The United States and the Soviets had many conflicts between them. They both wanted their own ideology to spread in Europe and Asia after World War II.
What happened to Greece and Turkey?
First, Turkey and Greece were under pressure of the
Soviets. Communist rebels tried to takeover Greek government.
In Turkey, the USSR took over
Turkish shipping channel, the Dardanelles. Britain tried
to help Turkey and Greece. However, Britain was facing severe economic
problems and could no longer help them. The United States decided to help
Greece and Turkey by creating the Truman Doctrine. The Truman Doctrine is a
U.S. foreign policy, providing economic and military aid to countries. With
U.S. aid, the Greek government defeated the communist rebels. Turkey also
resisted pressure from the Soviet Union and preserved control of the
Dardanelles.
How about Germany?
Then, the United States and the Soviet Union had a problem of who was
going to take control of Germany. The Soviets built the Berlin blockade for the
United States to give up West Germany. However, the United States didn't give up. West
Germany was controlled by the United States and East Germany was controlled by
the Soviets.
Where did Czechoslovakia fall to?
After World
War II, the Czechs formed an elected government. However, it was dominated by
communist and some non-communist parties. Stalin demanded the formation of an
all-communist government. The Czech coup d'etat or government takeover showed
Truman that Stalin was prepared to use force to achieve his goals. Communist
leaders arrested, and jailed all those who opposed them.
NATO versus the Warsaw Pact
What happened to China?
Chinese communists led by Mao Zedong and the Nationalists led by Chiang Kai-shek
turned on each other and started a civil war for control of China. The U.S.
backed up the Nationalist. However, in 1949 Zedong defeated Kai-shek and China
fell to the communists.
What happened after the conflict with Korea?
In 1953, North Korea and South Korea signed an armistice ending hostilities. They created a buffer zone called the demilitarized zone which left the Korean Peninsula divided along the 38th parallel.