The Cold War was a state of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union that began after World War II.
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The conflict was rooted in a fundamental ideological clash between American capitalism and democracy on one side, and Soviet communism on the other.
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Mutual mistrust and suspicion grew between the two superpowers during the final stages of World War II.
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After the war, the Soviet Union established a buffer zone of communist satellite states in Eastern Europe, which Winston Churchill famously called an 'Iron Curtain.'
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The United States adopted a foreign policy of 'containment,' aiming to prevent the further spread of communism.
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The Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan were key early expressions of this policy.
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The post-war division of Germany and the Berlin Blockade became early flashpoints in the conflict.
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The development of nuclear weapons by both sides created a 'balance of terror,' where direct military conflict between the superpowers was too dangerous.
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The Cold War was 'cold' in that it did not involve direct large-scale fighting between the U.S. and USSR.
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Instead, the conflict was waged through proxy wars, espionage, and technological competitions like the Space Race.
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