Cold War

After World War II, the US and Soviet Union became enemies and entered a Cold War. The two countries had been allies in the fight against Nazi Germany but tension developed as the two countries emerged from the war as global powers. The allies had teamed up because of need, not desire. As the Soviet Union sought to spread communism, capitalist America adopted a policy of containment. Their growing suspicions of each other led to the Cold War, an indirect conflict that stemmed from a fear of nuclear destruction and was fought by each country supporting different international conflicts through aid and acquisition.

As allies during World War II, the US and the Soviet Union teamed up against Nazi power. In a joint message of assistance to the Soviet Union in 1941, Roosevelt and Churchill wrote to the ally about the urgency of defenses against Nazi attack and intent of sending supplies (Document A). While the countries had the common interest of defeating Nazism, tensions were existent in disagreements during the war. In the next year Stalin, in a memorandum to aides, wrote about opening a second front in Europe. After Churchill declared the organization of another front impossible and the US supported him, Stalin expressed his intent to do so and said Churchill’s stance was a “moral blow” to the Soviet Union (Document B).

After the war, The US and the Soviet Union developed into enemies as the common ground disappeared and the US criticized the Soviet Union’s policies. In Our Russian Ally (1945), Vera Micheles Dean discusses the differences between the two countries with opposite governmental ideals. She states that resolving the differences would require Russia to participate in international agencies to explain their intentions (...

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...rs!” (Document H). The Soviet Union and its Communist nations of Eastern Europe created a rival alliance called the Warsaw Pact. This created a political division of Europe that worsened the Cold War. In response to growing conflict, the US introduced the Marshall Plan to help aid nations with whom they held positive relations with and assist them in infrastructure reconstruction.

In conclusion, a post-World War II conflict arose between the United States and Russia as a result of growing distrust between the two opposite nations. The Cold War was fought between the US and Soviet Union as they both tried to spread their governmental policies to other countries. Through conferences and changing control of postwar Europe, the two nations acted against each other to preserve the interests of their countries and sought to beat one another in a postwar race in power.