The Cold War was a prolonged period of geopolitical tension and ideological rivalry between the United States and its Western allies, collectively known as the Western Bloc, and the Soviet Union and its Eastern allies, known as the Eastern Bloc. The conflict lasted from the end of World War Two in 1945 until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Key events and periods within the Cold War included its origins after World War Two, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the arms race, and the eventual thaw and conclusion.

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The Cold War's origins can be traced back to the ideological differences between the capitalist and democratic Western Bloc, led by the United States, and the communist Eastern Bloc, led by the Soviet Union. The division of Germany into East and West and the establishment of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) by the Western powers in 1949 marked early stages of tension. The arms race between the two superpowers escalated with the development of nuclear weapons, leading to the policy of deterrence and the concept of mutually assured destruction.

One of the most critical events during the Cold War was the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. The United States discovered that the Soviet Union had placed nuclear missiles in Cuba, prompting a tense standoff that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war. The crisis was resolved through diplomatic negotiations, with both sides agreeing to remove their missiles from Cuba and Turkey, respectively.

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The Cold War eventually entered a period of détente, marked by efforts to reduce tensions and improve relations between the two superpowers. Key figures during this time included U.S. President Richard Nixon and Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev. The period saw arms control agreements like the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) and the Helsinki Accords, which aimed to promote cooperation and reduce the risk of conflict. The Cold War came to an unexpected end with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, followed by the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, leading to the dissolution of the Eastern Bloc and the eventual reunification of Germany. The Cold War's legacy continues to influence international relations and global politics to this day.