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The Origins Of The Cold War

Decent Essays

Cyra Mutesi-Kirenho

HI742/HI747- The Cold War, 1941-1991

How Important were individual figures in the origins of the Cold War?

The Cold War refers to a period post World War II characterised by a state of

political tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States both supported by

their allies from the Eastern and Western blocs respectively. Despite this being such

a pivotal point in modern history there is a lack of clarity stemming from much

debate regarding the catalyst for the Cold War and the ‘start’ as it were is instead

referred to as the origins. This is a debate made additionally difficult due to the

inconsistencies that lie between what actually occurred, the perception of the events

and their contemporary historical interpretations. Though there is not general

consensus between historians and scholars over the date of the Cold War, although

1941-1991 is a time span commonly agreed upon. The term was first coined by the

Bernard Baruch in 1947 to justly describe foreign relations at the time between the

Soviet Union and the United States which were in stark contrast with the World War

that had not long before ended1. On face value the origins of this war may appear

relatively simple- a mere conflict between the ideological bipolarities of communism

versus capitalism and their inability to peacefully co-exist. But in delving deeper one

may argue that it was not solely due to the aforementioned reasons but also down to

the

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