It is an open question whether there would have been World war II without the Nazi-Soviet Pact. That pact, signed August 28, 1939, contained secret protocols revealed after the war with the capture of millions of documents, that gave Hitler a free hand in the west (Stalin promised not to come to the aid of Poland – something he was nominally bound to do by treaty with France) while Hitler foreswore any interest in absorbing the Baltics. To complete this cynical deal, the two dictators partitioned Poland – illegal under international law which had guaranteed Poland full sovereignty.

In addition, the treaty guaranteed monthly deliveries of massive amounts of foodstuffs, fodder, and raw materials to Stalin.

While there was much mistrust between Russia, England and France, the idea that Stalin was not complicit with Hitler in starting World War II is absurd. It was a stab in the back to his erstwhile allies in the west who were counting on Stalin to prevent war by participating in the guarantee of Poland. The French especially felt radically betrayed by the Pact – Stalin had reasonably good relations with France up until he inked the deal.

The terror the Nazis carried out in Poland was eagerly duplicated by Stalin who stole everything that wasn't nailed down in his sector while siccing his secret police on the populace.

In short, Stalin made it possible for Hitler to invade first Poland, and then the west as Hitler's rear was secured.

The anti-Hitler plotters in the army were struck a huge blow by the Pact in that they believed if Hitler had invaded Poland and all the Big Three powers of Russian, England, and France had arrayed against him, the likelihood that the Prussian officer corps, seeing Hitler make the same mistake of opening a two front war as the Kaiser did, may have felt compelled to overthrrow him.

Russian complicity is obvious on so many levels that to make the argument they were little more than innocent bystanders is revisionist history at its worst.