DISINFO: Poland forced Hitler to start WWII
SUMMARY
Poland cooperated with Germany, refused to meet Hitler’s demands, but nevertheless participated with Hitler in the partition of Czechoslovakia. However, Poland did not give up the Danzig corridor. Despite this fact, the Poles forced Hitler to start World War II. Why did the War break out on 1 September 1939 precisely in Poland? Hitler had nothing left to implement his plans except to start a war with Poland.
RESPONSE
This statement was made by Putin during his conversation-interview with Carlson Tucker on February 2024. Putin’s claim is straightforward – de facto, he whitewashes and justifies Hitler's actions, moving responsibility for the outbreak of WWII on to Poland.
The claim perpetuates a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative that distorts the events leading up to the Second World War. Specifically, it denies the USSR's responsibility for the onset of WWII, which followed the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact in 1939.
Read the official Polish MFA's reaction to 10 Putin lies on Poland and Ukraine.
From August 1939 to June 1941, the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany maintained a functional alliance, characterized by extensive economic and industrial trade. This period also included significant technical, scientific, and military cooperation. As documented by British historian Roger Moorhouse, among others, the mutual contacts between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany were deep and instrumental in sustaining the war's progression. These interactions spanned roughly a third of the duration of World War II.
The Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact of August 1939 contained a secret supplementary protocol that resulted in a coordinated Nazi-Soviet campaign against Poland and decided the carving up of Eastern Europe between the USSR and the Third Reich. On the other hand, there is no historical evidence that any other pre-war agreements with Nazi Germany contained secret provisions of this kind and none had the devastating effects of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.
The secret protocol was revealed after Germany’s defeat in 1945, although hints about its provisions had been leaked much earlier.
It is a gross lie to suggest that Soviet troops wanted to rush to confront Nazi German troops but were prevented. Rather, joint military parades of Soviet and German forces were organised when both had divided Poland.
See here for our debunking of the claim that the Soviet Union was “forced” to conclude an agreement with Hitler. Read more about the Pact here.
See our account of the disinformation attempts in Ping-Pong Pact Policy.