Cold War Origins

COLD WAR ORIGINS
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Introduction
Undoubtedly, the cold war was one of the most significant developments of the 20th century. It began immediately after the Second World War and lasted nearly five decades, ending in 1989. The conflict developed from longstanding political and diplomatic disagreements between the United States and the Soviet Union, dating back to the end of the Russian Revolution in 1917. During that period, the Soviet communist party viewed itself as the movement that would dominate political orders in the West, if not the entire world. On its side, the United States refused to recognize the Soviet Union until 1933. However, one interesting aspect of the relationship between the two heavyweights was that they fought as allies in the Second World War. As Gaddis puts it, the war was won by a coalition that was already at war ideologically and geopolitically. At the end of it, suspicions between the two resurfaced again. This, to a considerable extent, happened because they espoused two ideologies that contrasted sharply. On one hand, America rooted for democracy, equality, and liberty, especially in Europe, where dictatorships loomed large. In addition, the United States advocated open trade with the hope of reducing barriers to promote global economic growth. On the flip side, the Soviet Union favored a Marxist-Leninism ideology that supported communism. The interplay between the two contrasting ideologies led to the cold war as the two superpowers jostled to assert their power and dominance. It is crucial, for people, with an interest in history to understand the intricacies of the cold war, given the implications it had on the entire world. In addition, understanding its origins helps people understand what triggered the phenomenal conflict. The origins of the early cold war, 1945-1955, can be traced to a combination of political, economic, and ideological factors in post-World War 11 Europe.[John Lewis Gaddis. The Cold War. Penguin Books, 2006, 6.] [Burleigh Hendrickson. The Cold War — An Overview. n.d. /humanities/whp-1750/, par. 3]
Political Factors
Power Vacuum in Europe after WW11
One of the most fundamental outcomes of the Second World War was that it completely altered the old International System. That system placed such European countries as Britain, Germany, Italy, and France on the pedestal of world politics. They were the main political actors since they had immense influence. However, the war precipitated a paradigm shift because it left the principal European countries considerably weakened. For instance, major European cities lay in utter ruins, which, in turn, devastated the region’s economy. The desolation did not spare ordinary citizens as they engaged in the most extraordinary population movement in European history. Some were returning from Soviet exile, from forced labor in Germany, and concentration camps. They crammed railway stations and camped on dirty cement floors waiting for the next train to take them home or search for better lives. This happened while epidemics and starvation lurked on the horizon. In short, Europe was in shambles and could longer assert its political dominance in the world arena.[Anne Applebaum. Iron Curta...