How and why did the Cold War happen? How and why did it end? These are questions asked by many Americans. It is a spectacle that the advancements were made for two countries in opposition for each other in order to contain global dominance and progression. All in the wake of World War II ending. These two countries were the only two that were involved in the war that actually came out not completely devastated, thus the race for dominance began. In Thomas G. Paterson's book, .

             "On Every Front: The Making and Unmaking of the Cold War", he outlines these questions in a marvelous literary work that shows much research to back his work. He begins the novel by showing how Americans had a sense of pride in coming out on top during the war while not nearly as many Americans died as in other countries. .

             This sense of pride, as Paterson notes, is based simply on luck and good fortune and even makes it seem as if they thought that they were better than everyone else because of it. Americans feeling of being larger than life, so to speak, is what contributed to the post war era. Paterson then begins to explain that there is a Postwar International System in which countries exit a war as dominant, dependent, or have enough natural resources to maintain themselves and remain un-skewed and neutral. He then reveals The United States and Soviet Union as dominant over this international system and reveals their economy's advancements economically, technologically and intellectually on the rise. This advancement caused their cultures to affect others by lesser countries leading by their example. Paterson then writes of how the Cold War ended due to the pressure of the United States Military forces and its economic stagnation. Both countries simply got tired of the the ceaseless momentum and eventually both gave up the race. The Cold War was a systematic battle that ran its course and then ended. The following paragraphs will show how the United States and Soviet Union were not devastated by the end of World War II, how they urged toward global power, and then how they gave up the race all contributed to this process.