Long Term causes of the Cold War

Communism

• Believed that human society operated according to scientific principles
• Everyone is equal, no social class system
• No-one is poor and everyone will get what they need, not what they want.

Capitalism

• Survival of the fittest
• governement does not get involved in the market
• Free market

Why does a difference in ideology cause problems?

Communists beleived that capitalism split classes and that it exploited workers.

Capitaists thought that communsim sucked wealth out of the country.

Long Term Factors

• Capitalism and Communism
• Russia's decision to pull out of WW1
• Russia's refusal to honour debts
• Execution of the Tsar
• Allied intervention in the Russian civil war
• Appeasement
• Nazi-Soviet Pact
• The Delayed Second Front, (Delaying D-day)

Capitalism and Communism

Communism was seen as a direct threat to the privileges, Status and power of the elites that formed the governements in the west. Both saw each other as a threat

Russia's decision to pull out of WW1

The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk which agreed the terms of Russia leaving the war led to a feeling of betrayal amongst the Allies as they felt they could no longer rely on Russia to support or help them.

Russia's refusal to honour debts

Not only did the west feel betrayed and angry towards the Russians for leaving the war, but then they refused to pay back their debts. This led to more tension and distrust felt by the west

Execution of the Tsar

Nicholas II was the Kings cousin and so therefore when he was executed the King was reluctant to undertake communication with the country.

Allied intervention in the Russian civil war

Britain, France, USA and Japan all intervened in the Civil War. The Bolsheviks did not forget that these countries had been active in plotting the downfall of their governement and refused to trust them.

Appeasement

The USSR was highly suspicious of Britain's policy of appeasement towards Germany, seeing it as an attempt to placate Hitler and turn his attention away from the west and towards the USSR.

Nazi Soviet Pact

The Nazi soviet pact made America and the rest of the western world trust Russia even less because they decided to side withe Germany