Origins of the Cold War

The Cold War was the ongoing state of tension between the Soviet Union and the United States that occurred from 1946 to 1991. The hostility between the two countries was evident through political affairs, military and weaponry intensification, and economic rivalry. At many points in time, the two sides were on the verge of nuclear confrontation, which would have vastly altered the world as people know it today. Fortunately, the two countries never engaged in major warfare, thereby coining the state of friction as a cold war. Progressing forward, the purpose of this essay is to expound the origins of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States. In order to accomplish present objectives, this paper will proceed as follows: Part 1 will discuss the early distrusts and suspicions that developed between the Soviet Union and United States during the war and the conflicts of interest that arose concerning post war goals, Section 2 will explicate the events surrounding the early years of the Cold War, namely 1945 to 1949, and ultimately, Portion 3 will simultaneously illuminate the controversy over the atomic bomb and how it was involved with the issues surrounding the Soviet Union and United States and will bring this essay to a closure. To begin with, the Soviet Union and United States had early distrusts and suspicions during World War II. As well as this, the two countries had conflicts of interest concerning post war goals. The main reason as to why the two countries were so distrustful of each other was the fact that their ideals were poles apart. For instance, in the United States there were free elections, personal freedom, capitalism, and a Social Darwinist concept for survival. On the other hand, in the Soviet... ... middle of paper ... ... demonstrate that the United States was the most powerful country in the world and was not be trifled with. Taking this into account, the atomic bomb created various issues between the Soviet Union and United States. As a result of the atomic bomb, the Soviets engaged themselves in a nuclear arms race with the Americans, thereby contributing to the cause of the Cold War. With both the Soviets and the Americans in fear, the sides attempted to create stronger, more powerful bombs that they could use to shock one another. All in all, as the Cold War raged on and tensions boiled, the nuclear arms race intensified and the fear of a thermonuclear war was at a peak high. Fortuitously, the tensions between the Soviets and Americans cooled and the Cold War froze, becoming a part of history rather than exploding into a hot war that may have ended life on planet Earth itself.