What did the US do during the Cold War?

As the Soviets tightened their grip on Eastern Europe, the United States embarked on a policy of containment to prevent the spread of Soviet and communist influence in Western European nations such as France, Italy, and Greece.

How did United States and the Soviet Union fight the Cold War?

Throughout the Cold War the United States and the Soviet Union avoided direct military confrontation in Europe and engaged in actual combat operations only to keep allies from defecting to the other side or to overthrow them after they had done so.

What role did the Soviet Union play in the Cold War?

The Cold War The Soviet Union by 1948 had installed communist-leaning governments in Eastern European countries that the USSR had liberated from Nazi control during the war. The Americans and British feared the spread of communism into Western Europe and worldwide.

What events in Europe were sources of tension between the US and the USSR?

The Berlin Blockade of 1948 to 1949 marked the beginning of the Cold War, the building of the Berlin Wall in 1961 represented the high point of tensions and the opening of the Wall in 1989 represented the end of Cold War tensions.

Does memory of the war in Russia still affect foreign policy?

The states occupied by the Soviet Union at the end of the war (including Poland, the Baltics, and Ukraine) remain deeply suspicious of Russian intentions. For its part, memory of the war in Russia continues to condition Russian foreign policy, and Russia’s broader response to Europe.

How many people died in the Russian Empire?

With about 5.5 million out of 16 million soldiers killed and wounded, the Russian Empire appears to have suffered less than France and Germany. But that does not take into account some other facts: 500,000 soldiers missing, 3 million prisoners of war, 1.1 million disabled, 6 million refugees and tens of thousands of civilian victims.

Did the Soviets really suffer more from WW2 than the Germans?

Nevertheless, there is no question that the Soviets (and the peoples of Eastern Europe) suffered far more deeply from the war than the Germans. The raw statistics of the war are nothing short of stunning.

What countries did the Soviet Union take over after WW2?

The Western allies remained in control of Greece and much of western Germany, while Joseph Tito established an independent communist regime in Yugoslavia. The Soviet Union redrew the map of Eastern Europe, annexing large chunks of Poland, Germany, and the Baltics, and ceding much of Germany to Polish control.