Compare and contrast the roles of the US and Soviet Union during the cold war. ?
Compare: Both countries utilized scare tactics and propaganda to create national animosity toward each other's ideology. Both countries engaged in proxy wars to gain influence around the world spreading their desired ideologies (Vietnam, Afganistan, China, Koreas, the slavic region, and Europe. Both countries engaged in a space race to establish a statement of superiority Ultimately both country's goals were to gain power in developing countries and countries recovering from WWII. Contrast The U.S. was better off in every single way in the cold war. The only reason that they thought there was any competition was the Soviets were so good at covering up their failures and were merely getting by. The Soviet Unions was way more brutal when it came to being a dissident, or even a failure (being wiped from history). Overview Overall they were both instigators in a constant struggle to defeat each other. They knew that with all the nukes that were stockpiled that it was mutually assured destruction.
How did the cold war start after ww2 ?
The United States and the Soviet Union were uneasy allies; their collaboration was really the result of a mutual fear that the Nazis would gain control over Europe, not based on any ideological commonality. Consequently, after the war was over and the restructuring of Europe began, a power struggle developed between the Soviet Union (who wanted Germany to be Communist) and the United States and Britain (who wanted democratic rule.) However, you shouldn't make the assumption that devotion to ideology was all that was behind Cold War animosity; countries tend to be more complaint trading partners with countries that share their political systems and both Stalin and the Cold War Era presidents in the US knew this. The tension eventually built, but no one wanted to go to actual war again after the colossal massacre of WWII, hence the term Cold War.
Why is there so much animosity between the United States and Russia besides the cold war? Have there been other historical reasons?
The rivalry or animosity between Russia and US has not always been around. In the past both have signed a major land deal when Russian Empire handed over what we now know as Alaska to United States. Also, US intervened to make peace between Russian Empire and Japanese Empire during 1905 Russo-Japanese war better known as Treaty of Portsmouth.But the seeds of cold war were now about to be sown. During Russian Revolution of 1917, US and other Western nations sent their support in favor of White Army or the Tsar's army which obviously fumed and annoyed the Reds. Post revolution, Russian Empire collapsed and entered a new player in geopolitics that was destined to give US its worst nightmares - The Soviet Union !Still the animosity or rivalry for world supremacy was in its infancy. Both fought on the same side against Nazi Germany during WW2. Roosevelt knew very well the paranoid nature of Stalin and he dealt with him with highest level of diplomacy during Yalta Conference, 1945. But unfortunately he passed away too soon to avoid a massive geopolitical disaster - THE COLD WAR. His successor Truman was too proudy to have foreseen the growing differences. Long Telegram and Novikov Telegram were exchanged post WW2 which obviously revealed the harsh foreign policies of both the nations towards each other. What happened next is something we all know which continued till Soviet collapse in 91.Yeltsin, the first president of today's Russia warmed up the relations with western world primarily USA. US also exchanged niceties by adding Russia in G8, World Trade Center and humanity's biggest project so far - International Space Station.But expansion of NATO further eastward was not in favor of Russia's interests and it saw this expansion as betrayal. Because prior to Germany's reunification, US did promise Gorbachev that NATO won't move an inch eastward if he allowed this unification and they boldly broke their promise once they saw Russia was too weak to counter it.The toppling of Ukraine's pro Russian president in 2014 was the saturation point for Russia. It was now too much for it to allow US's ambitions close to its border. As a result, Russia responded back fiercely by annexing Crimean peninsula from Ukraine. Obviously no one wanted to mess with world's largest nuclear stockpile and subsequently, almost all the nations friendly to US imposed economic sanctions on Russia which are there till date.Lets see how this shapes the future landscape of geopolitics.
How did the rivalry between Russia and the USA start?
Ultimately it started in 1917. The new Bolshevik government, representing real power of the masses, was radically different from any other government in the world at that time. It existence was unbearable to the ruling classes of all capitalist states. Before WWII the British Empire remained a major imperialist power and one of the main rivalries of the newly-formed USSR. But after WWII the USA and the USSR emerged as the new (and the only) superpowers. Their conflict, the Cold War, was essentially a class conflict, absolutely fundamental and unsolvable by any compromise. Gradually the USSR yielded and finally the new Russian “elite” decided to transform their power to property. It was a victory of the American imperialism (but not of the American people).The present rivalry is only a remnant of the Cold War and a typical struggle of the ruling classes of the two states for power and influence (and ultimately for profits).