<P> The Aftermath of World War II was the beginning of an era defined by the decline of all great powers except for the Soviet Union and the United States , and the simultaneous rise of two superpowers : the Soviet Union ( USSR ) and the United States of America ( USA ) . Allies during World War II , the USA and the USSR became competitors on the world stage and engaged in the Cold War , so called because it never resulted in overt , declared hot war between the two powers but was instead characterized by espionage , political subversion and proxy wars . Western Europe and Japan were rebuilt through the American Marshall Plan whereas Central and Eastern Europe fell under the Soviet sphere of influence and eventually an `` Iron Curtain '' . Europe was divided into a US - led Western Bloc and a Soviet - led Eastern Bloc . Internationally , alliances with the two blocs gradually shifted , with some nations trying to stay out of the Cold War through the Non-Aligned Movement . The Cold War also saw a nuclear arms race between the two superpowers ; part of the reason that the Cold War never became a `` hot '' war was that the Soviet Union and the United States had nuclear deterrents against each other , leading to a mutually assured destruction standoff . </P>
<P> The Aftermath of World War II was the beginning of an era defined by the decline of all great powers except for the Soviet Union and the United States , and the simultaneous rise of two superpowers : the Soviet Union ( USSR ) and the United States of America ( USA ) . Allies during World War II , the USA and the USSR became competitors on the world stage and engaged in the Cold War , so called because it never resulted in overt , declared hot war between the two powers but was instead characterized by espionage , political subversion and proxy wars . Western Europe and Japan were rebuilt through the American Marshall Plan whereas Central and Eastern Europe fell under the Soviet sphere of influence and eventually an `` Iron Curtain '' . Europe was divided into a US - led Western Bloc and a Soviet - led Eastern Bloc . Internationally , alliances with the two blocs gradually shifted , with some nations trying to stay out of the Cold War through the Non-Aligned Movement . The Cold War also saw a nuclear arms race between the two superpowers ; part of the reason that the Cold War never became a `` hot '' war was that the Soviet Union and the United States had nuclear deterrents against each other , leading to a mutually assured destruction standoff . </P>
what country dominated eastern europe after world war ii
what country dominated eastern europe after world war ii
the Soviet Union
the Soviet Union