US Foreign Relations After World War II

In 1941, many countries were involved in what many called the Second World War. America had done their best to remain neutral and stay out of the war, however on December 7, 1941, Japanese forces launched a surprise attack on American forces at a naval station in Hawaii known as Pearl Harbor. The bombing of Pearl Harbor brought America to the forefront of the war that was being fought overseas (Brinkley 612-615). World War II was a very important period of time, not only in the United States, but also around the globe as the war fundamentally changed many of the countries involved. One of the countries most affected by the war was the United States. The US was affected not only by changes to our foreign relations, but also within the American society.

The US, after the war, decided that they would solve as many disputes among the world with diplomacy as possible, as to avoid another war. This view on post war life was not shared by the Soviet Union. The Soviets believed that the larger and more powerful countries could assert their dominance over the smaller and less powerful countries for strategic advantage (642). This clear discrepancy between viewpoints caused tension between the United States as well as the soviets. This tension is the main cause of the focal point in all of post World War II foreign affairs, The Cold War. This war,fought by the United States and the Soviet Union was not fought by soldiers. Conversely, it was a war of impressions. Each side of the war tried to impress fear upon the other. They compared how many guns they had, the power of their nuclear weapons, and at one point even showcased their abilities to put people into space (672). The major change in foreign relations is that America went from being allies with the Soviet Union, to nearly starting a war with them, all because the two sides viewed a perfect world quite