The Cold War was a state of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union that began after World War II.

The conflict was rooted in a fundamental ideological clash between American capitalism and democracy on one side, and Soviet communism on the other.

Mutual mistrust and suspicion grew between the two superpowers during the final stages of World War II.

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.'

The United States adopted a foreign policy of 'containment,' aiming to prevent the further spread of communism.

The Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan were key early expressions of this policy.

The post-war division of Germany and the Berlin Blockade became early flashpoints in the conflict.

The development of nuclear weapons by both sides created a 'balance of terror,' where direct military conflict between the superpowers was too dangerous.

The Cold War was 'cold' in that it did not involve direct large-scale fighting between the U.S. and USSR.

Instead, the conflict was waged through proxy wars, espionage, and technological competitions like the Space Race.