Cold War 1947-1991

"The Cold War began after World War Two. The main enemies were the United States and the Soviet Union. The Cold war got its name because both sides were afraid of fighting each other directly. In such a "hot war," nuclear weapons might destroy everything. So, instead, they fought each other indirectly. They supported conflicts in different parts of the world. They also used words as weapons. They threatened and denounced each other. Or they tried to make each other look foolish. Over the years, leaders on both sides changed. Yet the Cold War continued. It was the major force in world politics for most of the second half of the twentieth century. Historians disagree about how long the Cold War lasted. A few believe it ended when the United States and the Soviet Union improved relations during the nineteen-sixties and early nineteen-seventies. Others believe it ended when the Berlin Wall was torn down in 1989, or when the Soviet Union collapsed in late 1991. The United States and the Soviet Union were the only two superpowers following the Second World War. The fact that, by the 1950s, each possessed nuclear weapons and the means of delivering such weapons on their enemies, added a dangerous aspect to the Cold War. The Cold War world was separated into three groups. The United States led the West. This group included countries with democratic political systems. The Soviet Union led the East. This group included countries with communist political systems. The non-aligned group included countries that did not want to be tied to either the West or the East. Harry Truman was the first American president to fight the Cold War. Probably the most important, certainly the most forgotten, and surely the most controversial, was the decision to concentrate on the European theater, rather than the Pacific. Avoiding a two front war has long been a fundamental strategic choice. Germany during the 20th Century was bedeviled by two front wars, and the Allies gave preference to the European theater [where the Soviet Union was engaged with Germany] over the Pacific theater [where the Soviets remained at peace with Japan]. Truman was in a sense re-affirming the geographical preferences of the struggle against the Axis in his priorities in the struggle against Communism."
(http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/cold_war.htm)


The United States and the Soviet Union fought against Germany during World War II. Soo after the war, the United States and the Soviet Union become enemy. They began to fight against each other in a new kind of war. And this new war was called the Cold War. Two countries did not attack each other. Instead each country tried to get other nations to join its side. The Cold War began because the United States and the Soviet Union had different kinds of government. The government of the United States is a democracy. Democracy people vote for their leaders. The people have a lot of freedom. But the Soviet Union had a Communist government, the government owns most of the lands, stores, and businesses. People don't have freedom of speech or religion. During the Cold War, the dictators ruled the Soviet Union, but they wanted to start a Communist government in other countries. The United States had goals after WW II. They wanted to start an organization that would work for peace. And tried to help the countries solve all the problems without fighting.