Causes of the Cold War

There are several who have a different approach of whether it’s the U.S or the Soviets’ fault for causing the Cold War. In reality, they have always had clashing ideologies and different structures of government that have played a major role in leading them to embark upon such a distrustful relationship. Furthermore, the Soviets distrusted the U.S way before WWII when they intervened in the Russian Civil War and didn’t recognize the Soviet Union until 1933. As a result, during and after WWII, the Soviets were determined to dominate European countries with their own political agenda to become the hegemonic power and believed the U.S. had the same motive. However, the U.S was more eager on protecting these Eastern countries from communist influence and sustaining stability throughout these regions.

Despite the U.S’s effort to come to a mutual agreement with the Soviets after the war at the Yalta Conference, tension has gradually progressed throughout the years that led to an even further separation between the two leading powers (Doc H). In addition to, the Soviets disregarded the compromises made at the Yalta Conference to have free and fair elections in Europe, instead creating a buffer in Eastern Europe, settling Soviet satellites (Doc F).

By committing such actions, the U.S automatically became suspicious and concluded that the Soviets were ultimately compelled to spread communism. The U.S further distrusted the Soviets when they secretly signed the Nonaggression Pact with the Nazis, to acquire half of Poland for security reasons, so Germany doesn’t invade Russia (Doc C). This pact made it clearly evident for the U.S that the Soviets are not loyal, that their primary goal is to protect their own interests or assets fir...

... middle of paper ...

...nly set

up for defensive means.

Overall, the recent developments that caused the Cold War led to this permanent

indifference between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The suspicion, distrust, and disloyalty, had

an indefinite root between the two and would always be throughout the years over global issues

and within their own borders. Because they both inevitably adopted policies that shaped their

citizens’ lives the way they want them to be, as illustrated during the Red Scare in the 1950s, in

which the U.S hunted down anybody or destroyed anything with communistic values. And the

same goes for the Soviets, whereas they terminated anybody with any ideology apart from the

one they accept. But the two leading powers during these centuries were both at fault; they

both contributed to this separation and were of equal blame.