Explain why the relationship betweenthe USA and the USSR soured afterWorld War II. / Reasons for outbreak ofCold War.
FACTOR 1:
The relationship between the USA andthe USSR soured after WWIl as therewas no longer a common enemy thatcould unite the two superpowers.Once Germany had been defeated, thecommon objective that had bound USAand the USSR had gone. When thishappened, both sides started to fulfiltheir own objectives that served theirown national interests and in trying todo so, encroached into each other'sinterests. For the USSR, their objectivewas to secure those areas that couldform a buffer between Germany andUSSR as Germany had attacked themtwice in 30 years. This led to theestablishment of pro-Sovietgovernments in Eastern Europe.However, this was perceived by the USas a form of aggression and as suchintroduced measures to contain it.This led to the introduction of theTruman Doctrine and Marshall Planwhich targeted Communism as itcommitted the US to assist countriesfighting against Communism. Thesepolicies were in turn viewed as athreat by the Soviet Union leading tothe formation of COMINFORM andCOMECON. As such, once there wasno need to work together against acommon enemy, the USA and USSRstrategic moves to secure theirnational interests would lead to thedeterioration of their relationship.
FACTOR 2:
The relationship between the USA andthe USSR also soured after WWII asthey had differing visions for theworld, post-World War 2. USA and theWestern powers wanted to reviveGermany's economy as they believedthat it was important for Europe'srecovery. On the other hand, the USSRwanted a weak Germany that could nolonger pose a threat to the SovietUnion. As such, many unimportantissues remained unsettled at Potsdamsuch as how much reparationsGermany had to pay. Theirdisagreement on the development ofpostwar Germany would serve to bringout their differences in their ideologiesand goals, souring their relationship.[5] In addition, US wanted to furthertheir influence in Europe through theeconomic revitalisation of theEuropean countries and wanted toprevent the spread of communistinfluence in Europe. However, TheSoviet Union wanted to build andsecure its own influence in EasternEurope for their own security issues.Thus, this difference deepened theirdistrust for each other as both soughtto spread their influence.