1. Safe Sangthongsuk
September 1st, 2009
IB History HL p. 3
To what extent were Stalin’s expansionist ambitions responsible for the onset of the Cold
War?
The responsibility of the origins of the Cold War often triggers questions among
historians yet both powers should be blamed for taking part in it. Through most analyses, the
fault was often given to Stalin’s ambitions to expand communism in Europe, a conventional idea
of the Orthodox school. Other historians revised this idea therefore blame the United States’
actions for the origins of the Cold War, which were analyses of the Revisionists. Later, the Post-
Revisionist school was adopted; its goal was not to blame any side but focused on examining
“what” caused the start of it. Even though, both sides have claimed responsibility for their
actions, Stalin’s intentions should be seen as defense actions from the West therefore, the United
States is mostly responsible for the start of the Cold War.
While most of the blames should be placed for the United States, the Soviet Union is
partly responsible for the origin of the war too. After World War II, Stalin saw in Eastern Europe
the opportunity to spread communism and protection necessities against Western attacks.
According to Schlesinger’s analysis, the Soviet’s actions were moved only by its desire to
protect themselves and the satisfaction of control over Eastern Europe. In 1947, Stalin
established Cominform. This was a plan to organize activities of Communist parties in Europe to
control capitalist ideas and spread communism hence, strengthen the Soviet’s power. Then two
years later, another one of Stalin’s foreign policy, Comecon was set up to coordinate the
economy of Eastern Europe. Although these methods were seen by the West, Stalin’s action to
secure the Soviet Union’s power, these actions were self-defensive policies against US’s
policies, the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan.

2. Stalin’s action to secure his power was the Sovietization of Eastern Europe, arguably for
the protection of the USSR against Western attacks. There had been a long history of “peace-
time” attacks of the West on Soviet Union since the early 1900s therefore Stalin seeks a buffer
zone in Eastern Europe for their protection from the West. The result of his actions was the
Soviet’s sphere of influence in almost all Eastern European countries such as East Germany,
Poland, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary, Rumania, Bulgaria and Albania. Stalin’s reason for
his actions to establish communist regimes in these countries was that most of these countries
neighbor the Soviet Union’s border and also a threat to the USSR since most of its neighbors
were in close allies with the Third Reich. By 1949, the Soviet Union had most control over
Easter Europe. The West had suspicions about Stalin’s intention in Europe whether it was for
their protection or his ambition to expand his power. Not only that Communism had spread
almost all of Eastern Europe, it also spread to the Pacific with the communist China and the
invasion of communists into South Korea. Stalin’s expansion policy seems to be quite successful
in the eye of the West.
While Stalin was putting up defensive bulwarks, the United States had been attacking the
communism hence, the Soviet Union. The economic and political pressure on the US
government has long been taking affect in the Cold War. The idea of an economic pressure was
created by historian T.J. McCormick who said that businesses and industrial sectors had been
pushing the government into the Cold War. Entering the Cold War was a way to guard
capitalism from post-war economic disaster. Not only that there was an economic pressure, a
long submerged political pressure was partly responsible for the start of the war too. Truman’s
fear of the Sovietization of Europe had scared the US governments since his policy of
containment failed. Consequently, Truman decided to take provocative and hostile actions for

3. productive results. In addition to these long-term causes, Truman took more direct actions
towards handling the Soviet Union.
The Revisionist historian, William Williams expressed that American actions was “to
promote commercial penetration of Eastern Europe” which puts the blames on their overly
hostile actions. Truman established many approaches towards the Soviet Union such as the
Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan. These unnecessarily attacks show the Soviet Union of
their intention against communism. Thus, the Stalin’s policy of Cominform and Comecon
became just reactions to Truman’s provocative acts. George Kennan’s Long Telegram was also
considered one of the main causes of the war. Kennan’s analysis mentioned that the Soviet
Union’s communist state was a threat to the American foreign policy and that the Europe should
also beware of Stalin. This aggressive analysis clearly announced the true and hostile intention of
the United States towards the Soviet Union.
To take the last perspective into account, a Post-Revisionist historian does not put the
blame on anyone but lays the fault between the two powers as John Gaddis concludes, “neither
side can bear sole responsibility for the onset of the Cold War”. As both superpowers were
emerging as winners of World War II, situations in 1945 let them into conflicts with each other.
Each country was in a position to take the leader role to rebuilt Europe after the war. The power
vacuum in central and Eastern Europe provided them with a great opportunity to be powerful. As
both countries were following their foreign policy towards the same goal, it is usual to get into
conflicts with each other.
Even though, the Soviet Union is somewhat guilty for the start of the Cold War, most of
the responsibility should place in the hands of the United States due to its unnecessarily
aggressive actions. This thesis is drawn from the evidences throughout the Cold War which has

4. proven that the United States government’s diplomatic actions had been too provocative. For this
reason, the Soviet Union had to react to these actions therefore; the Stalin’s intention should be
seen as a defense for his country against the West.