Molotov-ribbentrop Treaty by Tanvir Amjad

   This treaty was signed by German and Soviet foreign ministers.It was signed in Kremlin on August 23rd,1939 by Molotov on the Soviet side and Von Ribbentrop on the German side.Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Molotov was born in the village of Kukarka in Kirov Oblast,son of a shop clerk who joined The Bolshevik faction of the then Russian Social Democratic labour party in 1906.It was later split between two factions called Bolshevik and Menshevik,with the Bolsheviks eventually became the Communist Party of The Soviet Union.Molotov became a member of the Petrograd( now St.Petersberg)Bolshevik committee in 1916.Even though he admired Lenin but silently took a Stand on Stalin and shortly after the death of Lenin became a Stalin protege.In this process after Lenins death while there was a power struggle he by adhered to Stalin became the prime minister in December of 1930.In this post he became Stalin’s point man for the so called collectivisation of agriculture.He used a combination of brutal force and propaganda to crush peasant resistance.Millions of peasants was sent to forced labour camps where they died of starvation,over working,torture or untreated disease.This was one of the first test which Molotov proved to Stalin how loyal and dependent can he be.So as the prime time of 1939 he became the foreign minister replacing Maxim Litvinov(who was Jewish and as seen as pro western).

Joachim Von Ribbentrop was on the other hand came from a totally different back ground and by accident turn into the famous Von Ribbentrop.He was born in Wessel(Rhenish Prussia,aka Rhineland)and was educated in Germany and Switzerland.At an early age he frequently travelled and lived in a city named Grenoble in south-eastern France at the Foot of the French Alps.Later he became fluent in French and also in English.He came to Canada in 1910 and employed by the Molson’s Bank in Montreal,later he joined MP an engineering firm and also held jobs in Winnipeg.It was there in Ottawa he set up his wine importing business.But in 1914 as World War One broke out he left Canada for a greater purpose that is to join the German military.While as first lieutenant he was awarded the Iron Cross.In 1928 Ribbentrop was introduced to Hitler as a wine seller who knows how to get the best champagne in a cheaper price as well as somebody who has better connections.So he joined the National Socialist Party in 1932 and came to limelight.He became Hitler’s favourite foreign policy adviser because of his ability to flatter Hitler and also an eye on British and Japanese influences.In November of 1933 Ribbentrop became Hitler’s foreign policy diplomat at large and travelled Britain to meet prime minister Ramsay Mcdonald.Even though nothing came out of any great substance but it was the beginning of an opportunistic friendship between Britain and Germany which leads the AGNA or as it says the infamous Anglo-German naval agreement.Which gave a green signal to Germany that they are free to break partially The Versailles treaty which reduced it’s capacity to acquire great deal of military prowess.The AGNA fixed a permanent ratio where the total tonnage of the German navy was to be 35% of the total tonnage of the Royal Navy.It was a wrong message to the British as they thought it will mark the beginning of serious arms limitation agreements between Germany and Britain.But in fact in was the turning point for Germany to open up the possibility where they can manipulate Russia to sign a non aggression pact which will help the Germans for the time being as they make great deal of progress in terms of grabbing more territory for the expansion and creation of a mammoth German superpower.