The Cold War, from the Soviet Union's point of view, was a defensive struggle against what it saw as an aggressive Western campaign to encircle and weaken it. Coming out of the devastation of World War II, the USSR's first concern was securing its borders and creating a sphere of influence to prevent further invasions. Its vision was not limited to security alone, however. In a way, the Cold War was a fight to spread socialism as an alternative model of global capitalism, perceived by Moscow as exploitative and unequal.
It was, of course, an open-handed economic aid program in the eyes of the West, but in the Soviet Union, it represented a strategic move to dominate Europe politically and economically. Moscow saw the United States as not being really interested in showing benevolence but forming a bloc of dependent states subservient to Washington. So, the USSR could not risk losing its sovereignty and ideological purity; thus, the Marshall Plan had to be rejected.
The Berlin Airlift of 1948 could only have heightened Soviet suspicion over American intentions. The Soviet blockade of West Berlin was a reaction to felt provocations, such as the introduction of a new currency in the Western zones. This was necessary to counter efforts at German unification under capitalist control that threatened Soviet security. The U.S.-led airlift, though presented as a humanitarian effort, was seen as a calculated propaganda victory against the USSR, which further heightened tensions between the two superpowers.
The formation of NATO in 1949 was another flashpoint in Soviet-American relations. To the USSR, NATO was not a defensive alliance but a direct threat, designed to encircle and isolate the Soviet Union. This perceived aggressive Western bloc was met with the Warsaw Pact in 1955 by Moscow, a much-needed counterweight. The consequent arms race, fed by this mutual mistrust, burned through vast reserves and escalated the stakes of the Cold War.
Soviet interventions in Eastern Europe were often misrepresented in the West as evidence of expansionism. For Moscow, these actions were about maintaining stability within its sphere of influence and safeguarding socialist governments from what it saw as Western subversion. The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and the Prague Spring of 1968, for example, were framed by the USSR as necessary interventions to preserve socialism and prevent the spread of counter-revolutionary movements.
The major source of miscommunication between the Soviet Union and the United States was the latter's military buildup. While the U.S. presented its actions as defensive, the USSR saw them as preparations for an eventual attack. This perception drove Moscow to prioritize its own military advancements, leading to an escalating arms race. Similarly, Soviet support for communist movements around the world was not, as Washington portrayed it, a conspiracy to topple democratic governments. For Moscow, these acts were demonstrations of solidarity with anti-colonial movements and attempts to create a fairer world order.
The Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 was a quintessential example of the mutual distrust between the two superpowers. The reason behind this move was to prevent the US placing missiles in Turkey, as such a position of weapons would severely undermine Soviet security. This action on the part of Moscow was nothing more than a means of regaining the lost balance of power instead of escalating matters. However, the US response-a naval blockade and threats of military action-was viewed as yet another example of American belligerence, and the world narrowly avoided nuclear war.
Cultural exchanges and propaganda were another major battlefront of the Cold War. The United States portrayed the USSR as repressive and stagnant, but Soviet narratives focused on the inequalities and exploitation that characterized capitalist societies. For Moscow, socialism was the way to equality and justice, so diametrically opposed to Western consumerism and its excesses. Successes like Sputnik and the Soviet space program could be hailed as a triumph for socialism and an answer to the technological supremacy of America.
Their respective alliances were also defined by the ideological gap between the Soviet Union and the United States. The West criticized the USSR for supporting authoritarian regimes, but Moscow viewed these alliances as pragmatic, countering Western imperialism. For the Soviet Union, its global partnerships were about fostering solidarity among oppressed nations and creating a multipolar world order resistant to American hegemony.
As the Cold War deepened, the ideological mission of the Soviet Union came under severe stress. The expense of the arms race and the economic crises from within had taken a very heavy toll. Still, for Moscow, such sacrifice was worth making in order to guarantee the survival of socialism and in order to offset what Moscow saw as unremitting hostility from the West.
The Cold War has officially ended; the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. However, for Russia, its legacy remains to be one of the most controversial chapters in history. To Russia, the story of the Cold War is a saga of resistance against overwhelming odds, and it becomes a testament to the determination of the Soviet people to protect their way of life. While the West may rejoice in the victory of democracy, the Russian view celebrates the struggle and sacrifice of a nation that seeks to make the world a better and more just place.
From Moscow's point of view, the Cold War was not only a struggle for geopolitical dominance but a clash of visions for humanity's future. It was a time of great tests, marked by miscommunication and mistrust, but also a strong belief in the ideals of socialism. The Cold War for the Soviet Union was a fight to find its proper place in an unfriendly world and to support a system that it believed would be able to correct the inequities and injustices of capitalism.