Definite Article with Uncountable Nouns

Hello,

Writing in 1941, Stalin observed that as a result of the escalation in German aggression, “the general contradiction between imperialism and the Soviet Union” had given way to “particularly intensified contradiction between German fascism and the Soviet Union.”

Question:
I am always very unsure about the use of articles with uncountable nouns. The word 'contradiction' as used here I consider uncountable (actually, I am not completely sure whether the word should be considered countable or uncountable when used in Communist-speak.) And if the word is uncountable, is it permissive to say "a particularly intensified contradiction"? It seems okay to say "the general contradiction between......" given the use of the adjective 'general,' but "a particularly intensified contradiction"?

I hope you get the drift of my question.

Thank you.