In order to describe the causes of the Cold War, it is important to fully understand what the Cold War actually means. The term "Cold War" means a war fought on every front except actual fighting. This includes propaganda, war of words and threats. Each side stockpiles weapons and forces, which it hopes to never use but are a good asset in the war of words and threats. A real war between them could have meant colossal destruction of each other and everyone else on Earth. .
Tensions between Russia and the West have been high throughout history. In 1815, at the Congress of Vienna, Tsar Alexander was quite prepared to use the congress to pursue the traditional aims of foreign policy, in particular the aims of westward expansion and European dominance, which greatly angered the Western states. Also in 1815, Russia joined Prussia and Austria in forming the Holy Alliance, in an alliance against the other dominant European nations. Britain's foreign secretary, Lord Castlereagh called it "a great nonsense" and in the Congress System (1818-1828) Britain and France constantly disagreed with the Holy alliance. Also, during the Crimean War (1854-1856), France sided with Britain against Russian aggression in the Near East. Russia lost and tensions grew between the two. However it is difficult to see this as an actual cause of the Cold War, as the world was very different then, than it is in the twentieth century and it didn't involved the U.S. .
The seeds of hostility between the United States and the U.S.S.R began near the end of World War I. The Bolsheviks (later communists), led by Vladimir Lenin, overthrew the existing Russian government. The socialist Bolshevik regime believed in all men being equal, although democracy certainly wasn't part of their intentions. The western powers looked on with horror at the Bolshevik Revolution. Winston Churchill, British secretary of state for war wrote that, "civilisation is being completely extinguished over gigantic areas, while Bolsheviks hop on and caper like troops of ferocious Baboons.
