World War II saw a 46-year conflict known as the Cold War. This war once again pitted the two most famous antagonists: the United States and the Soviet Union. In February 1945 the Yalta Conference took place. Instead of planning what to do before or during the war, Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill, and Franklin Roosevelt were discussing what they would do once the war was over. Within this conference, some agreements were reached. First, there would be free elections throughout Eastern Europe, Germany would be divided into four occupation zones, Soviet forces would join the war against Japan after Germany's defeat and, finally, Stalin would accept the Soviet Union's involvement in the war. the United Nations. I believe the Yalta Conference led us into the Cold War by virtually ceding control of Eastern Europe to the Soviet Union. When Harry Truman became president, when the world was divided in two; he knew that he could not trust Stalin and that the promises Stalin made would not be kept. To figure out what to do, he asked George Kennan for help. Truman knew that George Kennan is an expert on Soviet forces and would know exactly what to do. When Truman asked Kennan for help, he responded with the "Long Telegram." In short, he said that there is nothing that Joseph Stalin fears more than being surrounded by non-communist states, and that to avoid this, Stalin will withdraw from them. Predicting what Stalin would do, which would expand outward, Kennan suggests that instead of starting a war, they try to stop the spread of communism. From there was born the “Truman Doctrine”. This allowed the United States to become involved and assist EVERY country in which a communist threat existed, for over 40 years. Not only that, but the United States always wanted to help repair Europe after the war to make the continent less vulnerable to communism, which led to the Marshall Plan. This plan allowed European nations (who signed) to receive money, food, and other needed supplies - hoping that some communist countries would apply so that the United States could remove them from Stalin's regime. Stalin revolts against the communist economy (Comecon). Comecon meant that no matter which side of Europe you were on, west or east, you received your money either for the Soviet Union or the United States. This led to an even greater division of the world. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Turning to the early years of the Cold War, we will begin in Berlin, Germany. After being divided into two halves in 1947 – the Soviet Union in the East and the United States in the West, Berlin was also divided into two halves, one and the other. It was 180 miles inside communist-controlled territory, which also surrounded American forces stationed there. In 1947, economic recession broke out in Germany and Berlin was hit hard. To counter this, American leaders in West Berlin created a new currency powered by the American dollar; giving them new purchasing power (more valuable than those in the East). In revolt, Stalin created a blockade to cut off all of West Berlin from fuel, medicine, people and even food. An ultimatum was issued: either the West gets rid of the new currency, or it will… die. In response to this blockade imposed by Stalin, Western Europe and its American leaders created the Berlin Airlift. This onewas dropping off food, fuel and other necessities to West Berliners. Aware of this, Stalin lifted the blockade and West Berlin won this first “battle”. Immediately, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) came into play when the United Nations convinced almost all Western countries to ally. In response to this alliance, Stalin responded with the Warsaw Pact, which provided for the involvement of seven other countries in its defense. The Korean War is an example of the United States' policy of containment during the Cold War. This was placed in the Truman Doctrine. The United States will become involved and assist any country in which there is a threat of the spread of communism. They demonstrated their loyalty to this policy when Truman sent almost his entire army to South Korea during the Korean War (1950–1953), after the invasion of North Korea. The United States joined forces with South Korea to fight the spread of communism in the South. This brings us to the next thought about the “Red Scare.” The Red Scare was the outbreak of intense fear over the supposed threat posed by communists in the United States. This represents the Cold War in America, as the fear of the spread of communism is practically the reason the Cold War came to be. Without this fear, all the politics, divisions, alliances, etc., the Cold War might not have been history. After reading the Vietnamese and American Declarations of Independence, there seem to be some similarities and differences. . Both were very strong men in power and both were based on the idea that "all men are created equal". There is certainly a similarity in the way Ho Chi Minh and Thomas Jefferson wrote about the injustice the French and British inflicted on their country and its people. They both spoke about the “inhumane” laws that were passed and the unfair taxes that were imposed on them. For example, Ho Chi Minh said, “They invented many unjustifiable taxes and reduced our population,” and Thomas Jefferson said, “For imposing taxes on us without our consent.” The most apparent and obvious similarity is that they both simply want the best, most positive, freest outcome for their nation. What I felt most alarming and the biggest difference was in the Vietnamese Declaration of Independence when Ho Chi Minh wrote: "To weaken our race, they forced us to consume opium and alcohol.” Nowhere in the American Declaration of Independence is there anything SO extreme that England imposed on America. I think the Vietnamese statement seemed much more brutal, unfair and harsh. In the Vietnamese Declaration of Independence, Ho Chi Minh accused the French of failing to respect standards of freedom and equality, weakening and upsetting their country. He even says that they acted contrary to the ideals of humanity and justice, and that in 5 years they showed themselves incapable of “protecting” them since they delivered their country to the Japanese twice. After all this, from 1940 to 1945, he described his country as a French colony and a Japanese possession. Again, fear of communism plays a role when the United States engages in war. Dwight Eisinhower coined the term “domino theory,” which became a metaphor for the spread of communism. This theory said that if one nation came under communis control, the others would follow. This is why the United States got involved in Vietnam. They believed that if Vietnam fell under communist rule, the expansion of communism would continue...