According to Gorodetsky 's version Stalin saw Hitler as his own mirror reflection , committed to realpolitik and eager to improve the Soviet Union 's national status which it had lost as a result of the disasters which were inflicted on her during the First World War and the Russian Revolution . Through the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact , Stalin believed he could bring about a change in the European balance of power . When he learnt through his intelligence of Hitler 's aggressive intentions , in late 1930s , the dismal state of the military , decapitated through the purges of the 1930s , he had no choice but to resort to appeasement hoping he could either delay the war or reach a second agreement with Hitler . Even the suggestion by his Chief of Staff to launch a counter-offensive was discarded by the Soviet dictator , according to Gorodetsky
purges of the 1930s
Great Purge
Gabriel Gorodetsky