Atomic Shield Vs. The Iron Curtain

Post-World War II attitude transitioned from relief to immediate paranoia and suspicion.

World War II was responsible for roughly 55 million deaths. The most devastating war in

modern history led to a great shift in power around the world. Many questions regarding the

future of Europe arose. The Cold War was caused by a clash between capitalist and communist

ideologies that ultimately led to the United States winning the Cold War.

The Cold War was a post-World War II stalemate between the world’s two reigning

superpowers, the Soviet Union and the United States. The world now saw opposition between

the United States’ capitalist visions verses the Soviet Union’s communist visions. Various roots

contributed to the start of the Cold War. Even before the end of World War II, suspicions of the

Soviets were present. In October 1917, a revolution in Russia led by Lenin Bolshevik and the

communists alarmed many Americans. The Communists had seized power and often used

violence to achieve their goals. With a Marxist view, they rejected religion and the idea of

private property. It was obvious that the Soviet Union wanted to spread communism throughout

the world. After World War II, there loomed a danger of appeasement, because of the familiar

events that occurred with Hitler and Germany. Hitler made demands that allowed the Nazis to

expand further, and many believed that the Soviet Union was more fixed on world domination

than the Nazis were. At the wars end, Stalin pushed to control areas along ports connected to the

Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. Soviet forces supported communist ambitions in Northern

Iran, Greece, and China led by Mao Zedong. Russian troops controlled the Northern half of

Korea. In Vietnam, leftist nationalists were fighting against the return of colonial