COLD WAR

Cold War

Cold War

Reason and Causes

A term used to describe the period 1945-89. During this period the international system was defined by a bipolar struggle between a Western alliance led by the United States and an Eastern bloc dominated by the Soviet Union. The competition between these two superpower s had ideological, economic, military, and nuclear dimensions. However, superpower rivalry never led to direct conflict between the two superpowers. Hence, it was a cold rather than a hot war.

The roots of the competition lay in the war years, when after the defeat of Hitler's Germany, both sides struggled for control ...