> Outside of the Second World War That is a whole lot of fighting to leave out. In any case, these things compound. Immediately after WW2, the USSR still felt

> Outside of the Second World War That is a whole lot of fighting to leave out. In any case, these things compound. Immediately after WW2, the USSR still felt threatened by the West, which was not an unfounded fear. Multigenerational paranoia about being invaded by more powerful nations is precisely the kind of thing that damages institutions to the point where they no longer serve any purpose but preserving themselves.