What caused the clash between communism and capitalism during the Cold War?Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essay The Cold War was essentially a clash between two different ideologies: communism and capitalism. In the capitalist economy, the free market determines supply and demand, and prices are determined by what consumers are willing to pay. If a company or business sells its products too high or too low, it loses money and may go bankrupt. Whereas in a command economy, the government artificially sets prices and manages most industries and businesses. In the Cold War period following World War II, between 1945 and 1990, most major Western countries were capitalist, while Russia and the rest of the Warsaw Pact were communist. The main ideological clashes between the two economic systems were religious (the communists are atheists) and the political-economic system itself. Marxism-Leninism (the basis of communist ideals) was opposed to religion. Communist ideology was their new “religion.” During the revolution, the communists burned down many religious buildings, churches, synagogues and mosques. Religion as a whole was banned. The Christian Church was considered one of the main enemies of communism. Communists believed that it was economic and material conditions that influenced humanity rather than an all-powerful God. In fact, Karl Marx, the founder of communism, once called religion the opiate (a narcotic) of the proletariat (the people). Capitalism, on the other hand, was open to and generally supported religious freedom. Western countries were wary of communism as a political system because of its lack of democracy and lack of representation. For example, most Americans believed that if they worked hard, they deserved to keep the fruits of their labor, whether on a family farm or as a merchant in town. In theory, in capitalism, the harder and smarter you work, the greater your reward. On the other hand, communists disliked the democratic political system because they viewed democracy as a camouflage for capitalism and ignored politicians as corrupt puppets of industry exploiting workers and depriving them of their jobs for slave wages. They insisted that not all workers receive equal pay. They failed to see that some workers were more productive and perhaps creating higher quality products that were more desirable. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay In conclusion, the two main causes of disagreement between the two economies were the different ideological/political/economic systems and their views on religion.