The political war
The Cold War was a sustained state of political and military tension between the two major world powers, the Soviet Union or Russia and the United States. It was "cold" because there was no large-scale fighting directly between the two sides, although there were major regional wars in Korea, Vietnam and Afghanistan that the two sides supported. Although the two superpowers never actually engaged each other, they were heavily armed for an all out or full scale nuclear war. Each side had their very own armed nuclear weapons that struck fear of an attack of the other side. The first stage of the cold war began in the aftermath or end of the second world war. The Cold War and its events have left a significant legacy, and it is often referred to in popular culture, especially in media featuring themes of espionage and the threat of nuclear warfare.