The Treaty of Berlin is signed. Germany and the Soviet Union each pledge neutrality in the event of an attack on the other by a third party for the next five years.

The Treaty of Berlin in 1926 was a significant diplomatic agreement between Weimar Germany and the Soviet Union, aimed at reinforcing the cooperative spirit initially established by the Treaty of Rapallo (1922). Signed on April 24, 1926, it essentially reaffirmed both countries’ commitment to neutrality and non-aggression in the event either was attacked by a third party. What made this treaty particularly notable was its timing and geopolitical context—Germany was still diplomatically isolated after World War I, and the Soviet Union faced similar alienation due to its communist regime. By renewing their partnership, both nations gained strategic breathing room: Germany could resist excessive Western influence, especially from France, while the USSR could counterbalance growing tensions with Britain and other capitalist powers. This treaty was also emblematic of the interwar period’s complex web of alliances, where ideological enemies sometimes cooperated out of political necessity.