The ideological battle between the two big powers was what shaped the “world system” during the Cold War period. The U.S./Western bloc was on one side, while the Soviet Union/East bloc was on the other side. Both sides had an interest in showing the other as the archenemy. Both sides purported themselves as the representative of the “good” while trying to portray the other as the manifestation of “bad.” There were masses that believed these descriptions on both sides. The smaller and weaker countries sided with either block based on ideological, political, military and economic reasons.