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Created on: August 07, 2009
The Cold War started in 1946. The Cold War is a conflict between the U.S. and the USSR. This conflict took place during many decades and included many crises such as Vietnam, The Cuban Missile Crisis and the Berlin wall. The Soviets were enemies with the U.S even before WWII and as they fought together in WWII. The U.S. was distrustful of the Soviet. The Soviets didn't trust the Americans either. The only thing Truman told him about the Atom Bomb was that it was a new terrifying weapon. They were enemy's even as allies. Stalin only found out about the true facts of the bomb when reports came back from Hiroshima.
WWII ended with distrust between Americans and Soviets. The Soviets had a large army and the Americans had a new terrifying weapon Atom Bomb and the Soviets didn't know how many America had. This was the perfect climate for war to begin again. The Americans were arrogant at being the world power, the only nation with atomic weapons and the Soviet Union felt degraded. They weren't the strongest world power anymore. So tensions escalated. Eventually the spark of actual warfare would be when the Soviet Union had also created their first bomb.
America Soviet Union
Free elections No elections or fixed
Democratic Autocratic / Dictatorship
Capitalist Communist
Survival of the fittest Everybody helps everybody
Richest world power Poor economic base
Personal freedom Society controlled by the NKVD (secret police)
Freedom of the media Total censorship
1. America was scared of a Communist attack
2. Truman disliked Stalin
3. Russia was scared of the Atomic Bomb
4. Russia detest for Capitalism
5. America didn't share nuclear secrets
6. Russia's expansion into eastern Europe (broken election promises)
7. Russia's fear of American attack
8. (Russia wanted a secure western border)
9. Russia wanted to spread communism throughout the world.
Also, the allies refused to fight on the Soviet front and the Soviets felt that they were deliberately trying to weaken the Soviets by not helping them in the war. Distrust also came when the allies met at Casablanca and did not invite Stalin. He wasn't invited it only involved the western front; however, Stalin believed the allies were planning an attack on the Soviets behind their back.
Work Cited
1.Causes of the cold war in 1945 History learning site Tuesday, March 11 2008, April 24, 2009 http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/causes%20of%20t he%20cold%20war.htm
2.What was the Cold war History learning site Tuesday, March 112008, April 24,
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