United States vs. Soviet Union
During WW II, the United States suffered less than the Soviets. Casualties were far less and American soil was untouched, with the exception of Pearl Harbor. After the war the United States was producing more than half of the world’s total industrial output. When the Soviets asked the U.S. for a loan after the war, Truman denied the request because he was angered by Stalin's broken promises from the Yalta Conference. Wartime experiences were not the extent of the U.S. and USSR's differences. They also had differences in ideology. The U.S. believed in a democratic government and capitalist economics. The United States hoped to see capitalist democracy spread throughout Europe. |
During WW II, the USSR suffered casualties as many as 20 million Soviet citizens , including at least 7 million soldiers. The Soviet countryside was stripped of crops, animals and equipment and farms and villages were torched. The Soviets were also in debt like many other European countries and asked the United States for a loan. when Truman denied the loan, Stalin was angered and called it "brutal." While the United States believed in democracy and capitalism, the USSR believed in the ideology of communism. The Soviets hoped that Europe would follow its system and pushed their beliefs to other countries.
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The Korean War
When WW II ended, Soviet troops occupied the Korean Peninsula north of the 38th parallel, while U.S. troops held the area to the south. The Soviets encouraged communist behavior in the north and the U.S. troops supported anticommunism in the south. In June of 1950, tensions between the two halves of the country emerged and the Korean War began. North Koreans armed with Soviet weapons stormed across the 38th parallel into the south in order to try and unite Korea under a communist regime. Truman, viewing it as a threat to America, ordered U.S. troops to aid the South Koreans in their fight against communism.