Specifically: Why does it reduce overstretch problems that the USSR puppetized the states of Eastern Europe instead of governing them on their own?
Surly it is self-evident that if you can find a local who is willing to run the country the way you want him to, including doing all the day to day suppression of dissidents, crushing of resistance and ensuring quotas of raw materials and goods are sent off to the Soviet Union, it is better than having to send your own people in to do the same? Especially when they’ll generally have a better understanding of the country, and the best way to extract what you want from it.Specifically: Why does it reduce overstretch problems that the USSR puppetized the states of Eastern Europe instead of governing them on their own?
I thought they'd be fairly obvious:
-Prevents/lessens the need for occupation
-Gives the extension of your empire/influence a form of legitimacy
-Helps spread your values/ideology over time lessening the need for overt puppetisation.