SSSR kak sistemnyy igrok nakanune Vtoroy mirovoy voyny:

The most promising concept for peacekeeping in Europe in the 1930s seemed to be a system of collective security that included the main powers of the continent. However, such a combination was not in the plans of the countries seeking to revise the European status quo – Italy and especially Germany. Until the mid- 1930s, the USSR was also a supporter of collective security. As a result of the conclusion of the Munich Agreement, the European balance of power has changed dramatically and is approaching the beginning of World War II. After the occupation of Austria and subsequently the border areas of Czechoslovakia, Germany strengthened its position in Central Europe and gained a more advantageous opportunity for further expansion on the continent. First against Poland in 1939, then against the West in 1940 and finally in 1941 in the East against the Soviet Union.