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What were the goals Stalin and the Soviet Union in the aftermath of the Second World War? The Soviet Supreme leader was an incredibly ambitious man and hoped to expand the Soviet Empire, after the defeat of the Third Reich and the Empire of Japan. Stalin sought to achieve four specific objectives. After the calamnity of World War Two, he wanted ensure the security of the Soviet Union, the expand of Communism beyond the Soviet Union, secure his position in world affairs and create of a Soviet empire. As he set out to secure each of these goals in the wake of World War two, he laid the foundations for the Cold War.
===Securing Soviet borders at Tehran Conference===
[[File: Stalin Joseph.jpg|thumbnail|200px|left|Stalin in 1945]]
Stalin skillfully started to jostle for his regime's post-war position, while he and the western allies were engaged in an all-out war NAZI Germany. Between November 28 and December 1, 1943, Stalin took part in the Tehran Conference. The chief discussion of the meeting, held by the US President Franklin Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Stalin, centered on the opening of a “second front” in Western Europe. Stalin agreed to conduct eastern offensive operations to coincide with the forthcoming Western Front, and in return, he asked the western leaders to proceed with formal preparations for their long-promised invasion and regaining of German-occupied France. Stalin also insisted on retaining the territories provided by the German-Soviet Non-aggression Pact of 1939 and additionally requested the Baltic coast of East Prussia as a compensation for the USSR’s enormous role and a greater number of casualties. <ref>Teheran Conference - http://www.britannica.com/event/Tehran-Conference</ref>
The western allies, especially Churchill, did not like what Stalin proposed and saw it as opportunistic. However, they reluctantly agreed to Stalin's demands as they needed to keep the alliance strong in order to decisively defeat the Third Reich. <ref>Roberts, Geoffrey, <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0300112041/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0300112041&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=9b12c40f73ceb88f68fa490cbc8bc9ae Stalin's Wars: From World War to Cold War, 1939–1953]</i>. (Yale University Press, Yale, 2006), p. 156</ref> In accordance with decisions taken at the Tehran Conference, in May 1944 joint Britain and US troops launched an invasion of France, opening the so-called “second front” in the West. Their actions allowed the Soviet Union to make significant advances across Eastern Europe toward Germany. In particular, they advanced upon the territories that they had lost during the German invasion. The end of the war was near and the changing geopolitical situation, especially in Europe meant that it was time for another meeting of the Allies. <ref> Roberts, p. 145</ref>
==Cement territorial and political gains at Yalta==
