Relations Between The United States And The Soviet Union

Relations between the United States and the Soviet Union have always been complicated. Over the entire 20th century they have been close allies to bitter rivals. The stark differences in each of their political systems prevented the USA and the USSR from maintaining a close political friendship and understanding, and even to the very edge of war. The major differences between the two are their preferred styles of government, capitalism and communism. The major difference between the two is their view on economic production. In Communism, the central government controls all production and determines what goods the economy should produce, as well as the price of those goods. Meanwhile, Capitalism allows the market decide what goods should†¦show more content†¦Post World War II, Russia and the US were the two superpowers in the world and had major territorial disputes in Eastern Europe. In 1946, tensions between the US and Russia heightened with the start of the cold war. Both nations were the main driving forces on opposing ends. Both had claims to Eastern Europe after World War II, and a standoff would occur for the next 50 years. The US and the West thought that communism was inherently wrong, that it stripped citizens from basic human freedoms and that it prohibited economic growth and power. The Soviets believed t hat both world wars were a direct result of Capitalist Imperialism, and that capitalism promoted inequality especially financially. The apparent financial divide would further the rift between the rich and the poor, and promote social classes, which the Soviets completely opposed. Both the US and Russia had extensively used propaganda against each other and their political beliefs. The two superpowers vilified one another, while maintaining that each of their own ideas were superior and without flaw. During the cold war, both nations built up massive stockpiles of nuclear weapons to achieve nuclear supremacy over the other. 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