To what extent was the United States responsible for the collapse of the Grand Alliance at the end of the Second World War?

In writing this essay, the first thing to note is the structure of the question – ‘to what extent’ – this means that the essay will have to have two sides and deal both with the United States and the Soviet Union. The student should start by brainstorming for and against the question, coming up with potential topics for paragraphs before settling on a clear stance. The introduction will need to set out the context for the question and define the key terms before presenting a clear stance on the question. By the end of the introduction the examiner should know the student's answer. Then the student will need to address points concerning the US’s responsibility (dropping of the atom bomb, Kennan telegram, Marshall Plan) before presenting the other side of the argument, that the Soviets were responsible (Stalin’s actions in Germany/Eastern Europe). An advanced essay might then have a third section viewing other alternatives (both sides were to blame for the breakdown, the collapse was inevitable). The conclusion will need to summarise the key points and re-state the argument. An example intro is provided below:
In 1948 the last remnants of the great Grand Alliance collapsed and the first true crisis of the Cold War began. The Grand Alliance, which was responsible for the defeat of Nazi Germany, had consisted of three great powers: Great Britain, the United States, and the USSR. The historic handshake between US and USSR soldiers when they met in Berlin in 1945 at the Elbe River, when East met West, was soon replaced by an atmosphere of fear and hostility. By the time of the Berlin Crisis in 1948 such acts of friendship were gone. Instead the USSR was blockading West Berlin in an attempt to drive the Western forces out of Berlin for good. Both the United States and the USSR were responsible to some degree for the breakdown of the Alliance; however when analysing the events and decisions from 1945 to 48 it becomes clear that the USSR, and in particular Stalin, was largely to blame for the collapse.