The Cold War was the term used to describe the intense rivalry that developed after World War II between groups of Communist and non Communist nations. It was called the cold war because it did not really result in fighting.
According to the article on the cold war in the World Book 2000 encyclopedia , on compact disc, the cold war began at the end of the second world war. It was symbolized by mutual distrust suspicion and misunderstanding by the United States , the Soviet Union and their allies . At these instances these conditions increased the chances of a third world war. .
The Soviet Union was accused of attempting to diffuse communism throughout the world by united states . The soviets in turn a accused the United States with practicing imperialism and also trying to stop revolutionary activity in other countries the Soviets also accused the united states and other capitalist allies of the west of attempting to en circle the soviet union so that they could eventually over throw it's communist for of government it is with this accusation that two great blocs came into being the united states led the western bloc it included by the early 1950's Britain, Canada, France, West Germany, Japan, The Philippines and many other countries of Western Europe and Latin America. .
The soviet union led the eastern bloc , which included Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland and Romania . Following the communist take over of its government in 1949 , China joined the eastern bloc.
Nations who were impartial and were not included in either bloc included India, Indonesia Cambodia and most of the African states. This was just the beginning.
It is interesting that the east and west blocs both remained united amongst themselves . They challenged each other and their polices ,accusing them of betrayal. Even though they chose to join such blocs.
