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The relationship between the Soviet Union and the Western nations continued to worsen after the war.Soon the United States and the Soviet Union entered an era of tension and hostility,which became known as the Cold War.
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1945,much of Germany was in ruins and it had no functioning government.The victorious Allies needed to establish a system govern Germany and rebuild the nation.
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In Febuary 1946 Stalin stated publicly that he belived war between the East and West was bound to happen to in the furture.the next month, former British leader Winston Churchill gave a speech in the United States.
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The U.S. government launched a massive program of economic aid.The Marshall Plan,named after U.S. secretary of state George Marshall,provided $13 billion for rebuilding Europe.
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In June 1948,the Soviets blocked of all land, rail, water routes in West Berlin.As a result,2 billion residents were no longer able to import food, coal,and other vital supplies.
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The Berlin airlift was a success, and the Soviets called off the blockade of Berlin in May 1949.At one point,a cargo plane was taking off from or landing in Berlin every 30 seconds.
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In 1950,the North Koreans attacked South Korea.Their goal was to unite the country under a Communist government.
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In 1955,the Soviet Union and the Communist nations of Eastern Europe formed their own alliance, known as the Warsaw Pact.Nato was designed to counter Soviet power in Europe.
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During the 1950s and early 1960s nuclear war seemed to draw ever closer as the Soviet Union and the United States raced to develop powerful new weapons.This rivalry between the worlds two superpowers became increasingly tense----and dangerous.
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In 1988,the two countries ratified the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty,which called for the elimination of certain types of missiles.After many years of conflict, the relationship between the Soviet Union and the United States was finally beginning to improve.
