After World War Two, countries in both Asia and Europe were controlled by Soviet Union and US authority; however, the Soviet Union and US’s different ideological viewpoints lead to permanent separations between nations. After World War Two, an “Iron Curtain” fell between East and West Germany. East Germany, controlled by the Soviet Union, had a communist government. While, West Germany, controlled by the United States, Britain, and France, had a democratic government. This structure of division was also seen within Germany’s capital, Berlin. The previous city of Berlin was divided into East and West Berlin, West Berlin was democratic and East Berlin was communist (Textbook, 308-309) In Asia, there was a very similar division. The Cold War led to the separation between North and South Korea. The Soviet Union and China assist North Korea and their communist government. Meanwhile, the United States aid South Korea and their democratic government. Countries that were defeated in World War Two had their land or colonies …show more content…
Containment was the attempt to contain communism within Eastern Europe, preventing any further spread of communism. Containment can be seen in US treaties, such as the Truman Doctrine, stating that the United States will provide military and economic aid to those countries that face a communist threat (class notes). In Asia, a defense treaty is signed called SEATO. SEATO was a way to defend countries from communist threats, in order to stop the spread of communism within Asia, particularly with Vietnam (class notes). Once the United States started to see the rapid spread of communism in both Asia and Europe, they established the policy of containment. The different ideological viewpoints between the United States and Soviet Union raised tensions, leading to this policy of containment. The United States feared that communism would spread and the US would lose their control within Europe and Asia. Thus, the US created the Truman Doctrine and SEATO. The purpose of both agreements was to stop any further spread of communism and maintain widespread democracy within both Asia and Europe. A cause of widespread of communism throughout the Cold War, the United States’ policy of containment, was established to prevent any further spread of communism and to maintain a democratic government within Europe and