Ah, apologies, and I didn't mean to sound like an elitist dick. Most American high school history lessons tend to leave out the USSR's contributions, and it annoys me to no end. I don't know why.

I also meant, during WWII, the Soviets were still so behind the rest of the world in so many ways, but they had a huge military because people believed in the nation. However, let's face it. Stalin didn't give a shit about life.

Damn, I hate when my memory fails me. Ya, the USSR declared war on Japan but did not invade. Ha. Japan's leadership was stubborn as hell, and Hitler must have had way too much meth when he thought attacking the USSR was a good idea.

There's a few ways to look at the end of the war. Europe's weakened position and the US' abundant natural resources facilitated the rise to global dominance. However, many European nations didn't welcome the US military's extended stay, and NATO wasn't the only option on the table, but Europe's socialist and communist movements terrified US capitalists.

The US military stayed in Europe to rebuild and to protect capitalism. Keeping the USSR behind the Iron Curtain and containing Europe's socialist movements ensured US capitalist profits. When the EU formed in the 90s, they discussed dissolving NATO and implementing an EU security council, but the US refused to take no for an answer, and NATO remains.

There's no denying the US helped to defeat Germany, but preserving capitalism in Western Europe was also the goal. Oh, and of course, there's Japan - the US rebuilt their economy, and it shows. Anyway, I don't know what I'm rambling on about anymore and sorry for wasting your time, but thanks? Ha.