The Soviet Union, Tripartite Pact, and Anti-Comintern Pact

After a bit of my occasional reading on WWII I had a sudden realisation. I was surprised that the Soviets originally intended to sign the Tripartite Pact in 1940, something I did not know. This intention, although supported by Ribbentrop was immediately(?) dismissed by Hitler, as he originally intended to go to war against the Soviets, it seems. Both parties had already signed a non-aggression pact (Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact) in 1939 and German-Soviet diplomacy was actually in good terms, at least until Operation Barbarossa (sooner?), in 1941. What surprises me the most, is that Germany had already signed the Anti-Comintern Pact https://19216801.onl/ https://routerlogin.uno/ (with Japan) back in 1936 - which is why dates are important to my question.

Given the Anti-Comintern pact's anti-communist nature, signed by Germany and Japan, and Stalin being, well, Stalin, why on earth would the USSR ever even consider signing the Tripartite Pact? Wasn't it relevant that Germany had signed the anti-Comintern Pact four years ago? How could they be in such good relations?

I do not consider myself to be deeply aware of the goals and purpose of the anti-Comintern Pact (or any of the mentioned pacts, for that matter), and I get the idea that it was mostly anti-Chinese. Does that justify Stalin's stance on this regard? Was it something else? It just doesn't make much sense to me that the soviets would ally themselves with anti-communists, or does it?

 

The Soviet Union was playing a game of extreme Real Politic and would agree to most any 'treaty' with anyone that advanced their long term goals as the Nazi-Soviet or Soviet-Japanese non aggression pacts demonstrate. Germany and Japan wanted access to natural resources, Italy seems to just want land for prestige reasons. Russia had both land and resources, but wanted buffer regions/states between them and any threat, but this inevitably would bring them into conflict, Russia merely hoped it would be at a time and place of their choosing.

 

It was not immediately dismissed by Hitler, as he mulled over the idea for a few months. However, he finally considered the Soviet's joining price more than he was willing to give. Only then did he make the decision to attack the Soviets.

There were a few hiccups in 1940, but for the most part, Germany and the Soviet Union were on good terms. By January, 1941 their relations were in a downward spiral. As Japan found out when she asked for German help in negotiating a Japanese-Soviet pact, and Japan had to negotiate on her own.

It was surprising at the time, but German and Soviet needs had changed between 1936 & 1939.

Because Stalin was hard at work industrializing the USSR, and rebuilding his military from the 1937 Purge(as well as modernizing said Army, and besides he had big plans for a blue ocean navy as well). Thus by signing the Pact he would get the time & help he needed to rebuild his military, the technologies he needed to do so, as well as (hopefully) getting the territories(spheres of influence) he wanted. All in all, a good deal for the Soviets.

By that time no, it was not relevant, as the needs of the two states had changed, and their actions were driven by those changing needs.

Because Germany needed help from the Soviet Union and the Soviet Union needed help from Germany. Politics makes strange bedfellows.

No. No. No. The Pacts most certainly not anti-Chinese. The ComInter was the Communist International, a Soviet sponsored international group that espoused world wide revolution and supported Communist groups in other nations to carryout said revolutions in other nations. However, there was a Secret Protocol in the 1936 Pact aimed directly against the USSR. Thus, the Anti-Comintern Pact was never about China, only the Soviet Union.

Welcome to politics.

This is the same Soviet Union that espoused the eradication of capitalism. Yet, when it needed food & industrialization, who did it go to? The capitalists and paid their asking prices.

The Soviets wanted German weapons, tools, and technologies. Even better, Germany didn't want cash, they wanted raw materials the Soviets had in abundance - Bonus for the Soviets!

 

As I found this in wikipedia I cannot be absolutely sure of all the content:

Just prior to the formation of the Tripartite Pact, the Soviet Union was informed of its existence and the potential of its joining.[15] Vyacheslav Molotov was thus sent to Berlin to discuss the pact and the possibility of the Soviet Union joining.[15] The Soviets considered joining the Tripartite Pact to be an update of existing agreements with Germany.[15] During the visit to Berlin, Molotov agreed in principle to the Soviet Union joining the pact if some details, such as Soviet annexation of Finland, could be worked out.[15] The Soviet government sent a revised version of the pact to Germany on 25 November.[15] To demonstrate the benefits of partnership, the Soviet Union made large economic offerings to Germany.[15]

However, the Germans had no intention of allowing the Soviets to join the pact and were already making preparations for their invasion of the Soviet Union and were committed to doing so regardless of any action taken by the Soviets:

"Political conversations designed to clarify the attitude of Russia in the immediate future have been started. Regardless of the outcome of these conversations, all preparations for the East previously ordered orally are to be continued. [Written] directives on that will follow as soon as the basic elements of the army's plan for the operation have been submitted to me and approved by me". —Adolf Hitler[15]

When they received the Soviet proposal in November, they simply did not reply. They, however, accepted the new economic offerings and signed an agreement for them on 10 January 1941.

Tripartite Pact - Wikipedia

Maybe all the details of the revised Soviet version should be known before deciding what is true and what is not. The fact that Molotov was demanding Hitler´s acceptance for invading Finland is though well known and Hitler said no, possibly because he was planning the Barbarossa and using Finland would be in his interest for Dietl´s offensive in the north.

 

I find it interesting that Stalin always claimed his politics was " socialism in One country" that is the USSR. However, the Comintern was not closed down until 1943 After FDR's several demands directly to Stalin. Many pro-socialists always say Stalin did not intend to threaten the other countries yet he had a political section planning socialism to all the world working in the background, and as we know he had infiltrated spies all over the world. Even in the Manhattan project. As Stalin met Truman the latter said to Stalin that the USA had a powerful new weapon, before bombing Japan. Stalin responded
" yes, I know ".