Sometimes it is said that the Cold War was a simple struggle for power and that ideology had nothing to do with it. Do you agree with this? Give one example to support your position.

No, I don’t agree with the said statement.

• The Cold war was not simply the matter of power rivalries, of military alliances, and of the balance of power.

• These were accompanied by a real ideological conflict as well. The western alliance headed by US represented the ideology of liberal democracy and capitalism while the Eastern alliance headed by the Soviet Union was committed to the ideology of Socialism and Communism.

Example:

Superpowers needed support of smaller allies, but not just for vital resources or for economic support, They were also important for ideological reasons. The loyalty of allies suggested that the superpowers were winning the war of ideas as well that the liberal democracy was better than communism or vice versa.