A Cold War
At the close of the second World War, two previously allied nations would clash against each other for having different beliefs and ideology—capitalism versus communism—each held with almost religious conviction, formed the basis of an international power struggle with both sides vying for dominance. The Cold War is the name given to the relationship that developed primarily between the USA and the USSR (Soviet Union, now known as Russia) after World War Two. The reason this war was considered the "Cold War" though, was because no physical fighting between the two superpowered nations had actually occured. For many people at the time, the most devastating issue was the cataclysmic advancement in the production of weapons capable of mass destruction.
Growing out of post-World War II tensions between the two nations, the Cold War rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union that lasted for much of the second half of the 20th century resulted in mutual suspicions, heightened tensions and a series of international incidents that brought the world’s superpowers to the brink of disaster.