The Cold War

Following the Second World War, we had a period in history called the Cold War. The Soviet Union and the United States had been on the same side during the war, but after the war they became rivals. Both countries wanted to rule the world in their own way, and had opposing ideologies. This resulted in a war between East and West where the authorities resorted to espionage in an attempt to find out what their rivals were doing. The United States and the Soviet Union have never used weapons against each other, but have come close on several occasions.

Accessibility icon The Cold War

The Cold War

The Cold War between the superpowers the United States and the Soviet Union was a war of ideology between these two superpowers and their allies. A race started where both sides were producing and buying weapons and military equipment to frighten the other. The goal was to seem better both in terms of their army and their weapons.

Stor russisk kanon foran en blå himmel med hvite skyer.
Stor russisk kanon foran en blå himmel med hvite skyer.

Communism versus capitalism

The United States and the Soviet Union had different views on how the world should be governed. The US and other Western countries wanted democracy and capitalism. The capitalists owned a lot and hired many to work for them. Any profits went to the owners. The state’s control of the economy was minimal, but they were supposed to give social services such as health, schools and defence. In a society like this, the gap between the owners and the workers can become very big.

Communism was the opposite of capitalism. They believed that no one should own too much, and that everyone should have equal opportunities for work. People should not have to be worn out from hard work while a few people become rich off their work. Communist countries were often ruled by one party that harmed and suppressed other political opponents. After the Second World War, the Soviet Union began to spread communism around the world.

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En sort silhouette står med ryggen til oss og ser på et amerikansk og et sovjetisk flagg.
En sort silhouette står med ryggen til oss og ser på et amerikansk og et sovjetisk flagg.

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