This is John Batcher, conversation with Sean McMicken, the historian.

His book, A New History of World War II, Stalin's War, tells the story of the Second

War from the point of view of what did Moscow want, what did the

Kremlin want, what did Moscow want in setting the Germans against the English, against the French.

He wanted the capitalist states to destroy themselves.

He signed the Pact with Hitler, Ribbentrop packed, on the basis of his expectations that he would let Germany do

the heavy lifting and then he would come in and scoop up the nations of Eastern Europe, maybe all the way to France. No predicting.

Here's Sean Macon, the book is Stalin's war. Once upon a time, Stalin had plans to take the former Soviet Union, the former

Empire of the Russian SARS and much more beside cutting into the Hoensolern, cutting into all of the kingdoms to his

east.

I play this with the sense of recapitulation looking at the map today. What does Putin

one, a student of the Kremlin.

Unknown, at this point, Putin's back on his heels because of the cursed incursion by the Ukrainians.

But tomorrow, unknown. by the Ukrainians but tomorrow unknown next year next decade unknown more of this

tonight they kept ramping up those demands even after the Moscow pact

to sign and the Germans invade Poland.

Stalin actually, for example, Lithuania was not initially promised him,

but he demanded Lithuania too.

Later on Molotov would even demand more Romanian

territory than had been agreed at the Moscow Pact. So there's definitely opportunism here, but I think

this is kind of Stalin's preparations for what he does hope eventually will be expanding the glassie of communist-controlled

territory well to the west.

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