What was the Cold War primarily about?

The Cold War was fundamentally characterized by political tension and military rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union. This period, spanning roughly from the end of World War II in 1945 until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, was marked by a deep ideological divide between capitalism, represented by the U.S., and communism, embodied by the Soviet Union.

The conflict led to a pervasive atmosphere of suspicion and hostility, resulting in an arms race where both superpowers accumulated vast arsenals of nuclear weapons. Additionally, this rivalry manifested in numerous proxy wars around the globe, where both nations sought to expand their influence in various regions without direct military confrontation.

While economic competition did play a role in the overarching struggle, the crux of the Cold War was its political and military dimensions. Cultural exchanges were minimal, especially in the early years of the conflict, as both sides sought to contain each other’s influence. Colonial expansion was also a factor in the post-World War II context but was not central to the Cold War's core dynamics, which focused on the bilateral tensions between the two dominant powers of the time.