America, Russia and the Cold War essays

America, Russia and the Cold War essays The Cold War was a rivalry between America and Russia; it began after World War II and ended with the fall of the Soviet Union. During World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union fought as allies against the Axis powers. At the meeting in Yalta in 1945 the main Allied countries decided to control Germany jointly. Each country would be responsible for a certain area of Germany. The relationship between the US and Russia was a tense one. Americans had long been wary of Soviet communism and were concerned about the Russian leader, Joseph Stalin, who was a known tyrant in his own country. Postwar Soviet expansion in Eastern Europe shocked many Americans,' and they feared a Russian plan was in the works to control the world. This aggressive move was countered by the US establishing military bases and setting up other countries to be able to stop a possible attack. In 1947 Greece and Turkey were in the line of fire for a communist takeover, so US president Truman asked Congress for aid and acquired $400 million to aid both countries in not becoming communist. So you could say that both sides were to blame for the tension that became the Cold War. In 1948, The Russians blockaded Berlin. Berlin was situated in the middle of the Russian area of Germany, so the only way to get there was to fly. This action prompted the US and British to airlift 1.5 million tons o f supplies to the residents of West Berlin. After almost one year and 200,000 flights, the Soviets lifted the blockade. This action by the Soviets was yet another red flag and the United States, Britain and France soon became the protectors of Germany instead of the conquerors. They needed to help Germany, so they were not sucked into another communist state. In 1949, with the threat of further Communist expansion, the United States and 11 other Western nations form the North Atlantic Treaty Organization In 1955 the Soviet Union and its Communist nations in Eastern E...