Why didn't the USSR annex Eastern Europe after World War 2?
video description
For example, it is asserted without any justification that an annexation of Eastern Europe into the Soviet Union and its rebuilding after the war would have cost too much. But surely the USSR was damaged far worse during the war than Eastern Europe, yet the reconstruction of the Soviet Union was achieved at great speed and was a healthy development for its economy.
The other reason given was the possible political cost to the USSRs relationship with the West. Yet, the USSR could have organized referendums in each country in E. Europe to authorize integration into the Soviet Union. In any case, the course that Stalin chose did not make much difference to its relationship with the capitalist countries which launched the cold war against the Soviet Union from 1947 onwards.
Perhaps the problem could have been the nuclear threat posed by the US. But this facile video forgot to mention this.\r\n
Date: 2023-12-16
Related videos
Comments and reviews: 27
-SoumiiGirl
i don't agree about that the west would react with great aggression if stalin would have incorporated the satellite states in to the Union itself. they were already satellite states to begin with. During the hungarian uprising of '56 and the Prague spring of '68, the west let the hungarians and czechoslovaks down tragically by not helping at all, they just leaned back and watched it happen. the people in the satellite states looked desperately at the west for help all throughout the soviet yoke, but that help never came. they were just lucky they were not incorporated into the USSR ( which is surely for other reasons, which was for anything but ''the west''.
reply
i don't agree about that the west would react with great aggression if stalin would have incorporated the satellite states in to the Union itself. they were already satellite states to begin with. During the hungarian uprising of '56 and the Prague spring of '68, the west let the hungarians and czechoslovaks down tragically by not helping at all, they just leaned back and watched it happen. the people in the satellite states looked desperately at the west for help all throughout the soviet yoke, but that help never came. they were just lucky they were not incorporated into the USSR ( which is surely for other reasons, which was for anything but ''the west''.
reply
-purpleblastoise
Poland, Hungary, Romania and the Basic sisters were fascist protectorates by Nazi Germany and the Kingdom of Italy working together to destroy the USSR.
Those countries deserved the worst and showed no remorse by the Red Army for being collaborators to the Nazi war machine which mind you started the Holocaust murdering millions of people. Lebensraum: If Operation Barbarossa succeeded, 60+ million people would have been wiped out!
reply
Poland, Hungary, Romania and the Basic sisters were fascist protectorates by Nazi Germany and the Kingdom of Italy working together to destroy the USSR.
Those countries deserved the worst and showed no remorse by the Red Army for being collaborators to the Nazi war machine which mind you started the Holocaust murdering millions of people. Lebensraum: If Operation Barbarossa succeeded, 60+ million people would have been wiped out!
reply
-Zollaho
Why DIDN'T they conquer?
They DID!
It was simply convenient to keep the colonization named differently.
They were not ready to russify the conquered countries because there was not, by the 1990's, enough need to do so. Had the monster not collapsed, we might have seen some territoires swallowed even deeper. It happened in Kaliinigrad.
The Soviet Empire was not centered on ethnicity.
reply
Why DIDN'T they conquer?
They DID!
It was simply convenient to keep the colonization named differently.
They were not ready to russify the conquered countries because there was not, by the 1990's, enough need to do so. Had the monster not collapsed, we might have seen some territoires swallowed even deeper. It happened in Kaliinigrad.
The Soviet Empire was not centered on ethnicity.
reply
-datocosmico
This video is made extremely from an US pov; dont feel this was the real reason, by 1945 the USSR have deployed in continental Europe 12 million people, whilst the USA, France and UK Barely 4 million, had Stalin wanted he could have taken the whole Eastern Europe, fear of the West is not really a reason for him not having directly taken those countries
reply
This video is made extremely from an US pov; dont feel this was the real reason, by 1945 the USSR have deployed in continental Europe 12 million people, whilst the USA, France and UK Barely 4 million, had Stalin wanted he could have taken the whole Eastern Europe, fear of the West is not really a reason for him not having directly taken those countries
reply
-user-bn1zd3us5l
The most important part missing: Stalin proposition to Allies was demilitarisation of Europe (except Britain) - permanent stripping of all military tech above basic rifles of sertain ammount and deconstruction ofall heavy industry. USSR never seen Europe of strategic military value, as well as Iron Curtain.
