The United States and the Soviet Union were allies in 1954

Cold War. The United States and the Soviet Union were allies in 1954. The two had jointly triumphed over Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime in World War II. Within a few years, the onetime close war allies became enemies. They locked horns in a struggle to dominate the global ideological, military, economic and political struggle in a war that was later named the “cold war.” This war involved propaganda, threats and other means other than armed warfare. This paper briefly discusses the political and economic aspects, as well as the personal interests of the parties involved that shaped the cold war.

The tensions that would later escalate into the Cold War began when three leaders; Winston Churchill from Britain, Franklin D. Roosevelt from America and Josef Stalin of the Soviet met to strategize jointly in Tehran. Poland, which strategically lays between familiar foes Germany and Russia, became a major topic of discussion. The Soviet Union leader Stalin campaigned for a Communist Poland while Winston and Roosevelt maintained that the Polish ought to have a right to choose their system of government. For Stalin, the Polish issue was a matter of critical security interest since Germany had invaded Russia twice before via Poland. For the Germans and Americans, it was a matter of upholding their principle of self-determination. The three leaders later met and made some compromises; Stalin was allowed to have a communist Poland and he, in return, pledged to uphold the Anglo-American principle of self-determination.

The Soviet promised to assist the people who had been freed from the Nazi regime to solve their economic and political problems democratically. When Roosevelt passed away and his deputy, Harry S. Truman, took over, things changed. Truman noticed the dishonesty in the pact signed before by the three leaders and made it his mission to contain the Soviet’s Communism policy. Soon after this development, the cold war began.

In conclusion, it is not accurate to state that the cunning nature of the Soviet Union’s leader was the real cause of the Cold War. Truman’s actions to make fighting communism an important factor in the foreign policy of America was just as responsible for the development of the cold war. If Stalin had not done what he did, then perhaps the cold war would not have existed since Truman would then have no reason to act how he did. If Germany too, did not attack Russia before, through Poland, then maybe Stalin would not have been so determined to take over Poland as a way of protecting its security interests. But even if all these had happened, but Truman decided to keep quiet about it as his predecessor did, then probably the world would have known no cold war. Therefore, the cold war was shaped by a blend of the political and economic interest of all the three powers involved.