The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact - ELTE BTK Történelem Szakos Portál

Bruzel, Baptiste
Central Europe in the french reactions about the Ribbentropp-Molotov
Pact
We can first observe that, from a diplomatic point of view, France stands
near Eastern Europe countries. This is proved by the memo M. Coulondre,
the French ambassador in Berlin, sent, on August 15th 1939, to Georges
Bonnet, the French foreign minister : „M. Weischer asks me which
impressions I have brought from Paris on the international situation.(...) The
position of the French government, supported almost unanimously by the
whole country, has remained the same. France, England and Poland have
committed themselves to help each other and this commitment will become
operative should one of them be attacked.”
This refers to the friendship treaty of January 25 th 1925 and to the
Locarno treaty, signed on October 16 th 1925, which commits France to a
military help to Poland. „In the event of France or Poland being attacked
without provocation, France, or reciprocally Poland, acting in application of
Article 15, paragraph 7, of the Covenant of the League of Nations, will
immediately lend aid and assistance.”
But the German and Italian initiatives break the dream pacifists had in
France as well as in Britain. The hope of compromise becomes less and less
credible. In answer to the threat of Ribbentrop to the Polish government, the
British Prime Minister announces, together with France, also allied with
Poland, that they will give Poland all neccessary assistance, should the
Polish government find its independance endangereded and decide to resist.
And France will also declare itself ready to help Greece threatened by
Mussolini's troops in Albania and Romania. France knows that Hitler's
promises will not be respected, and that he is planning to dominate Europe.
He wants to bring off an other „coup” - as he did in Prag – in Poland first
then in Romania.
The French pacifists, just like G. Bonnet, are still looking for compromise.
On January 26 th 1939, G. Bonnet delivers a speech in the Chamber of Deputies.
France has told the government of Poland about the agreement it has reached
with the Reich, which is very pleased, according to G. Bonnet. „The Reich fully
appreciates the purpose, signification and range of the agreement.”
We can ask ourselves what diplomatic relationships between France on the
one hand, Eastern Europe countries - and more particularly Poland - on the
other hand, were like, at the time of the crisis of 1939 and of the signature of
the German-Soviet pact. To answer this question, we shall see first the reactions
of French diplomacy before the signature, and then we shall see what changes
the Pact brought about in Germany as awell as in France.
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