The Cold War

            
            
             Tensions with the United States and Russia have been around for quite.
             Russia and the United States were allies during World War II, but.
             soon after they became enemies. After W.W.II, even though the Soviet Union had.
             a strong military, it was encircled by hostile capitalist governments and felt that if.
             communism was to remain strong, it needed to form an alliance with other.
             communist countries. Also after the war, Germany was divided right through the.
             middle of Berlin, Germany. West Germany was democratic and East Germany.
             was communist. In 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was.
             created under U.S. leadership to defend the west against the Soviet Union's.
             military threat. Seventeen European countries, Canada, and the U.S. signed the.
             treaty. Therefore, in 1955 Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany,.
             Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the Soviet Union signed the Alliance Treaty in.
             Warsaw, Poland, known as the Warsaw Pact. These eight communist countries.
             agreed to settle all disputes among themselves or others through peaceful means. .
             They all would come to the aid of the one threatened from an outside attack. .
             Thus, the US as head of NATO and the Soviet Union as head of the Warsaw Pact.
             naturally became the two dominant world powers, beginning a 40+ year "Cold.
             War." Eventually with the breakup of the Soviet Union and the attempt to make it.
             a democracy, the Cold War ended. This all happened when the Soviet leader,.
             Mikhail Gorbachev, stepped down as the Soviet leader. Thus in 1991, the .
             -2-.
             Communist Soviet Union was done. Even though Russia and the U.S. had tension.
             for many years, Russia is now backing the United States in Operation Iraqi.
             Freedom even though during events leading up to the war with Iraq, Russia did not.
             back the U.S. They believed that more negotiations would eventually work. The.
             long period between W.W.II and 2003 Iraqi war, however, a very dangerous time. .
             The Cold War between Russia and the U.