The Cold War was a period of tension whereby the Western world and the communist democracies of Eastern Europe were in conflict as a result of an ideological and geopolitical struggle for global influence. Tensions never led to direct military engagement, but the conflict was through diplomacy, arms race, and proxy wars. The Soviet Union, also known as the USSR, was a socialist and communist area in Russia and some surrounding areas created in 1922. Many people and scholars would suggest that the Soviet Union was to blame for the Cold War due to the actions of Stalin who was the Soviet Union leader and wanted world domination. It is common for a traditionalist view of thought to argue that Stalin and the USSR were the cause of the Cold War. Traditionalists argue that the Soviets were aggressive in their economic policy, and they were considered to be proactive and aggressive in disturbing potential peace in the aftermath of
the Second World War. Many would argue that the Soviet Union started the Cold War convincingly and accurately as they can be seen to have been ultimately forcing communism upon European countries which created this period of tension. However, others may argue that what is called a revisionist viewpoint, which was prominent in the later 1960s, is more convincing as it considers US policy after World War II. The revisionist approach believed that the USA was potentially equally to blame as their policies were focused on spreading capitalism in democracies and that this was the overall cause of the Cold War. These policies were arguably based on economic benefit for the US and therefore it is possible to argue that the Soviet Union and the USA were both to blame for the emergence of the Cold War. Different schools of thought influence the extent to which people may argue that the Cold War was solely the Soviet Union’s fault.