From 1945 on, the United States was engaged in a global struggle against the Soviet Union.

Millions of Americans believed that the Soviets had built an aggressive, expansionist empire

that was plotting to undermine U.S. interests and values.

They believed that the Soviets were actively remaking the world under communist

ideology, an ideology that the Americans considered antithetical to their own values.

For those who experienced World War II and the fight against totalitarian regimes under Hitler

and Mussolini, the Soviet regime was just the latest enemy that had to be

stopped. As we covered in our previous episodes, American presidents struggled with how to

contain the Soviet menace. We saw how Harry S. Truman instituted the policy of containment

to limit the Soviet Union's expansion, and ultimately to force

it to change its ways to align with American values and interests.

We saw how his successors generally maintain that policy, but modified it based on their

own views and in response to changing circumstances.

We saw how American foreign policy changed over multiple administrations

and even within a single administration.

Presidents would often oscillate between taking a hardline stance

while other times reaching out in hopes of reducing tensions.

We saw how these presidents struggled with the burden that the Cold War presented, since

both sides had thousands of nuclear weapons pointed at each other and the ability to inflict

nuclear destruction on the other side.

The Cold War was a costly endeavor, as both sides raced outdo each other by building better ships, tanks, planes,

and missiles, by forging more allies, and by racking up successes in different areas, like in space.

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