Cold War: Introduction and Overview

The Cold War was from 1947 to 1991 which consisted of military tension, economic competition from World War II, and political conflict. The Soviet Union and the United States of America were primarily the participants of the war. The war was fought through military strength, strategic force deployments, propaganda, and nuclear arms. The United States and the Soviet Union had been Allies against the Axis powers, but they disagreed about the ways of the post-war world. The United States encouraged democracy in other countries to help prevent totalitarian government, rebuild European government, gain raw materials for booming industries, and reunite Germany. Totalitarianism is a political system in which a citizen is totally subject to absolute state authority in all aspects of everyday life. For example, Adolf Hitler in Germany. The Soviet Union encouraged communism in other countries, wanted to transfer industrial equipment to the Soviet Union to rebuild economy, and keep Germany divided and weak. Communism is a political theory favoring collectivism in a classless society. Totalitarianism is a political system in which a citizen is totally subject to absolute state authority in all aspects of everyday life.