When did the Cold War actually start? (Short Animated Documentary)

Summary by Krater

This video explores the difficulties of determining a definitive start date for the Cold War, examining pre-war tensions, ideological divisions, and post-WWII political events before concluding that no single start date exists.

From the video

Answers: When did the Cold War actually start?

• Cold War origins
• Soviet-Western relations
• Bolshevik Revolution
• World War II alliances
• Geopolitical competition

What it concludes

• Choosing a definitive starting date for the Cold War is difficult because tensions and mistrust existed long before 1947.
• Events in 1947, such as the announcement of the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan, marked a permanent change in tone that led historians to commonly date the beginning of the Cold War to that year.
• Because the Cold War's origins are rooted in decades of prior manoeuvring and mutual distrust between communist and capitalist powers, an agreed-upon single starting date does not exist.