The term, Cold War, would come to define the political, social, and economic history of the second half of the twentieth century. More than merely a military standoff, the Cold War offered a stable international system forged by the world’s emerging two superpowers–the United States and the Soviet Union–that lasted more than four decades. This system formed almost immediately following World War II.
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Minuteman Missile National Historic Site
Article 1: Out of the Ashes of World War II
The term, Cold War, would come to define the political, social, and economic history of the second half of the twentieth century. More than merely a military standoff, the Cold War offered a stable international system forged by the world’s emerging two superpowers–the United States and the Soviet Union–that lasted more than four decades. Read more
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Minuteman Missile National Historic Site
Article 2: Zones of Contention
The mutual antagonism of the Soviets and Americans, leading to the Cold War, developed after World War II as the two sides competed over a number of geographic and political zones of contention. Read more
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Minuteman Missile National Historic Site
Article 3: Declarations of Cold War
Tensions between the two countries escalated during the post-World War II period and declarations by leaders on both sides, including Stalin and Churchill, and strategists, such as United States diplomat George Kennan, began to formally announce the existence of a Cold War. Read more
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Minuteman Missile National Historic Site
Article 4: American Cold War Policy
By 1947 it had become apparent to most observers that the world was splitting in two–East and West–leaving the inevitable conflict of the Cold War. Quickly the lines in the sand were drawn even deeper as the Soviets and Americans clashed ideologically and militarily on a number of fronts. Read more