Stubbornness And Paranoia In A. O. Avdienko's Cold War

I agree with this statement. The Cold War was not only brought about by Stalin’s stubbornness and paranoia, it was also fueled by the conflicting political ideologies between these two Superpowers. Stalin also had great influence over his people, allowing him to further spread Communism and ultimately allowed him to gain total control of his country. While mutual distrust between these countries before and during World War II does play a part in leading up to the Cold War, it is ultimately Stalin’s thirst for power, influence, and paranoia that was the catalyst for this war.

After World War II Stalin was focused on spread Communism and began occupying some of the newly liberated nations in Eastern Europe. This did not sit well with the United

He had a large group of devout followers, molding them from a young age. Stalin, along with other Communist leaders, used education, literature, and even romance to mold the diverse group people. They used these sources to make the people adopt the positive attitude towards hard work, undying devotion for their country, and strict social cooperation. In A.O. Avdienko’s The Cult of Stalin, Avdienko examines the extent of devotion that Stalin’s followers had for him and how he used this to transform Russia’s society to his liking. He goes on to state that “centuries will pass, and the generations still to come will regard us as the happiest of mortals, as the most fortunate of men, because we were privileged to see Stalin, our inspired leader”. Avdienko then goes on to explain that Stalin “never had an equal in world history” and that when he and his wife has a child “the first word it shall utter will be: Stalin” (Avdienko, p.339-340). Not only does this show the blind devotion these people have for the great “Stalin” it also shows how influential Stalin was. Avdienko refers to Stalin as the “great educator” multiple times, which most likely pays homage to his use of education to promote the Communist way. By having such a wide spread influence over his people and their education, it was no wonder Stalin was able to

He had an extreme thirst for power that drove him to completely reform Russia aware from its Tsar monarchy into a Communist empire. Unfortunately while he did have major influence and the devotion of his people, he was also extremely stubborn and paranoid. This paranoia caused him to crush his opposition in any means necessary, even using torture and death to get his way. Stalin’s stubborn and paranoid nature combined with conflicting political ideologies is what essentially drove the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet