Ribbentrop, Joachim von (1893–1946)
German Nazi politician and diplomat. As foreign minister 1938–45, he negotiated the nonaggression pact between Germany and the USSR (the Ribbentrop–Molotov pact of 1939). He was tried at Nürnberg as a war criminal in 1946 and hanged.
Born in the Rhineland, Ribbentrop was awarded the Iron Cross in World War I, and from 1919 became wealthy as a wine merchant. He joined the Nazi party in 1932 and acted as Hitler's adviser on foreign affairs; he was German ambassador to the UK 1936–38. A political lightweight and social climber, his loyalty was useful to Hitler since he posed no threat, although he was regarded with contempt by his colleagues.
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