reply
The most important part missing: Stalin proposition to Allies was demilitarisation of Europe (except Britain) - permanent stripping of all military tech above basic rifles of sertain ammount and deconstruction ofall heavy industry. USSR never seen Europe of strategic military value, as well as Iron Curtain.
reply
-mango4ttwo635
that explains why Stalin did not annex those countries by 1948. It does not explain it after 1948. In gfact, Stalin attempted to warm relations with the west before 1948, so far that he gifted the west West Berlin. There was no deal for USSR not to control the whole of Berlin in the aftermath of the war
reply
that explains why Stalin did not annex those countries by 1948. It does not explain it after 1948. In gfact, Stalin attempted to warm relations with the west before 1948, so far that he gifted the west West Berlin. There was no deal for USSR not to control the whole of Berlin in the aftermath of the war
reply
-compatriot852
Stalin mainly started puppeting as to avoid having to spend thousands of men dying in brutal guerilla wars as they had lost with Finland, Lithuania and the other Baltic states.
With a puppet, they could better surpress the local populations without spending as much resources
reply
Stalin mainly started puppeting as to avoid having to spend thousands of men dying in brutal guerilla wars as they had lost with Finland, Lithuania and the other Baltic states.
With a puppet, they could better surpress the local populations without spending as much resources
reply
-Michael-wn4jj
Another reason could be in France, Italy and Greece they had also strong communist parties after ww2. Seeing a Stalin that would destroy each country's souveraignity would have communism made very unpopular in France etc. even to the communist themself.
reply
Another reason could be in France, Italy and Greece they had also strong communist parties after ww2. Seeing a Stalin that would destroy each country's souveraignity would have communism made very unpopular in France etc. even to the communist themself.
reply
-deteodoru
Such ahistoric nonsense pretends that a system determined to take all of Europe is an unfinished symphony bur Soviet goal to take Europe has been well documented. Blame Tito for his failure, but don't muddle his well documented efforts to tke Europe.
reply
Such ahistoric nonsense pretends that a system determined to take all of Europe is an unfinished symphony bur Soviet goal to take Europe has been well documented. Blame Tito for his failure, but don't muddle his well documented efforts to tke Europe.
reply
-riccardoc1711
6 million dies in soviet famine- that-s a pretty bad karma. it seems that humanity has been lead (both in the west and the east) by complete psycopaths, to say the least. Time for humanity to change its -frequency- or it won-t survive itself.
reply
6 million dies in soviet famine- that-s a pretty bad karma. it seems that humanity has been lead (both in the west and the east) by complete psycopaths, to say the least. Time for humanity to change its -frequency- or it won-t survive itself.
reply
-2highization
Well, considering eastern europe allied itself with germany against ussr, eastern european countries were not supposed to be communists, but UK, USA, Australia should have, they helped communists win the war, not eastern europe.
reply
Well, considering eastern europe allied itself with germany against ussr, eastern european countries were not supposed to be communists, but UK, USA, Australia should have, they helped communists win the war, not eastern europe.
reply
-alexanderharries
Excellent video, however it-s quite inaccurate that Yugoslavia was past of the Warsaw Pact or indeed under Soviet influence. Tito remained non aligned and arguably had better relations with the West than with the USSR.
reply
Excellent video, however it-s quite inaccurate that Yugoslavia was past of the Warsaw Pact or indeed under Soviet influence. Tito remained non aligned and arguably had better relations with the West than with the USSR.
reply
-Jukanella
Actually, there was few attempts to unify Eastern Europe, for an example, project of Balkan Soviet Republic, but after fail of Greek communists, which caused Tito's betrayal, there were no opportunities to do so.
