettos, and the beginning of the Holocaust.

The invasion and subsequent division of Poland is significant for several reasons. It demonstrated the aggressive expansionism of both Germany and the Soviet Union. It also showed the failure of appeasement policy adopted by Britain and France, who had hoped to contain German aggression through diplomacy. Finally, it highlights the complex political maneuvers leading up to World War II and the role of such treaties in the shifting alliances of the time.