The U.S.S.R. eventually had its way in Eastern Europe as seen with the triumph of communism in countries such as Poland and Czechoslovakia. The U.S.S.R. even extended its communist influence in countries such China, Afghanistan and Cuba. The Eastern European communist countries were collectively known as the Iron Curtain. In response to the efforts of the Soviet Union to increase her sphere of influence, the U.S. conceptualized the Truman Doctrine and implemented the Marshall Plan. Both policies were formulated with the specific intention of mitigating the spread of communism in the international community. The world during the Cold War era became a battleground of communist and democratic ideals. The Marshall Plan involves financial aid to countries ravaged by World War II. The U.S. is working on the pretext that helping impoverished countries to rebuild would rear them away from the clutches of communism because the U.S. believes that poverty and dissent are breeding grounds in which communism tends to thrive. The U.S. For that matter offered the Plan to Eastern European countries, but said countries declined with availing of the Plan because the U.S.S.R. provided for the funds that they needed.

Under the Truman Doctrine, the U.S. would explicitly oppose Soviet expansion in Europe. The manifestation of the operational implications of the doctrine is seen in the active role of the U.S. when it sent military and economic assistance to Turkey and Greece to curb the advance of communist ideals in the two countries. The Vietnam War is another key point in which the Doctrine was seen. The U.S. sent its military troops...

As the Americans waged war against the communist movement in Vietnam it became a war of attrition for them as they subsequently withdrew their forces and conceded control of the Vietnamese government with the fall of Hanoi. These in my view are but a few examples of the proxy wars waged by the superpowers throughout the world in their quest to determine which ideology is superior.
The conflict between the two superpowers is likewise seen in the manner in which they dealt with Germany. The Americans established a democratic government in West Germany while East Germany embraced the communist ideals. The cold war was manifested in the arms race between the two superpowers. They competed in terms of advancing their weapons for their respective military because they believe that a more sophisticated array of weapons in their arsenal would bring about security for themselves and their allies and more importantly, ensure deterrence over the long-term. The Cold War is seen in the propaganda efforts of the two superpowers. Americans are perceived as abusive capitalists bent on increasing their profit to the detriment of the masses while the Soviets are pictured as oppressive leaders who do not respect human rights.

References

Ellis, Elizabeth Gaynor and Anthony Esler. World History: Connections to Today. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2003.

Stearns, Peter and Donald Schwartz. World History: Traditions and New Directions. New York: Addison Wesley, 1991.