History Essay Sample on The World War II: The United States And The Soviet Union

World War II officially began on September 1st, 1939. The United States did not involve themselves until December 8th, 1941. Before that decision was made, Americans were reluctant to be a part of such a horrific war. By the time the war ended, the US and the USSR were the last two superpowers remaining. Together, they began the Cold War. 

When World War II started, the United States refused to enter the war. Americans shared the disillusionment that was created by past experiences of World War I. Prior to World War I, there was a strong anti-war sentiment in the US. Woodrow Wilson’s entire reelection campaign was based on keeping the country out of war. Americans have always had a natural inclination to stay out of European affairs. In addition, Americans had to contend with unexpectedly high casualty numbers from World War I. With hundreds of thousands of deaths, and hundreds of thousands more wounded, Americans were rightly horrified. 

An important influence in maintaining the American reluctance to enter World War II was the America First Committee. This group led a massive anti-war movement, whose major goal was to ensure the Neutrality Act of 1939 was followed, and to ensure that Franklin D. Roosevelt kept the US out of the war. Additionally, the effects of the Great Depression, and all the economic hardships that came with it, were still being dealt with. These hardships also kept America looking inward, trying to resolve their own country’s problems. Yet, in spite of all these previous influences affecting the US stance to stay out of World War II, the attack on Pearl Harbor was enough to overcome them.

The events of Pearl Harbor helped the US overcome its initial reluctance. Clearly without this attack, it might have been a year, or another year– or maybe not even at all– for the US to enter the war. Overcoming these reluctant feelings was also due to Roosevelt and his pro-war propaganda. Roosevelt had wanted to enter the war much earlier, and he worked with Winston Churchill to try to figure out a way to get the US involved. Roosevelt’s efforts were seen on both sides of the country. The Lend-Lease Act, supported by Roosevelt, provided money, supplies, and food to British soldiers. On the west coast, and in the Pacific Ocean, is where Roosevelt imposed sanctions on Japan to prevent them from accessing the raw materials needed to expand their empire. Roosevelt’s actions were a primary factor that helped overcome the reluctance against the war. They also may have instigated the attack on Pearl Harbor with these embargoes. Pearl Harbor was such a shock and devastation to America and its citizens, that they demanded the US to enter the war.

Once the US entered World War II, the end of the war and the fate of the Axis powers was sealed, with the US on the side of the Allies. After V-E Day and V-J Day, the German and Japanese empires were finally defeated. Ironically, with their defeat, the British, French and Italian empires were also defeated and completely ruined. This only left two remaining countries with strong military and a strong economy– the United States and Russia. After the war, not only did Russia control its Soviet republics, but it controlled Eastern Europe. This control of land by the Russians created the new Russian Empire. On the other hand, the United States did not really become an empire in terms of acquiring huge amounts of territory. Instead, what it did, was acquire advanced military technology that no other country had access to; most importantly the US had nuclear weapons and nuclear bombs. Moreover, the new technology from World War II that both the US and other countries had (jet engines, large aircraft carriers, and deep water subs), was in much higher quantities and much higher quality. The US spent $304 billion and produced a massive surplus of this military equipment. This combination of greater war technology and nuclear weapons brought about even greater power to the US after the war. While the Russians occupied their newly obtained land, they wanted to be on the same military level as the US. They felt that having nuclear technology (with the same quality) would lead them to equality with the US. The Potsdam Conference was a significant event that saw Joseph Stalin hoodwinking Roosevelt and Harry Truman; it allowed the USSR to take over Eastern Europe and resulted in Western Europe feeling threatened as Russian troops were positioned along the border. Ultimately, this huge standing army of the Soviet Republic is what caused the Cold War. 

In 1949, the USSR also acquired the knowledge to produce nuclear weapons. A massive spy ring, including Klaus Fuchs and the Rosenbergs, made Russia the second nuclear power in the world. This completely changed the Cold War. It was no longer a European issue, it was a world issue. Mutual assured destruction arose from the hostility and mistrust the US and USSR had with one another. The creation and spread of the nuclear bomb did not cause the Cold War, but it did heighten it, and it made the situation far worse. The battle for Europe by the USSR due to the Potsdam Conference’s decision, allowed Russia to take over the Eastern European countries. The overall acquisition of new military technology, in turn, formed a new potential world war.

Pearl Harbor and Roosevelt brought the United States into World War II. This war created a world with two superpowers– the United States and Russia. At the Potsdam Conference, the leaders of these two countries allowed Russia to take over Eastern Europe. The acquisition of new military technology formed potential for a new world war. The technological and military advancements, the Cold War and its mutual assured destruction, and the threat of an apocalypse, all stemmed from World War II and its devastating results. As a result, the US created nuclear weapons to end the war, and brought about a whole new world that neither side expected. The post World War II world became a world where the US and the USSR used the threat of nuclear war.