-

The Origins of the Cold War

Ideological differences between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) were one of the main causes of the Cold War. The US was a capitalist democracy, while the USSR was a communist dictatorship.
Mutual suspicion and fear were also significant in instigating the Cold War. Both powers were wary of the other’s intentions, with the US concerned about the spread of communism, and the USSR worried about an attack from the West.
The Yalta and Potsdam Conferences in 1945 were where differences between the Allies about the future of Europe began to emerge, thus setting the stage for the Cold War.

The Iron Curtain was a term used by Winston Churchill in 1946 to describe the division between Communist Eastern Europe and non-Communist Western Europe
The Truman Doctrine was the US’s policy to stop the spread of communism that it announced in 1947. It aimed to support any country threatened by communist rebellion.
The Marshall Plan was established by the US to help reconstruct European economies and prevent the spread of communism post World War II. This plan was seen by the USSR as a way to extend US influence in Europe.
In 1947, the Cominform was set up by the USSR as a means to control the communist governments in Eastern Europe.
The Berlin Blockade (1948-49) was an attempt by the USSR to gain control of West Berlin by cutting off all land and water routes to it. This move intensified Cold War tensions.
The creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) in 1949 saw a formal alliance between Western countries in response to the Soviet blockade of Berlin, signalling a major escalation in the Cold War.
The Chinese Revolution when communist forces under Mao Zedong took power in 1949, scared the US further about the possibility of global communist spread.
The nuclear arms race intensified the Cold War, particularly after 1949 when the USSR successfully tested its first atomic weapon and ended the US’s monopoly on nuclear arms.