The Cold War is a highly controversial topic amongst historians. The Soviet Union and the United States were allies during World War II and the both sides sacrificed a great deal contributing to winning the Second World War. There is a lot written about the distrust both sides had for each other, pre-dating the Cold War. Historians contemplate which super power was the aggressor, the intentions of the U.S. and the U.S.S.R., and who was at fault for the start of the war and for the duration. One thing that is agreed upon is there were clear ideological differences between America and the Soviet Union. First, there are distinct differences between the two countries political systems. America’s political system is based on democracy.
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Americans viewed the Soviet Union as a repressive dictatorship, robbing its people of real freedoms and eager to extend its communist ideology (White, n.d.). Similarly, the Soviet communists took a very negative view of the American system. The Soviets believed the political freedoms of America was a trick on the people by the government in order to keep the people happy. They also believed that the capitalist bosses were the ones with the real power in America, not the individual people (White, …show more content…
nor the U.S. believed in the other side’s political and economic system and both had opposing views resulting from historical events that led to the distrust they had for each other. After Germany invaded the Soviet Union, the Soviets wanted to make sure that their country would never be invaded again. Additionally, Stalin did not trust the West ever since they had fought against the communists in the Civil War of 1918 – 1919. More so, Stalin thought that the British and Americans wanted the Soviets to destroy themselves fighting Germany. At the end of World War II Stalin also believed the U.S.S.R. greatly deserved compensation for the sacrifices their people made, (Roberts, 2011) which included the loss of 28 million soldiers. The U.S. had a different perspective on history leading to the Cold War. The United States fought Germany for six years alongside British forces and did not want to see another dictator, (Stalin), take control over Europe. America feared that with the expansion of the Soviet Union, Stalin would treat the people of Eastern Europe poorly. Furthermore, the U.S. was not dissatisfied that a pro - communist government had been set up in Poland. This led to the greater fears that took shape as the Cold War developed of the Soviet Union invading territory and spreading communist belief. (Roberts,
Americans viewed the Soviet Union as a repressive dictatorship, robbing its people of real freedoms and eager to extend its communist ideology (White, n.d.). Similarly, the Soviet communists took a very negative view of the American system. The Soviets believed the political freedoms of America was a trick on the people by the government in order to keep the people happy. They also believed that the capitalist bosses were the ones with the real power in America, not the individual people (White, …show more content…
nor the U.S. believed in the other side’s political and economic system and both had opposing views resulting from historical events that led to the distrust they had for each other. After Germany invaded the Soviet Union, the Soviets wanted to make sure that their country would never be invaded again. Additionally, Stalin did not trust the West ever since they had fought against the communists in the Civil War of 1918 – 1919. More so, Stalin thought that the British and Americans wanted the Soviets to destroy themselves fighting Germany. At the end of World War II Stalin also believed the U.S.S.R. greatly deserved compensation for the sacrifices their people made, (Roberts, 2011) which included the loss of 28 million soldiers. The U.S. had a different perspective on history leading to the Cold War. The United States fought Germany for six years alongside British forces and did not want to see another dictator, (Stalin), take control over Europe. America feared that with the expansion of the Soviet Union, Stalin would treat the people of Eastern Europe poorly. Furthermore, the U.S. was not dissatisfied that a pro - communist government had been set up in Poland. This led to the greater fears that took shape as the Cold War developed of the Soviet Union invading territory and spreading communist belief. (Roberts,