The Cold War was the most important political and diplomatic
issue of the early postwar period. It grew out of longstanding
disagreements between the Soviet Union and the United States
that developed after the Russian Revolution of 1917. The Soviet
Communist Party under V.I. Lenin considered itself the spearhead
of an international movement that would replace the existing
political orders in the West, and indeed throughout the world.
In 1918 American troops participated in the Allied intervention
in Russia on behalf of anti-Bolshevik forces. American
diplomatic recognition of the Soviet Union did not come until
1933. Even then, suspicions persisted. During World War II,
however, the two countries found themselves allied and
downplayed their differences to counter the Nazi threat.
At the war's end, antagonisms surfaced again. The United States
hoped to share with other countries its conception of liberty,
equality, and democracy. It sought also to learn from the
perceived mistakes of the post-WWI era, when American political
disengagement and economic protectionism were thought to have
contributed to the rise of dictatorships in Europe and
elsewhere. Faced again with a postwar world of civil wars and
disintegrating empires, the nation hoped to provide the
stability to make peaceful reconstruction possible. Recalling
the specter of the Great Depression (1929-1940), America now
advocated open trade for two reasons: to create markets for
American agricultural and industrial products, and to ensure the
ability of Western European nations to export as a means of
rebuilding their economies. Reduced trade barriers, American
policy makers believed, would promote economic growth at home
and abroad, bolstering U.S. friends and allies in the process.
The Soviet Union had its own agenda. The Russian historical
tradition of centralized, autocratic government contrasted with
the American emphasis on democracy. Marxist-Leninist ideology
had been downplayed during the war but still guided Soviet
policy. Devastated by the struggle in which 20 million Soviet
citizens had died, the Soviet Union was intent on rebuilding and
on protecting itself from another such terrible conflict. The
Soviets were particularly concerned about another invasion of
their territory from the west. Having repelled Hitler's thrust,
they were determined to preclude another such attack. They
demanded "defensible" borders and "friendly" regimes in Eastern
Europe and seemingly equated both with the spread of Communism,
regardless of the wishes of native populations. However, the
United States had declared that one of its war aims was the
restoration of independence and self-government to Poland,
Czechoslovakia, and the other countries of Central and Eastern
Europe.
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