To What Extent Was the Cold War Inevitable? With the end of World War II (WWII) in 1945 began the Cold War, an international conflict that lasted from 1947–1991 and plagued nations across the globe. As the post-war negotiations were deliberated by three of the strongest world powers, the United States (US), Britain, and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), disagreements arose that created tension between the US and the USSR and ultimately instigated the infamous “Fifty Years War” (Crockatt 64). But was this conflict avoidable, or was the Cold War simply inevitable? In order to effectively answer to this issue, the origins and conflicts leading to the Cold War must be evaluated with reference to the post-war territorial
The Soviet Union was actually “chiefly concerned with rebuilding its shattered economy” (Crockatt 67), contrary to belief of the US. In addition, the countries that the communists took over were less about expansionism, because “when [the Soviets] took power they had ready at had scores of housekeeping tasks and overdue reforms” (Crockatt 68). Another reason that points to the fact that the Cold War was not completely inevitable was Soviet and German relations during WWII. Stalin was intimidated by Nazi Germany during WWII and needed a form of security, which resulted in the development of the Nazi-Soviet non-aggression pact. This pact “indicated that ideology was no barrier to agreement” (Lightbody 6), thus further enforcing that the clash in ideologies between the US and USSR was not solely enough to make the Cold War inevitable. Furthermore, the Soviet’s exclusion from Atlantic Charter of 1941 implies that Stalin was “defending the Soviet Union against US policies that were designed to undermine communism” (Lightbody 6). The Soviet may not have necessarily been against the US, but against the ideals that would be enforced upon their government. Additionally, if the US had not ceased Lend-Lease payments to the Soviet Union and had admitted them to NATO, tension would not have risen to new heights. Moreover, When Roosevelt died, Truman was less willing to recognize Soviet sphere of influence and was more conservative with