Like many of the countries already mentioned, Russia went through an economic depression after WWII. Instead of taking aid from the United States, they relied on goods and materials produced by the rest of Eastern Europe. During the reconstruction years, socialism became a big thing. Stalin suppressed intellectual growth in the country and Russia began to show strong nationalism. As the United States tried to stop the spread of communism, Stalin had isolated the country from the west and any influence they may have. Tension grew between the USSR and the US when Russia attempted to expand its communist ideology onto other surrounding countries.
