The Containment Of Communism And The Cold War - 1343 Words

During World War II, the United States and the Soviets put their political differences aside in their need to defeat their common foe, Germany. However, even during the war against Germany, and later Japan, the political and post-war tensions between the United States and the Soviets were ever underlying and continued to grow. As both sides of the Axis allies continued to gain ground, during their victories in Europe, the questions and positioning for future world domination of political ideals continued to mount up. Shortly after Germany surrendered, the issues began to come to light at the Potsdam Conference that was attended by the current British, American, and Soviet leaders. After the use of the atomic bombs and Japan’s surrender,†¦show more content†¦This type of situation in would set the global stage and act as a template for the Cold War to come. With the successful testing of the first Atomic bomb, President Harry S. Truman left the Potsdam Conference and returned home to decide on whether to use the military to invade Japan (and rely on Soviet assistance) or use the new bomb to try and end the war. The United States (and the Cold War’s) intent not to directly engage the Soviets with direct conflict let to the political positon of containment by the United States following the end of World War II. The use of two atomic bombs, the defeat of Germany, and the Soviets declaring war on the Japanese was enough to convince Japan to surrender, which they did at the end of August in 1945. The actions that the United States and the Soviets took after the Japanese surrender were still in their own best interest but were intended to be indirect and not create a direct conflict between the new superpowers. The spread of communism or what was coined â€Å"The Red scare† in the United States, was a real probability based on the number of Asian, African, Middle Eastern, Latin, and European countries that were on the cusp of political c hange and or influence at the end of World War II. When the Soviets went back on their word of allowing free elections in countries like Poland, it was deemed by the U.S. that a position of containment needed to be taken to stop the spread of communism that could eventually lead to the fall orShow MoreRelatedThe Cold War Era During World War II1349 Words   |  6 PagesThe Cold War Era that followed the end of World War II was unlike any Americans had seen before. After defeating Germany and its allies in the war, the United States faced a change on the home front: young Americans rushed into marriage and parenthood in unprecedented numbers. 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