The History of the Cold WarThe Cold War is the term used to describe the intense rivalry between the United States and its allies and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and its allies. The Soviet Union and its allies were called the Eastern Bloc, while the United States and its allies were called the Western Bloc. The Cold War period lasted from the mid-1940s to the late 1980s. During this period international politics was shaped by this intense rivalry between these two great power blocs and the political ideologies they represented. The United States and its allies represented democracy and capitalism while the Soviet Union and its allies represented communism. The Cold War was truly a global conflict more than either of the century's world wars. (1) The Cold War was also the first total war between economic and social systems, an industrial test of destruction. Although the Cold War began immediately after World War II, some of its roots date back to the nineteenth century. Its neighbors have long feared Russia; the giant among European countries, even when they were Russia's allies against a common enemy. This fear emerged immediately after Russia, Great Britain, and other European nations defeated the French Emperor Napoleon in 1812. (2) In 1853, Great Britain, France, and several other European nations went to war with Russia to prevent her from expand into the Middle East. Great Britain, in fact, spent much of its energy during the 19th century trying to limit Russian power. (3) At the beginning of the 20th century, the United States was also concerned about Russia's power. Although the United States tried to stay out of European disputes, American leaders were concerned that Russia was becoming too powerful. They feared that if any nation became powerful enough to dominate the European continent, it would pose a threat to the well-being of the United States. (4) At the height of the First World War a new element was added to the European and American fear of Russia. In November 1917 a radical Marxist called the Bolshevik took power in Russia by overthrowing a democratic government. The United States strongly opposed the Bolshevik regime. The United States was angry that the Bolsheviks had pulled Russia out of the war against Germany (World War I) and that they intended to spread its revolution to other countries. (5) During the World War...... half of the paper...... arrived quickly. After signing the Charter, President George Busch addressed a happy but weary world when he said, without fanfare, “We have closed a chapter in history, the Cold War is over.” (33) On the Cold War level there were some clear winners. The fight was resolved on American terms. The Soviet Union disintegrated thirteen months after the official end of the Cold War. In place of the former communist giant there were fifteen independent states, all of which rejected communism. Bibliography Kort, Michael G. The Cold War Brookfield, CN: The Millbrook Press, 1994 Walker, Martin. The Cold War: A History New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company, 1993Sharnik, John. Inside the Cold War: An Oral History New York, NY: Arbor House, 1987Beschloss, Michael R. The Crisis Years: Kennedy and Khrushchev 1960-1963 New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers, 1991“Cold War” Microsoft Encarta. Funk & Wagnall's Corp: np, 1993Boyer, Paul and Stuckey, Sterling. "The Cold War" The American Nation Harcourt Bruce and Company: Austin, 1995Lebow, Richard Ned and Gross, Janice Gross Stein. We All Lost the Cold WarKaufman, Burton I. “Cold War” World Book. 1991