Stalin was a communist and he wanted to spread his communism (almost like the US spreading Democracy but on a more violent scale)
by stealing everyhthing that he could get his hands on
The USSR wanted to control countries in Eastern Europe so that it would have subservient territories that do as they are told
churchill wanted free elections and democratic governments in eastern and central Europe especially in Poland
Stalin hopes that by the Allies invading Europe, Germany would have to fight on two fronts. This would split the German forces, and reduce the pressure on the Russian/Germany front.
Because stalin feared a invasion from the West, he was still paranoid over the two wars that had been started in the west and in central europe and didn't want it to happen again
he wanted to take over germany, showing no mercy
to divert the German army from the Russian front
Europe.
he did not object to it....Stalin did and this was because he was still not too sure whether to stay as an ally of the U.S.A or to split off from it. But he was not prepared to hand over economic data to the U.S.A. He also thought that this was to take away the Soviet sphere of influence in eastern Europe as if the countries in eastern Europe accepted, he didn't want them to become too dependant on the U.S dollar.
During but especially after World War II, Stalin sought to occupy and then control satellite nations in Europe, especially, for several reasons. The first was ideological: to spread the Communist revolution. The second was defensive in nature: Stalin sought to establish a buffer of sympathetic nations around the Soviet Union as protection against any further aggression by major powers in future wars.
The Soviet Union did not want allies, they wanted puppet states. They controlled eastern Europe until the wall came down.
Stalin kept half of Germany. It became known as East Germany and was under Russia's communist rule until the early 1990s.That is why Stalin want control of European countries
Certainly the Nazi Party & Hitler's popularity grew in Germany, based on National Reichstag (Parliament) Elections from 1928 to 1932. However, Communism did not "rise" in Eastern Europe & East Germany after World War Two. It was imposed by brutal force by Stalin's Soviet Union when his nation occupied Eastern Europe when Hitler was defeated. Both the Nazis & Communists were evil totalitarian tyrants, however in Germany the Nazis were elected into power after being fooled by Nazi propaganda. In Eastern Europe those people did not want communism, and tried to resist.
Germany is in a central location in Europe. It borders Italy, France, Poland and other countries. With control of Germany they could control Europe.