Factors of the Cold War

Long Term Factors:

• Russian Civil War (1918-1921)
  • The Russian Civil War was what made it a communist state (if this hadn't occured, the USSR wouldn't have become a communist state which opposed the capitalist states)
• Nazi-Soviet Pact '39
  • The West saw this pact as a guaranteed WWII. The USSR blames the west for not giving them another alternative.
• Ideological Differences
  • Capitalist states- Democratic elections every 4 years, Free economy, No welfare (social gaps), Freedom of speech (in theory) and freedom of religion
  • Communist states- Only 1 party (communist party), command economy, free healthcare, education etc. but poor quality, heavy state censorship, atheist

Short Term Factors:

• Post-War Europe: Different Visions
  • The West and the USSR had very different visions for how Europe should be run after the war. Stalin felt that the…