The Cold War occurred during a time of rebuilding for Europe. Itcharacterized international relations and dominated the foreign policies ofEurope. It affected all of Europe and determined lasting alliances. The ColdWar was caused by the social climate and tension in Europe at the end of WorldWar II and by the increasing power struggles between the Soviet Union. Economic separation between the Soviets and the west also heightenedtensions, along with the threat of nuclear war. One main conflict between the Soviet Union was the vast ideologicaldifferences. One of the main tenets of communism is that capitalism isinherently bad and posed a threat to the working class. The communists view allcapitalist nations as possible enemies. According to them, capitalism willeventually destroy itself and it is their duty to help it along. They refusecooperation between themselves and capitalist nations ideologically. Theseextensive differences in beliefs widened the gap between the Soviet Union andthe west.Another cause of the Cold War was the Soviet Unions control overEastern Europe and the forming of economic alliances in reaction. At the end ofWorld War II, the Soviet Union began transforming the newly freed countriesand engulfed them one by one until all of Eastern Europe was part of the SovietUnion. The United States became alarmed with the growing of communism inEurope and set up the Marshall Plan in order to counteract the spread ofcommunism. The Marshall Plan was an economic support program funded bythe United States. They gave relief money to the war torn democratic countriesin order to rebuild their economy. They did not give money to the Soviet Unionand any of its satellites. The Unites States motivation for doing this was toprovide themselves with trading partners and to economically exclude the SovietUnion. The Soviet Union also formed an exclusive economic federation betweenall the states in the Soviet Union called COME...
