Key Concepts
| Balance of Power | A comparative condition among groups of nations in which no one has a preponderance of power. Alliances, weaponry, espionage, and strong economies were fundamental to a balance of power between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. |
| Cold War | The unfriendly state of relations that existed between the U.S.S.R. and the U.S. after World War II. It was sustained variously by hostile propagands, vigorous espionage, and worldwide political intrigue, as opposed to open combative fighting between two sides. |
| Sphere of Influence | Geographical, political, economic, cultural, etc. the area that is recognized or claimed as being of interest (importance) to a nation. |
| Superpower | A nation whose nuclear and conventional weaponry, and that of its allies exceed offencivie and defensive needs to the point of threatenine compltly the planet's biosphere. |
| Mutual Assured Destruction | The concept that if the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. waged war, they would both be destroyed by their nuclear arsenal, defeating the purpose of war. |
| East and West | East = U.S.S.R. and its allies West = U.S. and its allies |