Who was to blame for the Cold War?

[Robespierre's Jaw]

Who was to blame for the Cold War?

I would blame the United States and President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Whilst Roosevelt assumed it was great having the Soviet Union on your side during WWII, you do not give them permission to hand them control of parts of Japan, Manchuria to get their support in the War against Japan. Not to mention parts of Eastern Europe. And from that point on, the rest is history.

That's my thoughts on the matter, so now it's your turn .

[Kaine for Senate '18]

If the USSR had not tried to control all of Eastern Europe, then we would have left them alone.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

That depends what you mean by "blame", by "Cold War", by... etc, etc, etc.

[Robespierre's Jaw]

That depends what you mean by "blame", by "Cold War", by... etc, etc, etc.

Al, here I was thinking that you could have used your intellect to bring something to this discussion regarding the Cold War, like you have with previous historical topics. Obviously my assumptions have been proven wrong. Yet should I be surprised? I don't think so.

[Хahar 🤔]

That depends what you mean by "blame", by "Cold War", by... etc, etc, etc.

Only correct answer.

[The Mikado]

Adolf Hitler.

[2952-0-0]

Human nature.

After the worst war in history, there were two superpowers of similar populations, size, land areas, with already competing social values.

How can a global war not arise from this circumstance?

[Lief 🗽]

I'm not sure blame is exactly the right word, considering that the alternative would have been a very hot war.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

That depends what you mean by "blame", by "Cold War", by... etc, etc, etc.

Al, here I was thinking that you could have used your intellect to bring something to this discussion regarding the Cold War, like you have with previous historical topics. Obviously my assumptions have been proven wrong. Yet should I be surprised? I don't think so.

You're wrong to assume that I'm trying to be awkward. It's just that, with complicated historical issues such as this, you really need to know what is meant by certain words before you can really comment.

[John Dibble]

No one person or group was to blame for the Cold War. People on all sides had a hand in it. As has been said, it could have been a very hot war instead, which may have been much worse.

[dead0man]

I'm in the "Cold War is better than Hot War" camp.

[Middle-aged Europe]

Both?

The question is who is to blame more (and if there's someone who is to blame more).

[dead0man]

Maybe a better question would be:Who deserves more praise for keeping the Cold War from going Hot, US or USSR?

[Robespierre's Jaw]

For your convenience as to why I asked this question in the first place was that, this particular question was asked in a friends Dictators of the 20th Century class. But they had more options .

[opebo]

Oh come on.  Obviously the US.

1) the far greater power
2) globally surrounding USSR
3) behaving with the utmost agression
     a - spreading capitalism through coup d etat
           or any means necessary
4) initiating and always leading the arms race

It is ridiculous to say the USSR was in anyway in control of the situation.  They could only aid home-grown freedom-fighters in Southeast Asia, Central America, and Africa in the feeblest way, while the US slaughtered same and set up rightwing despots at will.

[dead0man]

Always good for a laugh, thanks brother!

[Franzl]

Oh come on.  Obviously the US.

1) the far greater power
2) globally surrounding USSR
3) behaving with the utmost agression
     a - spreading capitalism through coup d etat
           or any means necessary
4) initiating and always leading the arms race

It is ridiculous to say the USSR was in anyway in control of the situation.  They could only aid home-grown freedom-fighters in Southeast Asia, Central America, and Africa in the feeblest way, while the US slaughtered same and set up rightwing despots at will.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[Middle-aged Europe]

The pacifism of the Soviet Union is of course a well-documented fact.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

That depends what you mean by "blame", by "Cold War", by... etc, etc, etc.

^^^^^^^^^^^^

Of course the correct answer is both, just a matter of degree.

[Person Man]

Satan.

[J. J.]

Satan.

Stalin.

[Beet]

Basically, the answer Stalin is correct. The communists were hoping for revolutions in Germany and Italy, and to agitate their way into power in France with anti-Anglo rhetoric. These did not materialize/succeed. Further, they were losing elections in Austria and Berlin. And so instead of accepting liberalism in Europe, they decided to try to take over directly and install communist governments, which alarmed the West and caused it to counter-consolidate just as effectively in Western Europe by 1948.