When and Why Did the Cold War Start? Was any Individual or Power the Primary Cause of the Cold War?

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When and Why Did the Cold War Start? Was any Individual or Power the Primary Cause of the Cold War?

The cold war in its original form was a presumably mortal antagonism, arising in the wake of the Second World War, between two ‘rigidly hostile blocs’. One led by the Communist Soviets and the other by Capitalist United States. It has been described as an ‘inevitable clash of ideologies’. However the question arises as to how the Cold War began, after all during the Second World War, The USSR and the US were war allies. How could former members of the ‘Grand Alliance’ establish such a distrust and suspicion of the one another? Many historians and political analysts have tried to prove theories of the start of the Cold War. For example Gaddis argued that the Cold war was:

Stalin’s project, resulting from his paranoid personality, his revolutionary zeal and his ideological fervor’ [John L, Gaddis ‘We Now Know: Rethinking Cold War History 1997]

Differing theories make it hard to come to any sort of conclusions on the question of who or what was the primary cause of the war, there do seem to be however a number of initial causes, the removal of a common enemy being a major factor. As we see the differences laid bare between capitalist USA and communist Russia for all to see once their attentions were no longer diverted to Germany. A realization by Stalin himself:

The alliance between ourselves and the democratic faction of the capitalists succeeds because the latter had an interest in preventing Hitler’s domination…at present we are with one faction against the other , but in the future we shall be against this faction of the capitalists as well’.  [Leffler, M. ‘Origins of the Cold War 2nd ed’ 2005]

This was also evidence that Stalin believed the ideological conflict was inevitable, it puts into question the very alliance, perhaps it was mere military convenience for both parties at the time of having a common interest. Two contrasting ideologies could never really work together effectively, or perhaps they could.

Stalin’s reasons for abolishing the Comintern, evidence that this was a mere gesture as opposed to a ‘grand gesture’ are doubted due to the fact that the same rationalization was propounded internally as well as publicly:

Stalin emphasized the demands of the anti-fascist struggle – the strengthening of allied unity and the facilitation of the ‘work of patriots of all countries in uniting the progressive forces thus clearing the way for the future organization of a companionship of nations based upon their equality’ [Leffler, M. ‘Origins of the Cold War 2nd ed’ 2005]

It highlights Stalin’s willingness to cooperate with the West and make some concessions, which contradicts theories by Gaddis and Stalin’s totalitarian nature.

Even during the Cold War Stalin remained often optimistic on future cooperations with the West:

At no time during the Cold War did Stalin or his successors give up completely on the idea of collaboration with the West. Indeed on one reading Soviet foreign policy during the Cold War years was one long search for a return to some kind of ‘Grand Alliance’’’. [Leffler, M. ‘Origins of the Cold War 2nd ed’ 2005]

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Germany and Poland were issues that heightened tensions between the Grand Alliance. Stalin’s hate and distrust for the Germans made difficult the diplomatic solution over what to do with Germany, in his revolution anniversary speech of November 1944 he believed:

‘It would be simple minded to think that she will not attempt to restore her power and develop some new aggression’. [Leffler, M. ‘Origins of the Cold War 2nd ed’ 2005]

Even before the end of the war Stalin’s suspicions were evident over the intentions of Britain’s role concerning Germany. In a cable to Ambassador Maisky in London ...

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