•Cold War refers to a period of political, economic and ideological conflict between East-particularly the USSR and the People's Republic of China-and West-mainly the Unites States and Western Europe. During four decades between the late 1940's and the late 1980's, the superpowers vied for influence over the so-called Third World. Although armed conflict did erupt in Korea, the Middle East, Vietnam, and Afghanistan the conflict was limited and the superpowers avoided facing each other directly on the battlefield
