After the end of the Second World War in 1945 when Germany surrendered, a battle restricting the use of military weapons arose; it is termed as the cold war by George Orwell, an English writer. The fight was majorly between USA and Britain against the Soviet Union and its allies. The warfare thrived through political propaganda and economic fronts. Who is to blame for the onset of the battle is the question that everyone is asking and which has sparked heated debates across the world. Both the two primary states involved shifts the blame to each other. America on its side accuses Russia which in turn blames the USA. The warfare was evidence of the tension that existed between President Truman and Stalin. Individuals like Appleman Williams state that American is responsible for the cold war and its aftermath. In my opinion, both USSR and USA were responsible for the emergence of the fight, but I suppose that Russia is the primary cause.
Russia’s Fault
I firmly believe without doubts that Russia is more to blame for the outbreak of the cold war. The warfare mainly started after the end of world war two and it is after the end of the war we see USSR having the first hand in the onset of the battle because, after the end of the World War 2, it was expected to withdraw from Eastern Europe to allow for democratic erections but did not (Kuniholm 34). The Russian's intentions revealed that they would not anytime sooner give way to the rule of the people through voting and this was a cause for alarm to its rivals, the USA and its allies. The Soviet Union also went ahead in spreading its communism ideology in Europe something that did not make the USA happy because they were capitalists (Kuniholm 33).
The salami Tactics which Russia used to propagate communism in Eastern Europe to the USA was a brutal and terrible method which had non-communists murdered and demoted. The plan tactically sliced away the nonconformist political leaders. Stalin and his accomplices could portray those opposing communism as weak and requiring sympathy from the masses. He would also create some factors within the rival political parties within his blocs and find reasons to dismantle them gradually without severe opposition from the community. The USSR also spurred tension when they created the Berlin Blockade which is among the international factors that heightened the cold warfare (Kuniholm 35).
Its focus in establishing the blockade was to limit USA’s association with Europe by disconnecting the transport channels. They dismantled the railways, canals and road entries to Berlin. The action to the USA was quite alarming and called for preparation for warfare on the American’s part (Kuniholm 33). The blockade meant that The Western allies comprising of USA and Britain could not transport alms to the region. In countering the barrier, the westerners airlifted the food substances even though it was with some challenges because of the high population (Kuniholm 34).
Conclusion
Many factors led to the outbreak of the famous cold war such as the conflict of communism and capitalist ideologies. While according to others each country had equal participation in the outbreak of the cold war, in my opinion, Russia is more to blame for the onset and the aftermaths of the battle because when expected to withdraw from Eastern Europe after World War 2, it did not, and therefore anything the USA did was in countering its moves. Their Salami tactic of spreading communism is also a primary cause of the war because it resulted in deaths of Europe leaders who resisted communism.
Work Cited
Kuniholm, Bruce Robellet. The origins of the Cold War in the Near East: Great power conflict and diplomacy in Iran, Turkey, and Greece. Vol. 732. Princeton University Press, 2014.
