Following the end of World War II, the world was left with two major political superpowers: the United States and the Soviet Union. Due to the vastly distinct cultures and opposing government strategies of these two nations, they gradually developed a severe mistrust of each other. Each of the two superpowers tried to show their superiority by gaining influence in the Third World and by improving their military. This conflict led to proxy wars throughout the Third World such as Korea and Vietnam. In Europe, there was what Churchill called the "Iron Curtain" dividing eastern and western Europe into communist and capitalist areas, respectively.
In this page we deal with three different topics relevant to the Cold War: the Berlin Wall, the Vietnam War and President John F. Kennedy.
The Berlin Wall was a symbol more than anything else of the Cold War and what was happening during those three decades that it was up. As the wall fell it carried the communists countries down with it.
Vietnam was a major Cold War conflict. It was a proxy war between the United States and the Soviet Union. It was the last major Cold War clash and it had far-reaching effects in all countries involved.
President Kennedy is important in understanding the Cold War because he was the American President who oversaw some of the most important Cold War events such as the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis.