Hitler, however, considered ethnic Russians to be an inferior “mass of born slaves who feel the need of a master,” and he dreamed of clearing out much of the Soviet Union so that German settlers could procure “living space.” Before the nonaggression pact was even a year old, he began plotting a surprise assault against the USSR, later dubbing it “ Operation Barbarossa” after a medieval German emperor. The Soviets even entered into negotiations to become a fourth Axis power alongside Germany, Italy and Japan. Other invasions followed as Hitler and Stalin carved up Europe between them, with the later occupying Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and large chunks of Poland, Romania and Finland. Thus assured that the USSR wouldn’t intervene, Adolf Hitler kicked off World War II just days later by invading Poland. Despite being sworn ideological enemies, Nazi Germany and the Communist Soviet Union put aside their vast differences to sign a nonaggression pact in August 1939.
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