<P> While most historians trace its origins to the period immediately following World War II , others argue that it began with the October Revolution in Russia in 1917 when the Bolsheviks took power . In 1919 Lenin stated that his new state was surrounded by a `` hostile capitalist encirclement '' , and he viewed diplomacy as a weapon that should be used in order to keep the Soviet Union 's enemies divided , beginning with the establishment of the Communist International , which called for revolutionary upheavals abroad . Historian Max Beloff argues that the Soviets saw `` no prospect of permanent peace '' , with the 1922 Soviet Constitution proclaiming : </P>
<P> While most historians trace its origins to the period immediately following World War II , others argue that it began with the October Revolution in Russia in 1917 when the Bolsheviks took power . In 1919 Lenin stated that his new state was surrounded by a `` hostile capitalist encirclement '' , and he viewed diplomacy as a weapon that should be used in order to keep the Soviet Union 's enemies divided , beginning with the establishment of the Communist International , which called for revolutionary upheavals abroad . Historian Max Beloff argues that the Soviets saw `` no prospect of permanent peace '' , with the 1922 Soviet Constitution proclaiming : </P>
who was in charge of russia during the cold war
who was in charge of russia during the cold war
the Bolsheviks
the Bolsheviks