COLD WAR AIMS
The Cold War was the most im- portant political and diplomatic is- sue of the early postwar period . It grew out of longstanding disagree- ments between the Soviet Union and the United States that developed af- ter the Russian Revolution of 1917 . The Soviet Communist Party un- der V .I . Lenin considered itself the spearhead of an international move- ment that would replace the exist- ing political orders in the West, and indeed throughout the world . In 1918 American troops participated in the Allied intervention in Russia on behalf of anti-Bolshevik forces . American diplomatic recognition of the Soviet Union did not come until 1933 . Even then, suspicions persist- ed . During World War II, however, the two countries found themselves allied and downplayed their differ- ences to counter the Nazi threat .
At the war’s end, antagonisms surfaced again . The United States hoped to share with other countries its conception of liberty, equality, and democracy . It sought also to learn from the perceived mistakes of the post-WWI era, when American political disengagement and eco- nomic protectionism were thought to have contributed to the rise of dic- tatorships in Europe and elsewhere . Faced again with a postwar world of civil wars and disintegrating empires, the nation hoped to pro- vide the stability to make peaceful reconstruction possible . Recalling the specter of the Great Depression
(1929-40), America now advocated open trade for two reasons: to cre- ate markets for American agricul- tural and industrial products, and to ensure the ability of Western Eu- ropean nations to export as a means of rebuilding their economies . Re- duced trade barriers, American policy makers believed, would pro- mote economic growth at home and abroad, bolstering U .S . friends and allies in the process .
The Soviet Union had its own agenda . The Russian historical tra- dition of centralized, autocratic government contrasted with the American emphasis on democracy . Marxist-Leninist ideology had been downplayed during the war but still guided Soviet policy . Devastated by the struggle in which 20 million Soviet citizens had died, the Soviet Union was intent on rebuilding and on protecting itself from another such terrible conflict . The Soviets were particularly concerned about another invasion of their territo- ry from the west . Having repelled Hitler’s thrust, they were determined to preclude another such attack . They demanded “defensible” bor- ders and “friendly” regimes in East- ern Europe and seemingly equated both with the spread of Commu- nism, regardless of the wishes of native populations . However, the United States had declared that one of its war aims was the restoration of independence and self-govern- ment to Poland, Czechoslovakia, and the other countries of Central and Eastern Europe .