What if?

The States of 2012 would change drastically. Becoming allies with the Soviet Union could cause us to see the world through the eyes of Russia and China. The country would be somewhat of a communist country. But the laws supporting freedom would just cause us to have less liberation in the country. The censorship of the internet would already be in play, the music will be less vulgar (which wouldn't be such a terrible thing), and taxes would be equal so that the Occupy movements would be unnecessary. The protests against other wars wouldn't be as drastic because of our alliance with Russia and China. 

I envisioned a big change in 2012 because if we're not as worried about arguing with the Russians, we wouldn't be worried about the dangers of an atomic bomb. However, if we have a strong bond with Russia and China, the world itself would be a monopoly. Russia and China have similar views on politics. If three of the more powerful countries are all agreeing on something, then nothing could stop them from controlling the entire world. 

The enjoyable thing about creating an alternative future is that everyone wishes they could change an event in their lives. But when we are to search a historical event and alter that, we learn more and more about the event in the process. Rather than reading about a certain topic in the world and writing a paper, we had to go in depth about a specific events in order to understand how we can make a change. Sometimes having the knowledge on a specific matter doesn't mean you are an expert. You're an expert when you can make a difference that is plausible to a time you weren't present. Also, creating such a bond and a change between America and Russia over a common enemy seemed intangible, but it made sense. If two strong countries worked against one country who's main motive was to conquer, they could overcome any problem. 

President Harry Truman was the man of the divergence. If the president really planned out the events following Japan's atomic bombing and realized that Japan's citizens shouldn't have to suffer for their leaders' actions, then he would have waited. Sure the war would have dragged out for 10 months or more rather than 10 days, but it may make an impact. America may not be the free and liberal place is it now, but it would be more strict than it is. Our educational and economic situation may not be present in the alternative history. The changes of the government by the government would cause a more miserable America, however it'll be a more stable America. 

The best way to improve my point of divergence is to create a more in-depth explanation of Truman's chat with the Soviet Union. If we created an alliance, how did it happen? What happened in the room? But like other governmental events, most are top secret. So to personally understand President Truman and to understand the Soviet Union's government better, it would've created a better project. To understand this event alone, you must understand everything. If I had a chance to change my process, I wouldn't spend so much time researching President Harry Truman's other decisions, but I would have tried to understand the Soviet's government and Truman's decisions with other issues. 

New York Times 

TIME Magazine Article