AP US History in 1 Minute Daily: Ideological Foundations of the Cold War (Day 254/309)

Hey APUSHers, let’s chat about Ideological Foundations of the Cold War as part of my series- APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!

“Time to Bridge That Gulch,” Wikimedia Commons

The ideological foundations of the Cold War were rooted in the fundamental differences between the capitalist West, led by the United States, and the communist East, led by the Soviet Union. 

Stalin and Truman Chess Match, NYU Jordan Center

Capitalist countries championed individual freedoms, free-market economies, and democratic governance, whereas communist states advocated for state control of the economy, collective ownership of property, and centralized government authority. 

Soviet Expansion

The Soviet Union promoted its own ideology of Marxism-Leninism, advocating for the worldwide overthrow of capitalism and the establishment of a socialist society. 

U.S. Containment

In response to Soviet expansion efforts, the U.S. engaged in a strategy of "containment," in which they sought to prevent the spread of communism without resorting to direct military confrontation.

Ideological differences between the U.S. and USSR fueled mutual suspicion and distrust between the superpowers, as each side sought to promote its own vision for the world throughout the Cold War.

Join me tomorrow as I explain Truman’s Containment of Communism in the next APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!