Communism

The differences between the Soviet Union and the United States became apparent even before WW 2 ended. In 1945 as the war was coming to conclusion the Soviets were approaching Berlin from the east while the Allies were closing in from the west. The Soviets who had gotten into the war because they were attacked by Hitler suddenly stopped their advance toward Germany and turned they eyes to the south. They saw an opportunity to take new territory in Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and other Eastern European countries. They were planning to build a communist empire which they did when the war ended. The West instead of taking new lands invested in building up most of Western Europe. It took 40 years of cold war to free the communist countries and today Western Europe stands as a monument to the help provided by the US.