You know that the Cold War was a long conflict: It began in 1947 and didn't end until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Truman (in the grey suit) stands next to Stalin in 1945.

You also know the first two leaders of the conflict: Harry Truman was the president of the United States, and Joseph Stalin was in charge of the Soviet Union.

But how did those men and their personalities guide the early years of the Cold War?

Stalin was a dictator who had three goals: making the Soviet Union economically self-sufficient, extending Soviet influence as far west into Europe as possible, and encouraging the spread of communism around the world.

Truman was a worthy opponent. He knew that containing Soviet power would require economic strength, political alliances, and the threat of military force. His policy of "containment" (outlined in the Truman Doctrine) remained American strategy throughout the Cold War.

As a result of these two men and their personalities, the early years of the Cold War saw the United States and the USSR develop a confrontational relationship.