Cold War

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Cold War Simple Version by AngusMcLeod.jpg

A cold war or cold warfare (euphemistically, a "bipolar superpower confrontation") is a state of conflict between nations that does not involve direct military action but is pursued primarily through economic and political actions, acts of espionage or conflict through surrogates (proxy wars). The surrogates are typically states that are "satellites" of the conflicting nations, i.e., nations allied to them or under their political influence. It might also mean giving military aid (such as weapons or economical aid, or perhaps even soldiers) to lesser nations oppressed or in guerrilla war with the opposing country of a cold war.

The eponymous Cold War occurred between the United States and Soviet Union from either 1918 or 1945, depending on your criteria, to 1989 with the fall of the Berlin Wall. Soviet acquisition of nuclear weapons in 1949 made a direct military conflict potentially catastrophic, and for the next four decades the two global hegemons squabbled for power and prestige through the arms race, the Space Race, the puppet race, and several different races at Olympic stadiums.

In the DYOS series