origins of the Cold War lie in the establishment of the Bolshevik Government in Russia in
“The origins of the Cold War lie in the establishment of the Bolshevik Government in Russia in 1917.” To what extent does this statement fully explain the development of the Cold war after World War 2? The Cold War is the continuing political, ideological and, at times, military conflict between the Soviet Union and its enemies. While there is an essential continuity contained in this conflict, this "cold war" may be divided into two relatively distinct periods. The first period began with the Bolshevik seizure of power in Russia in November, 1917, and it lasted until the death of President Franklin Roosevelt in April, 1945. ... The United States did not initiate the "cold war" in 1917; that dubious distinction falls, I think, to Great Britain and France; nor was the United States the leader of the anti-Soviet bloc.