Consider a range of factors which led to the Cold War

Mutual Distrust

The differing and clashing of ideologies between the U.S and the USSR lead to mutual distrust and suspicion which caused each side to act against one another. The mistrust between the east and west were evident from the start of World War II. The west (France, Britain and U.S.A) and USSR had become allies to uproot their common enemy – Nazi Germany. After the destruction of Germany, the super powers then turn their backs to each other to create a world of their own makings, one that included the spread of their particular ideology which was a key cause to the Cold War. The key event between the two superpowers took place in the Yalta conference in February 1945. The purpose of this conference was to decide what to do with Germany after its defeat. During the time, both U.S and the USSR had made agreements in a civil manner and the Soviet Union even promised to join the U.N (United Nations). However, this friendship did not last for too long, as both the superpowers started clashing against each other to secure their position in the race to ultimate domination. Historians consider this even as the major event that had set spark to the start of the Cold War. Another key event that had occurred to mutual distrust was the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact in August 1939. This was a treaty signed by Soviets and Germans which guaranteed the neutrality of either country if the other one was attacked and also split Poland between the two countries. By aligning the Soviet Union with Germany, the Nazi-Soviet Pact placed the U.S and the Soviet Union on opposite sides of the conflicts when World War II broke out in 1939. 

Mutual Suspicion

The never ending conflicts between the superpowers had caused mutual distrust to advance a step further into misconception. It is clear from studying the history of the cold war that the duel had started due to nothing but misconceptions.  

Nuclear Warfare

At the Potsdam Conference of 1945, Harry S. Truman (president of U.S) told Joseph Stalin (leader of Soviets) that he had ‘a new weapon of unusual destructive force’. Truman however did not reveal many details. It was certain from the fact that Stalin was not surprised to hear about the bomb, as he already had spies in the Manhattan Project that “leaked” the progress of the work to him. According to sources, straight after the Potsdam conference, Stalin deployed Soviet scientists to create their own nuclear weapon. As Germany fell, capturing more scientists who had worked on the Nazi German atomic bomb was a vital task for both U.S.A (launched operation paperclip) and U.S.S.R. In the end, both succeeded to a degree: the Red Army had captured the Kaiser Wilhelm Research facility in Berlin and most of its scientists whilst others fled or were captured by the United States. These helped the countries with their nuclear programs significantly. Then again, Stalin had seen the dropping of the atomic bomb more directed at the U.S.S.R than the Japanese. In February 1945, his ‘Bolsher speech’ blamed America of using the atomic bomb to increase Imperialism.  In spite of this, historians have developed a possibility which clearly show that Truman had decided that he was ‘sick of babying the Soviets’. Former president, Roosevelt had asked for the Red Army’s help in the Pacific because America had not come up with the atomic bomb, but as soon as this changed, Truman (then president) believed that he could take the Japanese single handed. His intents were to not let the Soviets come in to the war to occupy more land (Manchuria and North Korea).