The Cold War was caused by a combination of economic interests and the need for power. Tensions arose even before World War II when the United States and the Soviet Union decided to form an alliance against Nazi Germany, but this alliance was basically formed just to defeat Germany not because either nation was interested in staying alliances. After World War II this alliance ended and the fight to gain unclaimed territories and spread their beliefs began. The United States ended the World War II by dropping the Atomic bomb which sparked the beginning of the Cold War. The nuclear arms race started to take effect and nations such as the United States and Soviet Union started creating nuclear weapons. At this point I think that leaders were doing all they could to keep their nation safe. After the war nations were looking for economic security and to ensure safety and gaining as many followers and territory was how leaders planned on accomplishing this.
I fully agree that the Cold War stemmed from economic interest and a thirst for power. Both the United States and Soviet Union knew (or thought at least) that the defeat of the other would give economic strength and a large boost in power.
ReplyDeletePrograms such as the Marshall Plan devised by the United Stares prove how desperate nations were for followers. This plan gave economic help to hurting countries after WWII and to put in place a stable political government. I think it's pretty obvious that the US was mainly motivated by gaining followers.
ReplyDeleteI agree that having followers was very important to each country, because more followers meant more power, and that's ultimately something that both countries wanted.
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