text: how did europe come to be dominated by the united states and the soviet union after 1945? ....trace the stages of the cold war,  why were 1956 and 1962 particularly crucial years? the soviet union tried to spread its ideals and take over all the other countries, unfortunately in the name of communism, and the us tried to make sure that "communism" didn't spread. i think in those years, smaller countries tried to gain independence from the ussr