The Cold War was not a physical war fought between two opposing camps. Rather, it was the name given to relations between Eastern European countries and Western European countries as well as the United States. This "cold" relationship between the United States and the USSR began and developed after World War II. Although, naturally, one might have expected that these two allies would maintain strong and pleasant relations during the war, this was not the case; rather, there was a growing rivalry between the two. My essay will explore the ideas and causes that led to the Cold War and conclude with the main reason why the Cold War started. USA and USSR were two supreme powers after winning World War II. Together, they could have accomplished great things. However, as the vast majority of their economic and political ideologies disagreed, there was no chance for the two countries to cooperate or accept each other's ways of life, which instead intensified the rivalry between the two nations . This is undoubtedly the most important cause of the Cold War. The forms of government in both countries clearly reflected their philosophy. The United States was and still is a capitalist democracy composed of rich and poor; private property; and the belief that opportunity is more important than equality. In the United States, citizens also enjoy individual rights such as freedom of speech and the right to vote in free elections. Contrary to this, the USSR had a communist dictatorship. It aimed to maintain the same standard of living for everyone throughout the country, even if it was not particularly high. The Soviet system of government also prohibited private property and believed that it was...... middle of paper ....... The Berlin Blockade probably would not have happened either, because the system of government of the Eastern countries The European countries would not have clashed and neither camp would therefore have been afraid of seeing Germany join the opposition. Overall, I can accurately say that the conflicting visions of communism and capitalism were by far the main cause of the Cold War. I believe that the other causes of the Cold War can only be arranged chronologically to show their importance, with one cause leading to the other; long-term causes led to short-term causes, showing a ripple effect. For this reason, the root cause, in this case communism versus capitalism, is the most important cause, and the following causes are arguably just as important as each other. There is no strict order of importance to which the smallest causes follow, because one cause usually leads to another..