Tensions between Russia and the West have been high throughout history. In 1815, at the Congress of Vienna, Tsar Alexander was quite prepared to use the congress to pursue the traditional aims of foreign policy, in particular the aims of westward expansion and European dominance, which greatly angered the Western states. Also in 1815, Russia joined Prussia and Austria in forming the Holy Alliance, in an alliance against the other dominant European nations. Britain’s foreign secretary, Lord Castlereagh called it ‘a great nonsense’ and in the Congress System (1818-1828) Britain and France constantly disagreed with the Holy alliance. Also, during the Crimean War (1854-1856), France sided with Britain against Russian aggression in the Near East. Russia los

“Stalin, through his speeches, paid lip service to the old Marxist ideals of world revolution, including a belief in the ultimate victory of communism over capitalism, however, there is no hard evidence that Stalin ever realistically thought about invading the west.” (Leffer & Painter, Routledge, 1994, pg. 91) Despite the strength of the red army, Stalin knew that technologically he was still weaker than his opponents. And in these immediate post-war years, America had the atom bomb and the Soviet Union did not.

In August 1945, America dropped the world’s first nuclear weapon on Hiroshima in Japan. The bomb had catastrophic effects on anything in its path and showed the world the deadly and devastating effects this weapon could have. It sent shivers down the worlds entire population. If America was ever in a serious war, the world’s population (especially Russia) knew that the end of the world could come about. The Hiroshima bomb severely angered and worried Stalin as America was now successfully able to call itself the strongest superpower in the world. He knew in future disagreements; Russia would have little room to argue due to the overwhelming power of the US.

“In spite of the Berlin airlift, Marshall Aid and NATO, the feeling in the USA in 1950 was that they were losing the battle with Russia. In April 1949, the USSR tested its own atomic bomb.” (Miller, MacMillan, 1988, pg. 481) This showed the world how powerful Russia now was and the US lost its monopoly on atomic weapons and now the two strongest countries, who were major rivals, had extremely powerful weapons, with the ability to kill tens of thousands in one single explosion. Therefore this can be seen as the true beginning of the Cold War.

President Woodrow Wilson, and the United States, offered an alternative to communism. Wilson had initially kept the United States neutral in the Great War but in 1917 he proclaimed, that the “world must be kept safe for democracy.” Wilson set his fourteen points out which secured open markets, individual democracy, self-determination, individual freedom and national wealth. Wilson wanted to project good, healthy, liberal American values into the heart of world politics. Much to the anger and annoyance of Russia, who believed in much the opposite. The century would be left to witness the rivalry between these opposing ideologies: Lenin’s state communism and Wilson’s liberal, free enterprise capitalism.

In April 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) was formed. This meant that the majority of the Western allies were joined militarily to protect the world’s basic rights. It was headed by the USA and meant that if the cold war turned into a hot war, then the West would all side together and attack as one united force.

After Britain declared it could no longer support Greece against communist forces, President Truman stepped in with what was called the ‘Truman Doctrine.’ The Truman Doctrine was the beginning of American policy for the Cold War. This policy was called ‘containment’: The USA would support any country threatened by communism, so that communism couldn’t spread any further- it would be ‘contained’. Truman said, “I believe it must be the policy of the U.S to support free people who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by o

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