The Cold War

During World War II, the U.S. and the Soviets were allies committed to the defeat of mutual enemies - Japan and Germany. At the end of the War, as the Allies struggled to reconfigure the European polity and establish a new order in the East, the interests of the Soviet Union and the United States came into direct collision. For western leaders and their diplomats, World War II had a successful but hardly "neat" ending; too many questions were left unanswered, such as the future of Poland and Germany, which had been opened at Yalta and Potsdam but left unresolved. For the Allies of the West, Soviet determination to retain physical and political control over territories captured during the War was suspect. Had Russia liberated Eastern Europe, or merely replaced Germany as its master? That was the critical question being asked in 1945; Truman and others in the West objected to Stalin's plans to retain control of Po

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The Marshall Plan was another Cold War American response to perceived potentials for communist aggression; in this Plan, the U.S. provided billions of dollars of aid to European Allies. American policy vis-a-vis the Soviets focused on "containment," or maintenance of existing Soviet borders via an American policy combining political, military and economic elements. The Berlin Airlift, enacted after Stalin attempted to cut off the Western-controlled sector of Berlin, demonstrated Western resolve and determination. These events, however, tended to increase tensions. The entire period from 1945 to 1963 was a period in which both the U.S. and the Soviets attempted to sway world opinion and attract the loyalty and support of other countries by providing funds and other material support. The threat of the bomb and Soviet possession of the bomb was of enormous significance in shaping American foreign policy and increasing American fears of the "Russian Bear." With China finally in the communist "camp," American fears increased dramatically; a "Red scare" at home, fueled by Joe McCarthy and his Congressional investigation, added to domestic tensions and fears. China's "defection" in spite of massive American aid to nationalist Chiang Ka
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Approximate Word count = 1654
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)

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