What was the Grand Alliance, and how did it come to the Cold War?

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What was the Grand Alliance, and how did it come to the Cold War?

The Grand Alliance was the grouping of Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union during the war. They formed on account of their common goal, to defeat Germany and her allies. They decided on nothing to do with what would happen after the war, only that they would not stop until they accomplished their goal.

There are many reasons as to why the Cold War started. Many believe that the United States was to blame; Soviet actions were defensive, the USA wanted to control its area of influence, but refused to allow the USSR to do the same. Some believe it was the Soviet Union; Stalin planned for a communist takeover of the whole world and the takeover of Eastern Europe was his first step in world control. While others believe that neither side was to blame; it was based on misunderstandings and forces beyond the control of both sides.

The roots of the Cold War can be found as far back as the Russian Revolution of 1917. The two countries had extremely different beliefs and were convinced that theirs was right and the other’s was wrong. As a result their was great hostility towards each other and in 1919 the Americans along with their allies; Britain and France, sent troops and resources to help the White Russians defeat the communist Bolsheviks in Russia. This support failed but the Bolsheviks never forgot about the support the West gave the whites.

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The hostility between the East and West was suspended in 1941. World War Two was in progress and the Japanese conducted a surprise attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbour. As a result the United States entered the war along side the British and the Soviet Union after being betrayed by Germany. They were linked by their common wish to destroy Germany and her allies, and decided to make no decisions on the aftermath of the war until they had reached their goal. As soon as it looked as though Hitler was going to be defeated, the ...

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