The united states and the soviet union became the two superpowers following world war ii. what did they do to go about defending their position to one another and the world?

In terms of the position of the United States, the policy was one of "containment," in which the Us tried to stop the spread of communism through proxy wars and covert operations. For the USSR, they tried to take over as much new territory as possible. 

Starvation, debt, financial downfall.