During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States?

• A. Capitalism
• B. Nuclear weapons
• C. Communism
• D. Mercantilism

Answer: (C)

Preventing the spread of communism. After World War II, the United States saw communist influence as a threat to democracy and to its interests around the world, so it pursued a strategy of containment—supporting free governments, forming alliances, providing economic aid, and using military means when necessary. Nuclear weapons became a central symbol and tool of the rivalry, raising the stakes, but the core aim was stopping communist expansion, not promoting capitalism, which was already the political stance of the U.S. and not the immediate concern of the era.