The Soviet–Finnish Non-Aggression Pact was a non-aggression treaty signed in 1932 by representatives of

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

and the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

. The pact was unilaterally renounced by the

in 1939 after having committed a deception operation in Mainila in which it shelled its own village and blamed Finland. The Soviet Union had started negotiations for non-aggression pact negotiations with its neighbouring countries in Europe during the

Japanese invasion of Manchuria The Empire of Japan's Kwantung Army invaded Manchuria on 18 September 1931, immediately following the Mukden Incident. At the war's end in February 1932, the Japanese established the puppet state of Manchukuo. Their occupation lasted until the ...

to secure its own borders. Although Finland was the last to sign the pact, on 21 January 1932, after

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

and

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

, it was the first to ratify it in July 1932 '. Both parties guaranteed to respect each other's borders and agreed to stay neutral in each other's conflicts. Disputes were promised to be solved peacefully and neutrally. The pact was extended to 31 December 1945 in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

on 7 April 1934. The extension was signed by Finnish Foreign Minister Aarno Yrjö-Koskinen and Soviet Foreign Minister

Maxim Litvinov Maxim Maximovich Litvinov (; born Meir Henoch Wallach; 17 July 1876 – 31 December 1951) was a Russian revolutionary and prominent Soviet statesman and diplomat. A strong advocate of diplomatic agreements leading towards disarmament, Litvinov wa ...

. The pact was renounced by the Soviet Union on 28 November 1939, two days before its invasion of Finland began. The Soviets falsely claimed that Finland had shelled a Soviet village. According to Article 5 of the pact,Treaty of Non-Aggression and Pacific Settlement of Disputes between the Soviet Union and Finland, concluded on January 21, 1932
(translation) both parties were to call for a joint commission to examine the incident. Finland tried to call one, but the Soviet Union refused.

References

External links

* 1932 Pact
Original Text

Translated Text
* 1934 Continuation Pact

Translated Text
1932 in Finland Political history of Finland Peace treaties of Finland Treaties of Finland Treaties of the Soviet Union Finland–Soviet Union relations 1932 in the Soviet Union Winter War Non-aggression pacts Treaties concluded in 1932 {{Soviet-stub

See also

References

External links