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The Soviet Union During World War II

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For decades, the United States and Russia, formerly The Soviet Union, have held tensions with each other over different political stances and military actions and intelligence. Starting from the late years of World War II - when the Soviet Union had aggressively spread communism throughout Eastern Europe - up to a couple years ago when Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula in Ukraine out of nowhere; their relationship has been a rollercoaster of a ride for these two countries. Even though the United States and Russia are no longer in a Cold War, there has been and continues to be tension between the two countries as exemplified by many events of conflict including the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Russian military’s current presence in Syria.
During the end of World War II, it was clear that the United States and the Soviet Union were only getting along because they had a common enemy, Japan and Germany. Once Germany surrendered on May 8, 1945, only Japan remained an enemy. (Garrett) The President of the United States at the time, Harry Truman, and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill were reluctant on allowing the Soviet Union to continue to fight against Japan. (Garrett) This was because once Germany surrendered Joseph Stalin had his opportunity to spread communism in Eastern Europe. Churchill acknowledged this in his Iron Curtain Speech stating that Europe was divided by an “Iron Curtain” which separated democracy from communism. (Garrett) Although Britain and the

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