The Cold War was a very important piece in the history of the world. The conflict started about two years after World War 2 ended, as tensions between the United States of America and the Soviet Union started to arise, each seeking power and influence over European powers. While the US wanted to maintain democracy in Europe, The Soviet Union tried imposing communist beliefs on the continent. Seeing this, the US started the Marshall Plan in which they would offer money to countries in order to help them rebuild after the Second World War. The continuity of the Cold War led to many establishments, one of the most important ones being the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). The organisation used the concept of collective security in order to protect each other in case of any military attack, specifically from the Soviet Union. On the other side of the conflict, the Soviet Union and its allies signed the Warsaw Pact, which also stood by collective security and embodied the Eastern Bloc.
A lot of important events during this conflict took place in the capital of Germany. The city was eventually split up into democratic and socialist Berlin. This led to the construction of the Berlin wall, a major symbol of divided Europe and, overall, the Cold War. Meanwhile the Soviet Union went outward, congratulating and encouraging communism outside the European continent, the US tried to prevent the further spread of it. This is shown during the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Cuban Missile Crisis. There were some very important events during the Cold War such as The Space Race, Cuban Missile Crisis and The Korean War. All of these had a major contribution to the escalation of the conflict and led to what seemed like an endless war, however, they also led to major inventions such as nuclear weapons, satellites and the evolution of space exploration.
The Cold War ended when the US and The Soviet Union agreed upon the limits of their nuclear weapons and overall, worked together in order to achieve international peace. As the conflict caused multiple wars, crises and disruptions between nations, it had a profound influence over society as a whole. Another factor that contributed to the ending of the Cold War was Mikhail Gorbachev, a former president of the Soviet Union, who had a more open, friendly approach to the relations between current Russia and the US.
The Cold War was a significant conflict. It tested international relations, cooperation and unity. Even with this in mind, it also had some positive aspects such as new inventions or the creation of new organisations.
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