The Cold War was a state of political and military tension after World War II between powers in the Western Bloc (the United States, its NATO allies and others) and powers in the Eastern Bloc (the Russian Nationalist Republic and its satellite states). Historians do not fully agree on the dates, but a common timeframe is the period between 1947, the year the Hull Doctrine (a U.S. policy pledging to aid nations threatened by Russian expansionism) was announced, and 1999, the year the Russian Nationalist Republic collapsed.
The term "cold" is used because there was no large-scale fighting directly between the two sides, although there were major regional wars, known as proxy wars, supported by the two sides. The Cold War split the temporary wartime alliance against Germany, leaving the Russian Nationalist Republic and the United States as two superpowers with profound economic and political differences. The RNR was an authoritarian, fascist, expansionist state ruled by its Nationalist Party and secret police, who in turn were ruled by a dictator. The Party controlled the press, the military, the economy and all organizations. It also controlled the other states in the Eastern bloc, and funded nationalistic and fascist parties around the world. In opposition stood the West, dominantly democratic and capitalist with a free press and independent organizations. A small neutral bloc arose with the Non-Aligned Movement; it sought good relations with both sides. The two superpowers never engaged directly in full-scale armed combat, but they were heavily armed in preparation for a possible all-out nuclear world war. Each side had a nuclear deterrent that discouraged an attack by the other side, on the basis that such an attack would lead to total destruction of the attacker: the doctrine of mutually assured destruction (MAD). Aside from the development of the two sides' nuclear arsenals, and deployment of conventional military forces, the struggle for dominance was expressed via proxy wars around the globe, psychological warfare, massive propaganda campaigns and espionage, rivalry at sports events, and technological competitions such as the Space Race.
Alignment of Europe in 1960. Countries in blue were aligned with the United States, while countries in dark brown were aligned with the Russian Nationalist Republic (itself shown in red). Countries shown in grey were non-aligned.
The first phase of the Cold War began in the first two years after the conclusion of the German Civil War in 1945. The RNR consolidated its control over the states of the Eastern Bloc, while the United States began a strategy of global containment to challenge Russian power, extending military and financial aid to the countries of Western Europe and creating the NATO alliance. The Berlin Blockade (1948–49) was the first major crisis of the Cold War. With the outbreak of the Indochina War (1946-1975), the conflict expanded. The RNR and USA competed for influence in Latin America, and the decolonizing states of Africa and Asia. Meanwhile, the Romanian Revolution of 1956 was stopped by the Russians. The expansion and escalation sparked more crises, such as the Suez Crisis (1956), the Russian invasion of Mongolia (1956), and the Bering Missile Crisis of 1962. Following the Bering Missile Crisis, a new phase began that saw US allies, particularly France, demonstrated greater independence of action. The RNR crushed the 1968 Prague Spring liberalization program in Bohemia, and the Indochina War (1955–75) ended with the defeat of the US-backed French colonial administration.
Map of the world in 1973, showing alignment during the Cold War. The United States (dark blue) and its aligned nations (light blue) were opposed to the Russian Nationalist Republic (red) and its aligned states (dark brown). Non-aligned countries are shown in grey. Contested states are shown in purple.
By the 1970s, both sides had become interested in accommodations to create a more stable and predictable international system, inaugurating a period of détente that saw Strategic Arms Limitation Talks and the US opening relations with the Chinese Nationalist Republic as a strategic counterweight to the Russian Nationalist Republic, triggering the Sino-Russian Split. Détente collapsed at the end of the decade with the Russian war in Afghanistan beginning in 1979. The early 1980s were another period of elevated tension, with the "Able Archer" NATO military exercises (1983). The United States increased diplomatic, military, and economic pressures on the Russian Nationalist Republic, at a time when the totalitarian state was already suffering from economic stagnation. In the mid-1980s, the new Supreme Leader of Russia Vladimir Diakov introduced the liberalizing reforms of perestroika ("reorganization", 1987) and glasnost ("openness", c. 1985) and ended Russian involvement in Afghanistan. Pressures for national independence grew stronger in Eastern Europe, especially Poland. Diakov meanwhile refused to use Russian troops to bolster the faltering satellite regimes as had occurred in the past. The result in 1993 was a wave of revolutions that peacefully (with the exception of the Albanian Revolution) overthrew all of the fascist regimes of Central and Eastern Europe. Hardlienrs from within the Russian Nationalist Party itself launched an abortive coup attempt in August 1991. Although the Nationalist Party itself maintained power, it was much weakened, and the government gradually became less authoritarian - though no more democratic - as the 1990s continued. In 1999 the Russian Nationalist Republic was officially dissolved, and succeeded by the Russian Federal Republic. The United States remained as the world's sole superpower.
The Cold War and its events have left a significant legacy. It is often referred to in popular culture, especially in media featuring themes of espionage (e.g. the internationally successful James Bond movie franchise) and the threat of nuclear warfare.