The Cold War is the name for a state of tension and hostility in international relations that developed after World War II, primarily between the United States of America and the Soviet Union, but also between their allies.
Although both America and the Soviet Union emerged victorious in World War II, political differences between them soon grew into open but limited rivalry and hostility, which, despite the constant threat of war, never developed into a comprehensive military conflict. By 1949, the world was roughly divided between pro-Western and pro-communist states.
The allies of the two opposing parties waged wars on their behalf, such as those in Korea (1950-1953) and Vietnam (1955-1975), while both America and the Soviet Union accumulated huge arsenals of nuclear and other weapons.
Attempts to reach an understanding between the two conflicting parties failed in the 1970s. By the late 1980s, America had outpaced the Soviet Union in its allocation of nuclear weapons and pushed the Soviets toward financial ruin, leading to a series of arms reduction agreements in 1988 and 1991.
