The Cold War era was a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc, after World War II. The period is generally considered to span from 1947, the year the Truman Doctrine was announced, to 1991, the year the Soviet Union collapsed. This era was characterized by a persistent state of military and political tension, marked by a series of crises, proxy wars, and a race for nuclear supremacy, but it stopped short of full-scale warfare between the two superpowers.

Blue -First World: Western Bloc led by the United States and its allies, Red - Second World: Eastern Bloc led by the Soviet Union, China (independent), and their allies, Grey - Third World: Non-Aligned and neutral countries

Historical Context

1.Post-World War II Landscape

The aftermath of World War II left the world divided between two dominant spheres of influence: the capitalist West, led by the United States, and the communist East, led by the Soviet Union.

Europe was in ruins, with its political and economic structures devastated, leading to the rise of the US and USSR as the two global superpowers.

2.Yalta and Potsdam Conferences