Between Two Goals

Abstract

After the founding of the GDR, Stalin had not given up his hopes for a Germany as had been envisioned at Potsdam. In his congratulatory telegram, there was still no reference to socialism in Germany but much rather to a “unified, independent, democratic, and peace-loving Germany”. In an extremely effusive hommage to the German people, he declared that

the experience of the last war has shown that the German and the Soviet peoples have made the greatest sacrifices, that these two peoples possess the greatest ability of any in Europe to bring about great actions of global significance. If both these peoples evince the same resolution in struggling for peace with the same exertion of their power with which they waged war, then the peace of Europe can be regarded as secure.