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The Cold War was a dispute between the two power blocs, -the Soviet Union und the USA, after 1945. A direct military conflict between those superpowers did not exist, but a bitter diplomatic, economic and ideological fight instead. The term Cold War was formed in 1947 by the journalist Walter Lippmann.
In this essay I will talk about the origins of the Cold War, up to 1947.
It was as early as 1917 when the first open hostilities occurred when the communists assumed power, founded the Soviet Union and declared the western capitalist countries the ideological war. The USA, that always fiercely rejected any form of communism, refused to acknowledge the Soviet Union until 1933. The American mistrust towards the Soviet Union increased significantly when Hitler and Stalin signed a non-aggression pact in 1939. However, when Hitler turned out to become increasingly a threat to peace and order in Europe, the ideological differences between the two big powers were set aside and the USA started to support the Soviet Union in her defense against German invasion. But in 1945 tensions between the Soviet Union and the Western powers under US leadership rose again, when no consensus could be achieved on a post-war order for Europe. At the conference of Yalta Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt met to discuss the fate of Europe, of Germany, and what peace meant to them. The newly found peace meant different things to the different leaders: To Churchill, peace meant a free and democratic Europe with Britain at its head. To Stalin, peace meant an increase in Soviet power and a safeguard against further attacks from the West. To Roosevelt, peace meant a world democracy with the US at its helm. When the war came to its end and Germany was defeated Stalin interpreted the results of the Yalta Conference in his own sense and established pro-soviet regimes in central and east Europe, where necessary by using military force. He did that without any coordination with the western victorious powers. Whilst Roosevelt aimed at cooperation and consensus with the Soviet Union, his successor Truman assumed a strict anti-Soviet and anti-communist attitude, based on economic superiority and, after July 1945, on the nuclear weapon monopoly. The US vision was a free, united Europe and a free world under US leadership. The Soviet Union, in contrast, was not ready to give up or accept a weakening of her security interest and influence in central and east Europe. The US were not willing to recognize Stalin objectives and with that the first signs of a block building became evident. From now on the USA and the USSR drifted more and more apart. The US undertook immense efforts to rebuild Europe's economical (Marshall Plan) and political structures. Concurrently the Truman Doctrine was introduced aiming at containment of Soviet expansion. On the other hand the USSR was extremely anxious to increase her power and influence of the subjected areas. Therefore the USSR rejected the Marshall Plan to be extended to the east European countries because she saw in that indirect concessions to the US policy.
Reflecting the period from 1917 to 1947 mainly three aspects can be considered to be the driving factors of the Cold War:
1.) Economical interests:
Already prior WW II Europe was of economical interests to the expanding US American industry. After the war they undertook great efforts to rebuild Europe's economical capacity. They invested a lot to bring prosperity back to the Europeans so that Europe could become again a lucrative market for American products. And economical influence always facilitates political influence. Exactly for that reason the USSR rejected the Marshall Plan.
The Soviets had a different economical approach. They claimed horrent reparation payments, in particular from Germany, and dismantled complete industrial complexes and other facilities of economical value. This helped to upgrade own productivity back in the USSR. At the same time it weakened the vassal states and let them into deeper dependence on the USSR.
These two different approaches were one reason why the two blocs drifted more and more apart.
2.) Security interests:
Based on painful experiences ( Napoleon almost succeeded in conquer Moscow, later Hitler) the USSR felt an increased need for security towards the west. This in mind it is understandable that she was not willing to withdraw only one inch from the territory occupied, since the invaded countries formed a security zone against future aggression from the west.
The Americans, however, were convinced that once they withdraw their military forces from west Europe, the USSR would immediately occupy the rest of Europe. For the Americans that would have meant to lose west Europe as an economical zone and a further spread of communism, what was not in line with the Truman Doctrine.
As a result more military forces were concentrated in central Europe than elsewhere in the world over the next 40 decades.
3.) Ideological interests:
Ever since 1917 the USSR's foreign policy was subordinated to the idea of the communist world revolution. That caused tensions between democratic, liberal and capitalistic orientated regimes on one side and communist and totalitarian believes on the other side. Where political and economical means were not effective to bring communism to other people the USSR and its allies did not shy away from using massive intimidation.
As a reaction to that the USA assumed an aggressive counter attitude against everything that could be in favor or interest of communism.
That resulted in an increasingly mutual mistrust and the fronts became stiffer and stiffer. Misunderstandings and misinterpretations became more and more frequent. The USA assessed the USSR to be aggressive and expansionist and reacted with the already mentioned Truman Doctrine. Whilst the western hemisphere had the strong will to defend freedom and democracy against all attacks and influences from outside the communist governments pursuit with all means the export of their ideology. That basically made it impossible to achieve a real 'peaceful coexistence' between east and west. The permanent mistrust always gave reasons not to yield to the other side's proposal and offers. It can be stated that ideological differences dominated all political and economical interest and therefore they played the absolute decisive role in the origins and process of the Cold War.
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