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The agreement between Hitler and Stalin meant that the German state was free to pursue its interests in Poland. Hitler wanted ‘living space’ in the east, to enable the German nation to grow and expand and to fullfill the destiny of the ‘master race’. Hitler was intent on wiping out Poland. There were tensions between Warsaw and Berlin over the city of Danzig and areas in Poland where German speakers were a majority.<ref>Moorhouse,p. 178</ref> Hitler used these tensions as a pretext to invade Poland. He wanted to conquer the country and remove it from the map of Europe. The Molotov-Rippentrop Agreement, allowed Hitler to attack Poland because he knew that Stalin would not intervene to stop his plans. In September 1939, Hitler’s forces invaded Poland and later, when the Poles were on the verge of defeat, the Soviets invaded eastern Poland.<ref>Davies, N. ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0231043260/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0231043260&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=1be37f6e09199031a2b3e044956a88c0 God's Playground]''(Oxford University Press. Oxford, 1986, p. 187), p. 213</ref>. The German invasion of Poland led to the western allies, France, and Britain declaring war on Germany and the start of WW II.