Because all the millions killed in the east would have had to fall in the west instead

Soviet Union just fucked up Europe

They even counted on this scenario

Yes they didn't want war

That's what kid says when he must go do a chore "I don't want tooooo"

Reality is, consequences were clear

Consequences of lack of proper response to another German agression

i don't put the fault on them defense

but the fact is

It is well known that only complete fools get tricked with same trick twice (pre-emptive invasion through Belgium)

soviet union fucked up europe

Even greater and even more impossible fact

in fact, the fault is hitler's

is that British and France *planned in advance* that they will defend again in northern france and will repeat WW I

Which is utterly horrific

and deeper in fact, the fault is french's Traité de Versailles

You pledge to repeat the same completely flawed strategy because last time it ended with your pyrrhic victory

France didn't accept reality, tactitians were uncompetant

And partake no pre-emptive action yourself

It's par exellence the type of burreaucratic thinking common to Europeans

"stick with what worked last time"

Soviet Union is the result of all of that

Hitler-Stalin pact is the result of French and British incompetence

Which would have never happened have they only pledged to invade Germany as soon as it reoccuppied Rhineland, or mess with a neighbouring nation

All the beggining is Napoleon

like said @Salt

They only had to pledge to do so, because Hitler would've never did all he did if he didn't observe complete lethargy

Well, Napoleon was in many ways a better leader than what followed

He was ambitious yes, but his "acts" were always backed up by rifles and boots

He was distrustful of burreaucracy

in Hearths of Iron 4, i invade earth cause it's cool

in the real world, this is stupid

Hitler paid too

like many other empires

Napoleon never really invaded countries just like that

It was a complex, but not entirely outrageous series of consecutive vents

events *

He left all major monarchies intact

In fact, he created some more, like Italy

Napoleon wanted for himself dominant spot in Europe and he wasn't the first or last European to try to do so

Napoleonic wars were mostly defensive, but the consequence was the spread of 1789's ideas