Page "History of Poland" Paragraph 60

In 1939, the Polish government rejected the German offer of forming an alliance on terms which would amount to an end or severe curtailment of Poland's sovereignty ; Hitler abrogated the Polish-German pact.

Before the war broke out, Poland entered into a full military alliance with Britain and France ; the western powers lacked the will to confront Nazi Germany and their ( false ) assurances of imminent military action were only intended as pressure applied to deter Hitler.

The mid-August British-French talks with the Soviets on forming an anti-Nazi defensive military alliance had failed, in part over the Polish government's refusal to allow the Red Army to operate on Polish territory.

On August 23, 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union signed the Molotov – Ribbentrop non-aggression pact, which secretly provided for the dismemberment of Poland into Nazi and Soviet-controlled zones.