When competing in newly independent or developing countries, this ideological opposition became Manichean, fostering a fierce suspicion, if not outright rejection, of rival principles. As a result, strengthening state institutions was too often seen in the West as communist subterfuge, while the Soviet bloc viewed the slightest notion of individual freedom and responsibility as a stalking horse for capitalist counter-revolution.
冷战的对峙并不只是美国和苏联的对峙，从意识形态的角度看，还是个人主义和集体主义的对峙。在新晋独立和发展的国家竞争中，这一意识形态的对立演变成了摩尼教主义，形成了一种对异端原则的根深蒂固的怀疑（如果不是断然拒绝的话）。结果，西方人将加强国家机器一概视为共产主义做派，而苏维埃阵营将最轻微的个人自由和责任视为资本主义反革命毒草。