reply
Actually, there was few attempts to unify Eastern Europe, for an example, project of Balkan Soviet Republic, but after fail of Greek communists, which caused Tito's betrayal, there were no opportunities to do so.
reply
-manlikeilyas
As much as I hate the soviet union for what they did to the baltics civilians (im from Latvia) I'm still happy that they won ww2, if they didn't there would be slight problems with germany -
reply
As much as I hate the soviet union for what they did to the baltics civilians (im from Latvia) I'm still happy that they won ww2, if they didn't there would be slight problems with germany -
reply
-kjuba3953
As a hoi4 Player, I can Say There are two Main reasons:
1) as a communist country, USSR has cheaper puppeting during peace cons
2) it's not effective to annex non-core land
reply
As a hoi4 Player, I can Say There are two Main reasons:
1) as a communist country, USSR has cheaper puppeting during peace cons
2) it's not effective to annex non-core land
reply
-Dmitriy_D
I like it how the western media always calls Stalin a dictator as if they really have a democratically chosen leadership or the real freedom to run their lives.
reply
I like it how the western media always calls Stalin a dictator as if they really have a democratically chosen leadership or the real freedom to run their lives.
reply
-nicolaeadrian7882
they actually stole all the lands they wanted. nothing more than that it was posible as u can see they ruined even those lands that they got
reply
they actually stole all the lands they wanted. nothing more than that it was posible as u can see they ruined even those lands that they got
reply
knowledgia
The collapse of the Soviet union and Warsaw pact saved the world.
If they never collapsed by the 2010s nuclear war would of ended the world.
reply
The collapse of the Soviet union and Warsaw pact saved the world.
If they never collapsed by the 2010s nuclear war would of ended the world.
reply
-user-ku6bt9ob5j
One simple reason, both sides had nuclear weapon, and thank to that we have not saw ww3. Without nuclear weapon ww3 could star in 1950.
reply
One simple reason, both sides had nuclear weapon, and thank to that we have not saw ww3. Without nuclear weapon ww3 could star in 1950.
reply
-Kyrtap192
You video contains a lot of none sence. Argument about rebuilding other coutries is simplly studpid. Those coutries was rebuild any way.
reply
You video contains a lot of none sence. Argument about rebuilding other coutries is simplly studpid. Those coutries was rebuild any way.
reply
-pyromania1018
I thought it did, though isn't turning them into satellite states with puppet rulers more or less the same thing?
reply
I thought it did, though isn't turning them into satellite states with puppet rulers more or less the same thing?
reply
-khalee95
USSR didn't want Moscow to become a battlefield. Better to make another country their battlefield if the time comes.
reply
USSR didn't want Moscow to become a battlefield. Better to make another country their battlefield if the time comes.
reply
-Ban_gay_people
Soviet Union's 69 years history is way more interesting than many countries who are in existence for centuries
reply
Soviet Union's 69 years history is way more interesting than many countries who are in existence for centuries
reply
-Barbarossa485
Poor history. Saying Yugoslavia was under Soviet influence is not knowing elementary things to not go further.
reply
Poor history. Saying Yugoslavia was under Soviet influence is not knowing elementary things to not go further.
reply
knowledgia
Germany invades Eastern Europe to create puppets and more land: No
Soviet union does the exact same thing: Yes
reply
Germany invades Eastern Europe to create puppets and more land: No
Soviet union does the exact same thing: Yes
reply
-PopescuSorin
4: 14 LMAO Romania didn't just gifted the land to the USSR. USSR annexed part of Romania after an ULTIMATUM
reply
4: 14 LMAO Romania didn't just gifted the land to the USSR. USSR annexed part of Romania after an ULTIMATUM
reply
-Gugner
Errors in the video: There were also large civic unrest in East Germany too-Please correct this error.
reply
Errors in the video: There were also large civic unrest in East Germany too-Please correct this error.
reply
Add a review, comment
Other channel videos
12:14
