The United States became a world superpower after World War II. Many Allies were deeply affected financially by the war and found themselves in dire straits, thus leaving a void that needed to be filled. The United States was thrust into the position of “policing” and assisting nations around the world. The Cold War was in many ways a psychological illusion, however there were many well-founded factors that led to this illusion. The Cold War stemmed from a multitude of factors, the difficult war against the Nazis and Japan, Stalin's behavior was not reliable, the Berlin blockade, the puppet government of Poland, the fall of China, the accumulation of weapons and the birth of nuclear weapons, everything fueled fear. well-founded anti-communist policies. In the 1960s and 1970s, America attempted to ease tensions in a period of détente with the Soviet Union and China. The United States felt that the Soviet Union was a threat and that the spread of communism threatened capitalism and democracy. The Soviet Union believed that capitalism threatened communism because it led to imperialism and greed, which would ultimately lead to war. This tension between the two nations maintained the Cold War and provided the rationale for all foreign policy maneuvers from President Harry Truman to President Ronald Reagan. “The stability of this relationship, however, depended on a certain balance of forces that could not last forever.” (Cox p.32) “Concretely, the ability of the United States to sustain its chosen postwar strategy was based on six key factors: military superiority; domestic support for its international role; a reasonable degree of success in implementing its foreign policy abroad; loyal and dependent allies; an economy capable of supporting the costs of Unity... middle of paper... if it changed their position towards the Soviet Union, they would lose support for the war and all other foreign endeavors they were in involved at the time. time. When President Reagan took office he changed tactics, he was more aggressive but above all he changed rhetoric. By stopping the fear-based psychological rhetoric of the Cold War, he changed America's perspective and opened the channels of communication with the Soviet Union, in essence he was able to break down the "wall" and the psychological illusion of fear .Works CitedCox, Mike . “From the Truman Doctrine to Second Superpower Détente: The Rise and Fall of the Cold War. "Journal of Peace Research. vol. 27, no. 1. February 1990, pp.25-41. Print. Gillon, Steven and Matson, Cathy. The American Experiment: A History of the United States. 3rd edition. Boston, MA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2009. Print.