Final answer:
Stalin aimed to demilitarize and denazify Germany post-WWII, requiring reparations, largely due to the significant destruction in the Soviet Union. He also sought to secure Eastern Europe as a buffer zone by occupying it and installing communist regimes, while compensating Poland with German territories.
Step-by-step explanation:
How Stalin Wanted to Treat Germany
At the conclusion of World War II, Joseph Stalin sought to address the question of a defeated Germany by ensuring it underwent demilitarization and denazification, and by making reparations, partly in the form of forced labor. He insisted that reparations should compensate the Soviet Union primarily due to the immense suffering and destruction it endured. Stalin also wanted to create a buffer zone against potential Western attacks by dominating Eastern Europe and retaining the territories annexed in 1939, including parts of Poland and the Baltic states. Stalin's vision included expanding Poland's borders into former German territories to compensate for the land lost to the Soviet annexations.
The occupation of Eastern Europe by the Soviet Union at the war's end and the setting up of communist states mirrored the Soviet's authoritarian regime, reflecting Stalin's desire to promote communism and protect Soviet interests. Amidst this background, Germany was to be divided into occupation zones and subject to strict control to prevent any resurgence of militarism or Nazism.