Thesis Synopsis
Andrew McGoveran
Question: Who is chiefly responsible for starting the Cold War?
Thesis: The Soviet Union holds the primary responsibility for starting the Cold War, as
demonstrated by its ideology in relation to the Russian Revolution, the Soviet state structure, and
Soviet state policy.
First Argument: Actions that the Bolshevik Party took during the Russian Revolution started
the conflict between east and west that resulted in the Cold War.
The Bolshevik Party, unified under Lenin, emerged as the leader of what was to become
the Soviet Union. The western world could only react with fear of this new ideological concept
called communism, because it directly opposed the democracy and capitalism of the western
world.1
Evidence: First, just after they took over in 1917, the Bolsheviks withdrew all Russian forces
from the First World War with the signing of the Brest-Litovsk Treaty of March 1918.2 Second,
the Bolsheviks threatened to renounce all foreign debt that was left over by the Tsar.3 Last, and
most important, the western world feared and expected that the Bolsheviks would next try to
spread their communist ideals westward.4
Counter-Arguments: Churchill’s belief that Bolshevism should be “strangled in it’s cradle” was
too aggressive, and sparked conflict.
Second Argument: The Soviet State Structure contributed to the conflict of the Cold War.
Evidence: For many reasons, the Soviet Union became not a true communist nation, but an
overly-powerful dictatorship that forced communist ideals on its people. As a result, capitalist
nations could not help but feel threatened and take actions to protect themselves against any kind
of communist uprising in their country. The society that was created in the Soviet Union had
many internal flaws, most of which can be divided into two categories: treatment of the people
and corruption of the government.567
1
Steven. Kreis. "Lecture 14: The Origins of the Cold War." The History Guide. 04 Aug. 2009. (Web. 06 Oct. 2010.)
<http://www.historyguide.org/europe/lecture14.html>.
2
Marxists Internet Archive. "Brest-Litovsk Treaty." (Web. 07 Dec. 2010.)
<http://www.marxists.org/glossary/events/b/r.htm#brest-litovsk-treaty>.
3
Decree of the Central Executive Committee Annulling State Loans No. P- 344 (1918).
<http://www.marxists.org/history/ussr/government/foreign-relations/1918/February/10.htm>.
4 4
Steven. Kreis. "Lecture 14: The Origins of the Cold War." The History Guide. 04 Aug. 2009. (Web. 06 Oct.
2010.) <http://www.historyguide.org/europe/lecture14.html>.
5
Spartacus Educational. "Five Year Plan." Spartacus Educational - Home Page. (Web. 15 Dec. 2010.)
<http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/RUSfive.htm>.
6
Marxists Internet Archive. "Beginners Guide to Marxism by Marxists Internet Archive 2009." (Web. 15 Dec.
2010.) <http://www.marxists.org/subject/students/index.htm>.
Counter Arguments: The Soviet Union cannot be blamed merely for having a contrasting style
of government.
Third Argument: Soviet foreign policy contributed to the start of the Cold War.
In the time during and after the Second World War, it became clear that peaceful
relations between the United States and the Soviet Union were highly unlikely. The opposing
ideologies that the two countries had set the stage for conflict, but there still had to be a trigger to
make the tensions officially recognizable throughout the world. This trigger came in the form of
Soviet Foreign Policy leading up to the Cold War.
Evidence: After the war, Stalin demonstrated his expansionist policies by setting up satellite
states across Eastern Europe. These satellite states were run by communist governments that
were loyal and, in many ways subservient, to Moscow.8 These actions were perceived by the
western world as signs of aggression as is exemplified by this excerpt from Winston Churchill’s
famous Iron Curtain Speech, "From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain
has descended across the Continent."9
Counter Arguments: The United States decision to drop the bomb overrides all actions taken by
the Soviet Union.
Conclusion: While it is clear that both the Soviet Union and the United States took actions that
contributed to the start of the Cold War, it is equally clear that the actions of the Soviet Union far
outweigh those of the United States in the attribution of culpability. Due to its ideology in
relation to the Russian Revolution, the Soviet state structure, and Soviet state policy, the Soviet
Union holds primary responsibility for starting the Cold War.
7
Ibiblio. "Collectivization and Industrialization." Ibiblio - The Public's Library and Digital Archive. (Web. 11 Dec.
2010.) <http://www.ibiblio.org/expo/soviet.exhibit/collect.html>.
8
Loth, Wilfried. The Division of the World: 1941-1955.( London: Routledge, 1988. Print.)
9
History and Politics Out Loud "Winston Churchill and the Sinews of Peace Address." History and Politics Out
Loud: a Searchable Archive of Politically Significant Audio Materials. (Web. 12 Dec. 2010.)
<http://www.hpol.org/churchill/>.