Clash of Titans

One of Stalin’s secret agents even confessed years later that “the idea of propagating world Communist revolution was an ideological screen to hide our desire for world domination.” (1997) The United States, however, were not blameless in causing confrontations. President Truman adopted a “get tough” policy advocated by Ambassador to the Soviet Union William Harriman. He warned that the west was facing a “barbarian invasion of Europe,” and wanted to secure at least 85 percent of what the United States wanted from the Soviets. (Ambrose, Brinkely, 1997, p. 58) Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal also wanted to take the confrontational approach. He said, “If the Russians were to be rigid in their attitude we had better have a showdown with them now rather than later.” (1997, p. 59) This attitude caused the Soviets to become even more paranoid and the dual polices of containment and massive retaliation were just as detrimental to the international situation. Slowly but surely it looked as if World War Three would commence. If the United States had not possessed the atomic bomb starting in 1945 and if the U.S.S.R. had not developed one by 1949, the balance of the world could have spiraled rapidly out of control.

The Orthodox and Revisionist opinions, while detailed and thought out, simply miss key facts of the pre Cold War era. Ever since 1900 Russia and America have been contesting each other’s interests. They were rivals over open trade in Manchuria. The United States wanted open markets where Russia wanted exclusive trading rights. The desire for territorial world domination on behalf of the Soviets and economic world domination on behalf of the Americans led to an inevitable conflict. However, it was not until after World War II where the old powers had fallen and the two new superpowers had enough strength to exert control of their respective blocs. The Cold War cannot be the fault of one or the other for it was preordained. The Soviets would not give up the territory they had won from the Nazi’s and the United States would not lose its economic influence in those countries and throughout the world. The failure of both sides to reach an understanding of the other was the true cause of the Cold War.

The French historian and politician Alexis de Tocqueville said in 1835 that, “There are now two great nations in the world, which starting from different points, seem to be advancing toward the same goal: the Russians and the Anglo-Americans….Each seems called by some secret design of Providence one day to hold in its hands the destinies of half the world.” This statement, eerily accurate, also ultimately defines the post World War II circumstances. One might imagine that a violent conflict between the Soviets Union and the United States would have been nothing short of apocalyptic. The Orthodox and Revisionist idea were primarily founded on a belief that one side or the other was responsible for the Cold War. This simple is not true. Post-Revisionist accurately describe the volatile state of affairs. America’s approaches to Russia, combined with the Soviet expansionistic drive, left little in the way of compromise. The two nations’ ideological views were completely incompatible. Democracy versus dictatorship, capitalism versus communism; each nation had set its course. While minor deviations were possible, the clash between the two titans was unavoidable.