Worlds apart: The post-WWII divide that gave birth to the Cold War

The US and the USSR had different experiences of the Second World War.

However, by appreciating the different journeys the two countries experienced during the conflict helps explain the contrasting motivations that led to the Cold War.

For example, America ended the conflict as one of the most powerful countries in the world, with the largest navy and air force on earth.

Also, while 400,000 Americans had died in the global conflict, it paled in comparison to the 20 million Soviets who had died fighting against Germany.

Similarly, the US had very little damage at home, but the USSR had thousands of villages decimated and up to 25 million people displaced or homeless.

Understandably, Stalin was angry that his country had suffered the most out of all the Allies and wanted security guarantees through control over Eastern Europe, largely to create a buffer zone against future invasions.

At wartime conferences in Yalta and Potsdam, the leaders of these nations attempted to construct a peaceful post-war world – but this was thwarted by competing interests, mistrust, and broken promises.

Again, this can be best understood by examining what happened to the Soviet Union throughout the war: starting just before WWII began.

In 1939, the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany signed a non-aggression pact, which effectively divided Eastern Europe between the two powers, especially Poland and the Baltic states.

It was a non-aggression pact that also included secret protocols dividing Eastern Europe into spheres of influence.

The Soviets agreed with Germany to divide Poland between them. The Soviet invasion of Poland took place on September 17, 1939, following the German invasion on September 1, 1939.

As a result, the Nazis were able to focus their aggression on France, while the Soviets could concentrate on attacking Poland from the east.

This pact would come back to haunt the Soviets later, as Hitler eventually broke it and launched a devastating invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941.

Western observers considered Stalin and Hitler to be similar because of their totalitarian regimes and aggressive expansionism.

However, the two leaders had very different motivations for signing the pact.

Stalin was primarily interested in gaining time to build up his military strength, while Hitler wanted to avoid a two-front war.

In June 1941, Nazi Germany launched Operation Barbarossa – a massive invasion of the Soviet Union.

The Germans were able to make rapid advances, capturing vast areas of territory and inflicting heavy casualties on the Soviet forces.

However, the Red Army eventually began to fight back, and by 1943 the Soviets had regained territory.

The turning point in the war against Germany was the Battle of Stalingrad, which took place in 1942-43.

At its conclusion, the Germans were decisively defeated by the Soviets, suffering over 700,000 casualties and losing almost their entire Sixth Army.

Then after further major victories such as the Battle of Kursk (summer 1943) and subsequent offensives in 1944, Stalin regained all Soviet territory occupied by Germany.

In early 1945, the Allies were closing in on Berlin and victory in the war seemed assured.

Then, in February of that year, the leaders of the United States, the Soviet Union, and Great Britain (Franklin Roosevelt, Joseph Stalin, and Winston Churchill respectively) met for a conference in Yalta.

The Soviets agreed to enter the war against Japan, while the Americans promised to provide aid to the Soviet Union.

Ultimately, they turned their attention to their plans for post-war Europe, including the division of Germany into zones of occupation. 

It became clear during the conference that Churchill was cautious of Stalin and communism in general. 

Winston Churchill viewed the wartime alliance with Stalin as a 'necessary evil' to achieve the common goal of defeating Nazi Germany.

Franklin Roosevelt, on the other hand, was more optimistic about Soviet intentions and saw Stalin as a potential ally in the fight against fascism.

As a result of the negotiations at Yalta, Stalin gained increase influence over much of Eastern Europe, while the United States and Great Britain took control of Western Europe.

This would lead to a period of tension and mistrust between the East and West blocs for many years to come.

One of the most important discussions at Yalta was about the future of Poland. Roosevelt and Churchill both expressed a desire that Poland should have open and fair democratic elections. Stalin said he would support this. 

However, after the war, Stalin reneged on this promise and installed a communist government in Poland.

In March 1945, he ordered the arrest of Polish politicians, who had been working with the Americans and British.

This event caused a great deal of tension between the Soviet Union and the Western Allies.

Stalin also delayed the elections in Poland until January 1947, at which time he was able to manipulate the outcome.

From July to August of 1945, just after the end of the war in Europe, the leaders of the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union met again for a conference, this time at Potsdam.

By this time, President Roosevelt had died and the new US leader, Harry Truman, met with Stalin and Churchill.

During the conference, Churchill was also replaced as the leader of the UK by Clement Attlee, who had defeated him in the most recent elections.

The main topic of discussion was how to deal with the defeated Germany. The Allies agreed that it should be divided into four zones, each controlled by one of the major powers.

Berlin would also be divided into four zones, with the Soviet Union controlling the eastern half and the Western allies controlling the western half.

The conference was also defined by increasing tensions between Stalin and Truman.

Truman was not as trusting of Stalin as Roosevelt had been and he was concerned about the Soviet Union's increasing control over Eastern Europe.

This would lead to further mistrust and divisions between East and West in the years to come.

It was also decided that the victorious countries could take reparations from the defeated Germany.

Specifically, it was agreed that the Soviet Union could take $20 billion worth of goods from its zone of occupation, much of it from East Germany.

However, the implementation of this would further add to the tensions between East and West.

The conference also failed to bring about a resolution on the issue of Poland. The Western Allies' desire for free and open elections in Poland was in conflict with Stalin's intention to establish a pro-Soviet government there.

Stalin continued to refuse to allow open and free elections in Poland, as he had promised to do at Yalta.

As a result, Truman decided not to give the Soviet Union any further aid. This is considered to be the beginning of the Cold War.

One of the earliest indicators of the Cold War was Winston Churchill's famous 'Iron Curtain' speech in 1946, in which he warned that an 'iron curtain' had descended across Europe, separating the free West from the communist East.

As a result, the term 'Cold War' is specifically used to describe the period of tension between the Soviet Union and the United States that began in the aftermath of World War II.

It is so called because it was a time when the two superpowers were in competition with each other, but they never fought a direct war.

It can be seen as a struggle more about political and economic systems: between capitalism and communism.

The United States, along with its allies, represented capitalism and democracy, which wanted a future Europe to be open and free.

The Soviet Union, along with its allies, represented communism, which wanted a future Europe to be controlled by the Soviet Union.

Ultimately, the Cold War lasted for more than four decades, and it led to the development of new weapons systems, such as nuclear missiles, and caused tension and suspicion between the two sides.

For many common people, it was a period of great insecurity and fear, as both sides constantly worried about the other's intentions.