Buffer zone

Stalin wanted reparations to help reconstruction and friendly governments in Eastern Europe to form a buffer zone against another invasion. However, a government friendly to Stalin was not necessarily one freely chosen by its population. This brought Soviet security aims into conflict with Western demands for self-determination.

Stalin wanted a buffer zone against invasion. Poland was especially important because of its position between Germany and the Soviet Union. Hostility during the interwar years and the participation of Hungary and Romania on Germany’s side during the war reinforced Soviet fears.

Stalin wanted friendly governments along the USSR's western borders, creating a buffer zone against another invasion. Western leaders feared that this would mean Soviet domination rather than independent countries choosing their own governments. What Stalin presented as protection could therefore look like expansion to the West.