The Cold War was a real mess, and it didn’t just happen overnight. After World War II, you had these two superpowers – the US and the Soviet Union – with totally different ideas about how the world should work.
On one side, you’ve got the Americans pushing capitalism and democracy. They were all about free markets and individual rights. Then you’ve got the Soviets with their communist ideology, centralized economy, and one-party system. These two just couldn’t see eye to eye.
Geopolitically, it was a power grab. Both sides wanted to be top dog in the new world order. The US was worried about communism spreading – that whole “domino theory” thing. Meanwhile, the Soviets were paranoid about being surrounded by capitalist nations.
Europe became this big chessboard. The Iron Curtain split it in two, with both sides trying to win influence. And it wasn’t just Europe – this struggle spread to Asia, Africa, and Latin America too.
Then there’s the nuclear factor. Both sides were building up these insane arsenals, leading to this constant fear of mutually assured destruction.

It’s easy to point fingers, but really, both sides played a part. Their ideologies were just too different, and neither was willing to back down. It was a perfect storm of mistrust, fear, and power politics that kept the world on edge for decades.