The Anti-Comintern Pact formally aligned Nazi Germany and Japan against the Soviet-led Communist International, laying groundwork for the Axis coalition.
Key Facts
- Signed
- 25 November 1936
- Original signatories
- Nazi Germany and Empire of Japan
- Italy joined
- 1937
- Spain and Hungary joined
- 1939
- Renewed
- November 1941 with new members added
- Secret protocol
- Joint policy specifically aimed against the Soviet Union
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Rising Soviet influence through the Communist International alarmed both Nazi Germany and imperial Japan. Germany sought to counter Soviet expansion in Europe while Japan faced Soviet pressure in East Asia, creating shared strategic interests that motivated both governments to coordinate their anti-communist policies through a formal agreement.
On 25 November 1936, German ambassador-at-large Joachim von Ribbentrop and Japanese ambassador Kintomo Mushanokōji signed the Anti-Comintern Pact in Berlin. The public agreement was directed against the Communist International, while a secret additional protocol committed both nations to a specific joint policy against the Soviet Union.
The pact expanded over subsequent years, with Italy, Spain, and Hungary joining before World War II and additional states joining during it. It was followed by the September 1940 Tripartite Pact, which broadened Axis alignment. The Anti-Comintern Pact was renewed in November 1941 before ceasing to exist at the end of World War II.
Political Outcome
Formation of an anti-communist alliance that expanded into the broader Axis coalition and was superseded by the 1940 Tripartite Pact
Germany and Japan operating independently without formal anti-Soviet coordination
Formal Axis alignment against the Communist International and implicitly the Soviet Union