What were the Long-Term
Causes of the Cold War?
L/O – To identify the ideological differences and mutual
suspicions that developed between the USA and USSR
What was the Cold War?
• The term ‘cold war’ describes periods of
hostility and high tension between states
that stops just short of war.
• Between 1945-1989 a ‘Cold War’ existed
between the USA and USSR. Both had
emerged as superpowers after WW2.
Nuclear weapons made the possibility of
war between them unthinkable.
• Instead, the Cold War was defined by
ideological conflict with ‘proxy wars’ being
fought across the world like in Korea in the
1950s, Vietnam in the 1960s/70s and
Afghanistan in the 1980s.
What was the Cold War?
• The Cold War also involved economic rivalry
and the development of huge espionage
networks as each side tried to infiltrate the
other.
• At times, it seemed like nuclear annihilation
was imminent, like during the Cuban Missile
Crisis of 1962. However there were also
periods of calm and cooperation.
• The war ended unexpectedly in the late
1980s when the Soviet Union collapsed,
leaving the USA as the sole superpower.
Communism vs Capitalism
• The USA and USSR were seen by many in the
early 20th century as inevitable enemies. This
was due to their fundamentally different
political and economic systems.
• The Bolshevik Revolution in 1917 saw
communism established in Russia by
Vladimir Lenin.
• Communism or Marxism was based on the
19th century ideas of Karl Marx. Marx
advocated a new type of government that
promised a ‘classless’ society – this
threatened the very existence of Western
Capitalist Democracies like the USA.
Two Rival Ideologies
The West
The USSR
Economic Differences: Capitalism
Economic Differences: Communism
Individuals should be able to compete with
each other with a minimum of state
interference and make as much money as
they wish. This is known as Capitalism.
Capitalism creates divisions between rich and
poor. Thus all businesses and farms should be
owned by the state on behalf of people. This
is Communism.
Individuals are thus encouraged to work hard
by the promise of individual reward.
Goods will be distributed to individuals by the
state. Everyone will thus get what is needed
and everyone will be working for the
collective good.
Political Differences: Liberal Democracy
Political Differences: One-Party State
Individuals choose the government through
voting. There is a range of political parties to
choose from.
There is no need for a range of political
parties, as the Communist Party truly
represents the views of all the workers and
rules on behalf of the people.
Individuals have certain rights, such as
freedom of speech and freedom of the press.
Individual freedoms valued by the West are
not necessary.
Idealism vs. Self-Interest
• The USA and USSR both believed that
their political philosophy was ‘right’,
and the best way to create a just
society.
• Each side believed that it offered the
only true path to ‘peace, freedom,
justice and plenty’ for all.
• However behind the idealism, the
USA and USSR were also motivated by
their own self-interests and power
politics.
The West
The USSR
What ideals underpinned the view of each country?
• Idealism of Presidents Woodrow Wilson
and Franklin D. Roosevelt
• Struggle for a better world based on
collective security, political selfdetermination and economic integration.
• Peace, freedom, justice and plenty
• Marxist idealism and Stalinism
• Struggle for a better world based on
international socialism
• Peace, freedom, justice and plenty
How was this to be achieved by each country?
• Achieved by democracy/Capitalism and
international co-operation
• Achieved by spreading Soviet-style
Communism
What elements of self-interest lay behind each country’s ideals?
• The need to establish markets and open
doors to free trade
• The desire to avoid another economic
crisis of the magnitude of 1929
• President Truman and most of the postwar US administration’s belief that ‘what’s
good for America is good for the world’
• The need to secure borders
• The need to recover from the effects of
World War Two
• The need to regain strength as the
‘nursery of Communism’
• Stalin’s belief that what’s good for the
USSR is good for workers of the world
Increasing Hostility: 1917-1939
• The intervention of the West in the Russian Civil War (19181922) supporting the conservative forces – the Whites – in
their attempt to overthrow the Bolsheviks.
• The USSR did not receive recognition nor was allowed to
join the League of Nations until the 1930s.
• The appeasement of Hitler by the West in the 1930s was
partly motivated by fear of Soviet Communism.
• The Non-Aggression Pact (Nazi-Soviet Pact) between the
USSR and Nazi Germany in 1939 allowed Hitler to
concentrate on attacking the West.
What was the significance of Stalin?
• Another problem for many in the West was
the nature of Stalin’s Russia. ‘Stalinism’ was a
particular brand of Communism that was
seen as evil at the time.
• Stalin ruled as a dictator. His policies
included ruthless collectivisation which led
to the deaths of millions. His ‘five-year plans’
improved industry so he could defeat Nazi
Germany.
• In the 1930s, Stalin launched the ‘Great
Terror’ which resulted in purges of all
political opponents as well as millions of
ordinary people, most of whom died.
What was the significance of Stalin?
• By 1945, Stalinism seemed poised to take-over
Europe. It meant:
1. The dominance of Stalin over the
party, and the party over state
institutions
2. A powerful state security machine
3. The ruthless maintenance of power by
the elimination of opposing leaders,
groups or entire sections of the
population
4. The development of a regime
associated with paranoia and violence.
Stalin’s Role in World War Two
• Stalin had hoped to delay an attack from Nazi
Germany by signing the 1939 Nazi-Soviet Pact.
• However in June 1941, Hitler invaded the
USSR. Operation Barbarossa was the biggest
military operation in history.
• The Red Army was pushed back, Ukraine was
overrun and Moscow threatened. However the
Soviets fought back, and after victory at
Stalingrad in 1942, the Nazis were pushed
back.
• Stalin’s victory over Nazi Germany made him
more secure and put the USSR in a position to
emerge as one of the leading powers in the
post-war world.
Why did the USA and USSR emerge as
superpowers after 1945?
Military
Reasons
• To defeat Germany, the USA had become the number one air-force power in
the world.
• To defeat Germany, the USSR had become the number one land-force power
in the world.
• France and Britain’s inability to defeat Germany had changed the balance of
power. They had become ‘second rank’ powers.
• The USSR now lacked any strong military neighbours. This made it the
regional power.
• The USA’s economy was strengthened by the war. It was now able to outproduce all the other powers put together.
• The USA was committed to more ‘open trade’. Its politicians and business
people wanted to ensure liberal trade, and market competition flourished.
The United States was willing to play an active role in avoiding the reEconomic
emergence of the disastrous pre-war pattern of trade-blocs and tariffs.
Reasons
• The USA had the economic strength to prevent a return to instability in
Europe.
• The small Eastern European countries that had been created after World War
One were not economically viable on their own, so they needed the support
of a stronger neighbour, and the USSR could replace Germany in this role.
Why did the USA and USSR emerge as
superpowers after 1945?
• For the West, the outcome of World War Two showed that the ideals
of democracy and international collaboration had triumphed over
fascism. Thus the political system of the USA was the right path for
the future.
• For the Soviet Union, it was Communism that had triumphed over
fascism. Indeed, Communism had gained widespread respect in
Political
Europe because of its part in resisting the Germans.
Reasons
• The USSR’s huge losses, and the role of the Red Army in defeating the
Nazis, gave Stalin a claim to great influence in forming the post-war
world.
• The USSR had the political (as well as military) strength to prevent a
return to instability in Eastern Europe. Communism could fill the
political vacuum there.
Superpower Rivalry
• Given their relative strength, the USA and
USSR came to dominate, creating a
‘bipolar’ international system.
• They would dictate the post-war
settlement in Europe however during this
process, the Grand Alliance set-up during
the war collapsed.
• By 1949, the Cold War had come into
existence. This would last for forty years
until the collapse of the Soviet Union in
1989.