What were the root causes of the Cold War?

The root causes of the Cold War were ideological differences, power vacuum post-World War II, and mutual distrust between the USA and the USSR.

The Cold War, a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union, was primarily caused by deep-seated ideological differences. The USA, a capitalist democracy, and the USSR, a communist state, had fundamentally different views on how society should be structured and governed. This ideological clash was not a new phenomenon; it had its roots in the Russian Revolution of 1917, which saw the Bolsheviks, led by Lenin, overthrow the Russian Provisional Government. The USA and its allies had intervened in the Russian Civil War in support of the anti-Bolshevik White forces, which had already sown seeds of mistrust and hostility.

The end of World War II in 1945 left a power vacuum in Europe. The major European powers were devastated, and the USA and the USSR emerged as the world's two superpowers. Both sought to spread their influence and ideology across the globe, leading to a struggle for dominance. The division of Germany and Berlin into Western and Soviet zones of occupation symbolised this power struggle. The Western Allies' decision to merge their zones and create the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and the subsequent creation of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) by the USSR further intensified the conflict.

Mutual distrust and misperception also played a significant role in the onset of the Cold War. The USA was suspicious of Stalin's motives and feared a global communist takeover. The USSR, on the other hand, was wary of the USA's atomic monopoly until 1949 and saw the Marshall Plan - American aid to help rebuild Western Europe - as an attempt to weaken Soviet influence in Eastern Europe. The use of propaganda by both sides further fuelled this mistrust and misperception.

In conclusion, the root causes of the Cold War were complex and multifaceted, involving ideological differences, a post-World War II power vacuum, and mutual distrust between the USA and the USSR. These factors created a climate of tension and competition that defined international relations for much of the second half of the 20th century.