This paper attempts to determine whether or not the cold war was unavoidable by identifying both its origins and its outbreak.
It looks at how, although 1945 is recognised by many as the 'start' of the war and 1992 its 'end', many also identify the the post-war conferences and subsequent developments of the 1940's as key issues in the
origins of the cold war. It explores the relationship/grand alliance between America and the Soviet Union, the
influence of personality on the war and the role of nuclear weapons as well as exploring the influence of the 1919 revolution in a larger historical context.