It was not like it was hard to convince Stalin to join the party. Germany and USSR both attacked Poland in September 1939, two weeks apart. Open up to the narrative of the occupied countries in eastern Europe. There is much lost in the typical western narrative that I grew up with.
I'm not saying Stalin was reticent, but I would argue Hitler was more eager to see a war break out than Stalin. Hitler also wanted to take back Alsace-Lorraine, and war was the only way this would happen.
No offense meant, but I think the "sugarcoating" of Stalin's role by focusing blame on Hitler as in the western narrative is dangerous. It makes us misunderstand the tradition Putin is carried by, the "Russian mir", and Russia's role as a menace to Europe, and that has consequences in the present.
My guy, thinking that Hitler was the main catalyst to war is not sugar-coating Stalin, who was one of the most horrible monsters in human history. My statement was that Hitler was going to lead Europe into war, regardless of Stalin's motivations.
Ok. Don't want to fight you more. You're not the enemy, and we probably agree on 99%...
E.G. Hitler was intent to making Alsace-Lorraine a full part of Nazi Germany. How could that happen without war? What relevance did that have with Stalin or the USSR?