by Jimmy Mcgregor

Created on: June 04, 2010

There is some debate at to the exact date to the beginning of the Cold War.  The most popular date is sometime during 1945.  This date is a very logical choice because of the end of World War 2 marking the separation of the Soviet Union from most Western Countries; however, events that took place before and during the war may indicate that the Cold war started much earlier.

On August 23, 1939, the Soviets signed a secret pact with Germany to divide Poland.  The following month they invaded.  During the next year, Stalin invaded and occupied territory, first Finland then the Baltic states.  All of this was done while the rest of the world watched and debated.

When Germany invaded Russia, most were surprised.  June 22, 1941 marked one of the biggest dates during the war.  This marked the biggest mistake Hitler made and the point where Stalin scrambled to the Allies—he knew he could not win against the German forces without help.  Even as he is plotting against the west he is flocking to the protection of their wing. 

By 1942 Russia was considered one of the Allies.  This title gave Russia huge amounts of supplies, food, and weapons. As an ally, there were expectations.  When an Allied soldier was encountered, they were to be treated with respect and at the very least returned to the United States.  In China, when a pilot was shot down or a sailor was ship wrecked, they were treated with respect and kept as safe as possible, until they were returned to U.S. forces.  But our ally in Europe, Russia, had other plans.  There are U.S. soldiers that were known to be alive in POW camps that are still MIA.  In addition there are reports of U.S. pilots being shot down or forced to land and begin sent off the camps in Siberia.

Toward the end of the war, leaders like Churchill had a great dislike for the Soviet Union.  He thought that Stalin was a leader who could not be trusted and that leaving him in a position where he could take an advantage he would.  Churchill is quoted as saying “Soviet Union foreign policy is a puzzle inside a riddle wrapped in an enigma, and the key is Russian nationalism.” (Winston Churchill quotes, 2010) While this quote can be interpreted in many different ways, I believe this may be a hint to Stalin’s need to conquer.  Yet Churchill delayed the D-Day invasion until 1944.  This delay allowed the Soviet Union to take more territory

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