Essay

 
On January 1, 1942 the US and USSR formalized their WWII alliance with the Declaration of the United Nations. Moscow and Washington coordinated an effective war strategy to defeat Germany and Italy in Europe. Gaddis pays special attention to the positive exchanges between the two powers between 1941-1945. But Gaddis also discusses how the complexities of war precipitated hostilities between the Soviets and Americans. Although it may seem natural for friends in war to engender a long-lasting and resilient unity, the realities of WWII strained the bonds of all the allied nations, especially the Soviet Union and the United States.
 For this essay, students should discuss how the intricacies of the alliance in WWII set the conditions for Cold War conflict in the post-war period.   How did WWII, and the decisions, strategies and goals exchanged between the Soviets and Americans during the conflict contribute to the deterioration of relations that ultimately triggered the Cold War? In short, why did the Soviets and Americans emerge from WWII as rivals rather than friends?
 The analysis should cover Soviet-American relations during the entire span of WWII. In other words, do not simply discuss the nature of Soviet-American relations during a single year, or single episode. 
Students should analyze at least 4 examples that contributed to the decline in Soviet-American relations during WWII.
 The analysis should exhibit a sophisticated understanding of the Gaddis text.
The analysis needs to contain explicit discussions of exchanges/policies/aims between the Soviets and Americans during WWII that tie directly to the essay topic. Avoid presenting general information about WWII. Essays that discuss WWII, the Cold War, and Soviet-American relations in a manner that does not explicitly attempt to answer the topic/prompt/question will be penalized.
The essay must be between 4-6 pages long. It must be at least 4 pages, but not longer than 6.
Double space the text. 12 point, Times New Roman font. Use standard margins.
Do not use outside sources.  For in-text citations, simply write (Gaddis, page #).
Students must submit their essay through turn-it-in.