How Far Do You Agree That the Origins of the Cold War in 1945 and 1946 Owed Much to the Ideological Differences and Little to Personalities and Conflicting National Interests?

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How far do you agree that the origins of the Cold War in 1945 and 1946 owed much to the ideological differences and little to personalities and conflicting national interests? The origins of the Cold War are undeniably due to the great ideological differences between the USSR’s communism and the USA’s capitalism. Their opposing beliefs over nationalisation and the system of government put massive tension on the leaders’ relationship. However, national interests such as the fight over Poland and the leaders’ personalities cannot be overlooked as each are important in the understanding of the growing hostilities between superpowers. The ideological differences are clearly some of the biggest underlying causes of the tensions between the superpowers of the world during the Cold War, especially the years 1945 to 1946; however the personalities of the leaders cannot be overlooked and were a huge contributing reason for the ever growing hostilities between them. Joseph Stalin, the leader of the USSR and communist regime, was a figure known for being shrewd, manipulative and ruthless. These traits suggested that relations with other countries, that were so different to his, were to be strained. Although he was known for these negative characteristics, he was also commended for his sense of practicality and his skills as an administrator, suggesting that perhaps his ability to put aside differences may be an advantage to him when communicating with other leaders. It was common knowledge of the time that Stalin was an autocratic leader, often regarded as a dictator, and that he was harsh in the running of his country. His use of heavy censorship, harsh industrialisation and a systematic use of terror through his employment of Red Terror and the Cheka to silence those against communism could repel and put a strain on the relationships between the leaders of the USA and
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