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 Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an 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 at too high or too low a price, it loses money and may go bankrupt. While in a planned economy the government artificially sets prices and runs most of the industries and businesses. In the post-World War II Cold War era, from 1945 to 1990, most major Western countries were capitalist, while Russia and the rest of the Warsaw Pact were communist. The major ideological clashes between the two economic systems were religious (communists are atheists) and political/economic themselves. Marxism-Leninism (the basis of communist ideals) was opposed to religion. Communist ideology was their new “religion”. During the revolution, the communists had burned many religious buildings, churches, synagogues and mosques. Religion as a whole was banned. The Christian Church was considered one of the greatest enemies of communism. Communists believed that economic and material conditions influenced humanity rather than an omnipotent God. In fact, Karl Marx, the founder of communism, once called religion the opium (a narcotic drug) of the proletariat (common people). Capitalism on the other hand was open to freedom of religion and generally supported it. Western countries distrusted communism as a political system due to its lack of democracy and representation. For example, most Americans thought that if they worked hard they deserved to keep the fruits of their labor, whether on a family farm or as a merchant in the city. 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 saw democracy as a camouflage for capitalism and ignored politicians as corrupt puppets of industry who exploited workers and robbed them of their labor for slave wages. They focused on the fact that not all workers receive the same pay. They failed to see that some workers were more productive and perhaps created better quality products that were more desirable. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper 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.