HIST 410N Week 4 Discussion 1: The Cold War Who Shot First

HIST 410N Week 4 Discussion 1: The Cold War Who Shot First The United States accused the Soviet Union of breaking all its wartime pledges and holding Eastern Europe hostage while trying to subvert governments in the west. The Soviet Union accused the US and its allies of trying surround and ultimately destroy it. War of words? Or was somebody telling the truth? And where do our 'Isms' fit in? In particular nationalism? After World War II, the only two countries who came out remaining powerful were Russia and the United States. Because of this, they both viewed each other as a potential threat. Until this point, countries were constantly looking for expansion- to grow and take over other countries and to form colonies. Because of this, the soviet sphere of influence would dictate American policy for the next forty years (The Cold War Erupts, 2017). As mentioned in our lesson, America was to constrain Russia's expansionist tendencies through a policy of containment. And, although it did not appear that Russia's goal was to try to take over America, they would definitely and most understandably be attempting to increase their weaponry, atomic bombs. Especially after America’s dropping of two bombs in Japan to win the war. For over forty years, the United States and Russia would continue to strategically back one another into a corner with the option of war if the other did not comply. The Cold War Erupts. (2017, February 6). Retrieved from