History
Ideological differences - Stalin vs Truman
The US President Roosevelt died in 1945. He was replaced by Truman who was strongly anti-Communist and, as the war came to an end, the relationship between America and Russia fell apart.
In 1945, Harry S Truman became president of the USA, determined to confront Communism. He is reported to have told his advisers:
The Russians only understand one language - how many armies have you got? I'm tired of babying the Soviets.
Harry S Truman, 1945
But this was not the only cause of trouble. Historians believed that the wartime alliance between the Soviet Union and America was also wrecked by the huge differences between the two countries in:
The collapse of the wartime alliance led to a Cold War between the two superpowers.
It will help in your exam if you are able to describe the huge differences between America and Russia:
| America | Russia |
|---|---|
| 1. The richest country in the world. | 1. The biggest country in the world. |
| 2. A democracy with free elections, led by an elected president. | 2. A one-party state led by a dictator. There were elections, but you could only vote for the Communist Party. |
| 3. Freedom of speech and belief. | 3. State control: censorship, secret police, terror and purges. |
| 4. Capitalism - private ownership and the right to make money. | 4. Communism - state ownership of the means of production, and the belief that wealth should be shared. |
| 5. Led by Truman, who believed that Communism was evil. | 5. Led by Stalin, who believed that capitalism was evil. |
| 6. Had the atomic bomb - but was scared of Russia's conventional army. | 6. Had the biggest army in the world - but was angry that Truman had not warned that he was going to drop the atomic bomb. |
| 7. Feared the spread of communism throughout the world. | 7. Was angry because America and Britain had invaded Russia in 1918-19 to try to destroy communism. |
| 8. Angry about the Nazi-Soviet Pact that was a major factor in starting the Second World War. | 8. Believed that America and Britain had delayed opening the second front (attacking France) to let Germany and Russia destroy each other on the eastern front. |
| 9. Wanted reconstruction - to make Germany a prosperous democracy and a trading partner. | 9. Wanted to wreck Germany, take huge reparations for the damage done during the war, and set up a buffer of friendly states around Russia to prevent another invasion in the future. |
To help you remember the differences between the USA and the USSR outlined in this Revision Bite, present them as a drawing, showing pictures of the nine points on the opposing sides.
As part of your revision, think about the arguments and facts you would use to explain the following:
Now try a Test Bite