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Cold War

Also known as The Cold War

1947–1991 tension between the Soviet Union and the United States and their respective allies

AI overview

The Cold War was a period of political and military tension lasting from 1947 to 1991 between the Soviet Union and the United States, along with their respective allies. It matters because this standoff shaped global politics, international conflicts, and the lives of people around the world during the second half of the 20th century.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

~40 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Duration44 years and 9 months Part of the post-World War II era LocationGlobal

The Cold War was a period of international geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc. It began in the aftermath of the Second World War and ended with the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. The term cold war is used because there was no direct fighting between the two superpowers, though each supported opposing sides in regional conflicts known as proxy wars. In addition to the struggle for ideological and economic influence and an arms race in both conventional and nuclear weapons, the Cold War was expressed through technological rivalries such as the Space Race, espionage, propaganda campaigns, embargoes, and sports diplomacy.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Cold War” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.