Who do you think was mostly responsible for starting the cold war?

I think both sides had their share in it.

[edit on 20-6-2004 by asala]

The Cold War was a result more of Stalin's take over of Eastern Europe.

Stalin was paranoid, he killed his best generals before WW2 because he feared them. He killed millions because he thought they'd rise up against them.

And after WW2, he turned away from dealing with the west because he thought they were out to "get him".

Truman's fear of U.S. isolationism exaggerated Stalin's rhetoric.

The bipolarity after the destruction of all the world but the U.S. and Soviet Union made it easier.

The reduced communications because of Stalin's paranoia made it easier.

But as a whole, it was Stalin's fault.

Had Stalin said, "Ok...when do we begin tourism?" the cold war probably never would have begun. No in fact it wouldn't have, and would this have destroyed communism? Probably not. Because if it did, it'd mean the people didn't want communism and if they didn't want it than communism isn't right and if it's not right why have it in the first place? blah blah blah.

It was Stalin for not allowing the holding free elections in the occupied countries of western europe as he agreed to do at the Yalta conference and their theft of the A-Bomb secret during WW-II culminating in a test in 1949 that the US took as a signal challenging its dominating position after the end of the war.

Actually that's a good point Phoenix, about the bomb. Many in the US were considering giving them the bomb to balance authority so that a "one world government" could not happen.

Instead the Russians decided to just steal it from us. (And don't you think they didn't, they may have excelled in further research but the initial process was stolen long before during the Manhattan project, not even going to argue about that Rosenbaum crud.)

The same issue was about letting them know before we used it that we had a bomb...but again, they already knew because of spies.

That really didn't help the trust very much.

I'd have to go with Hitler. If he didn't wake the sleeping giants, maybe it would have happened differently.

The Russians created an atomic bomd erlier thatn the U.S. They tested it erlier too. Not by much though. They had scientists working on it before WW2, and during. Americans were a little late, because Russian scientists dicovered radioactive elements first, and also built a nuclear reactor first (i think).

AD5673, In many ways it was the Germans who were ahead in physics but Hitler did not see the use of a possible weapon that took much time and resources to develop, he planned on having the war won well before scientists could have completed the project.

Russian scientists also did much ground breaking research prior to the war in physics but nowhere near enough work to make the bomb. At the outbreak of war labs were closed and many scientists were sent to the front to fight.

Only later in the war when Stalin caught wind of allied efforts to build a bomb did Stalin start a program to build one for the Soviet Union. It has been established in archives that at each bottleneck in Russian research details of the American effort were provided to break the bottleneck and to validate ongoing research.

Consequently the Russians exploded their first test bomb in 1949, some four years after the Americans.

The USSR's First Atomic Bomb

To get back on topic, I think it was american support for the white army [ ? bolshivicks sp . cossacks...i get em confused]..during the revolt of 1917..?....after that the commies..didnt trust the americans....but it didnt stop them from taking our weapons ect during ww2....and stalin was.....a hitler also..killed more people I thnk...so many they [ russians ] didnt or stopped counting...they estimated 20 mill but it could have been as high as 60 - 70...no one really knows...and the annexing of the eastern block had to be challenged,....

[edit on 20-6-2004 by tad6015]

Just follow the yellow brick road!!! The people who paid for it, financed both sides! goes back to the days of the big money bankers and loans. Ahhh... the surface looks so intriuging, but who do you think got paid for the war? thats right! The Big...( ) family. want proof? who funded the red army? where did they train? on whos land? how did they get their, to "the war zone". Big hint...THE RED ARMY where did that name come from whos is known as "the red" and gets paid from war. but lets not get confusing read about Albert Pikes plan and prophecy his direction for war and instructions. now were geting close. big hint same for the first war same for the last was same for the middle big money cats that dont realy care about the money. let see if you guys can figure this one out!

Germany, Russia, and the United States.

For the reasons you all listed and more.