On September 2, 1945, World War II ended with the Japanese surrender. America had recently used the atomic bomb on Nagasaki and Hiroshima, killing thousands. The war that had seemed everlasting was finally over. Americans were proud of the outcome and impact the United States had played. However, the Soviets were not. They had suffered the highest death tolls compared to the other nations in the war and wanted compensation for this sacrifice. But the US did not trust the Soviets' communist government. As a result, the peace did not last long as the US entered the conflict against the Soviet Union known as the Cold War, which started in 1947 and lasted until 1991.