The cold war was not a physical war, but more of a political war. No fighting, shooting, or bombing happened during the "war". Instead, it was a war of politics and threats. The U.S. and the U.S.S.R. were constantly at the brink of full nuclear war, if one country fired all their nukes, the other would do the same shorty, leaving both countries demolished within minutes of each other. Other things that happened during this time were the "red scare," which was a fear of communists coming into America and America's politics and the space race, seeing which country would not only send mechanics into space but men as well.
The most important advantage of using a joint stock company was having the organization to recruit investors and raise enough money to attempt to establish a colony.
