Europe was primarily defensive not aggressive in the period 1945-55?
...oviet Union was weak and vulnerable, and its leader, Joseph Stalin, was determined to build a both economically and militarily strong, secure nation. He would do anything in order to accomplish this goal, even if it led to protest, and attack, which can be interpreted as aggressive acts. Joseph Stalin’s foreign policy partly involved strengthening Soviet influence and preventing an invasion from any western country. In order to protect the USSR, Stalin wanted to establish pro-Soviet governments surrounding the Soviet Union. These pro-Soviet governments would act as buffer zones against another attack; Russia had previously been invaded three times by western countries – twice by Germany, and in the Russian Civil War, causing substantial losses of lives and resources. Therefore, Stalin desired to safeguard Soviet security. These ‘buffer zones’ would “act as a barrier against further invasion of the Soviet Union from the West, ” providing security for the USSR. He was determined to never allow such a devastating war and its terrible effects to destroy his country like it had after World War Two. At this point, it is understandable why Stalin would have wanted to defend his country from what he saw as threatening western powers. The United States did not understand Stalin’s obsession for security, and thought he was trying to spread ...