Cold War

The Cold War was a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies from the end of World War II until the early 1990s. Here are some key points about the United States’ involvement in the Cold War:

• The Cold War was characterized by political, economic, and propaganda fronts, with limited recourse to weapons.

• The term “Cold War” was first used by the English writer George Orwell in an article published in 1945.

• The United States and the Soviet Union avoided direct military confrontation in Europe and engaged in actual combat operations only to keep allies from defecting to the other side or to overthrow them after they had done so.

• As the Soviets tightened their grip on Eastern Europe, the United States embarked on a policy of containment to prevent the spread of Soviet and communist influence in Western European nations such as France, Italy, and Greece.

• United States involvement in regime change during the Cold War included support for anti-communist and right-wing dictatorships, governments, and uprisings across the world.

• The Cold War solidified by 1947–48, when U.S. aid provided under the Marshall Plan to western Europe had brought those countries under American influence.

This period of American history had a profound impact on the nation and continues to influence it today.

The Vietnam War