Why did America feel the need to intimidate Russia at the end of WWII?
In my opinion, the US felt the need to intimidate Russia because it was becoming clear that the USSR was going to try to be an expansionist power. Because the Soviets were going to try to expand their influence, many felt that it was necessary for us to flex our muscles to show them that they would not be able to just go wherever and do whatever they wanted. It had become clear at the Potsdam Conference and the Yalta Conference that Stalin was going to try to get as much control over as much area as he could. Given that, it seemed necessary to sort of scare him — to say “you better not try too much because we can do this to you too…” You should also think about the fact that part of the reason for ending the war quickly was to prevent the USSR from gaining any more territory, especially in East Asia.
