What events caused and heightened the Cold War?
348120
Satan was controlling the paranoia of the communists.
126378
In a nutshell, the USSR started building missile launch sites in Cuba. The US discovered this and demanded the removal of the missiles creating a 13 day standoff between the US and USSR representing the closest the world has ever come to global thermonuclear war. The USSR backed down and accepted a token "no invasion" pledge towards Cuba and the missles were removed.\n\nNo B2 bombers were used.  The US used a U2 spy plane to take pictures of the missile sites.
1152409
Technically we out-gunned the USSR, so the USA did win the "Cold War"\n\nConsidering that a percentage of nuclear war-heads were dismantled, disbursed, and now un-accounted for. Let's wait and see where that takes us.\n\nBoth sides 'win' when we both can reduce govn't expenditures on war products and readiness.  That nuclear and computer stuff can be pretty expensive. But hey, if we didn't have the "space race", we might not have Tang.
679890
There is no one answer.  The "New Deal" made a big difference, as did World War II.  \n\nWWII was likely the largest factor.  At the end of WWII, The United States, The Soviet Union, and Japan were the only nations left standing.  Those three economies blossomed beyond all expectations (including the Soviet Union until the end of the cold war)
427332
The Cold War was an extended period of bipolar rivalry between the USSR and the USA. Most obviously, it represents a period of stability in International Relations where the world was often divided into two seperate spheres - the US and its satellites and the USSR and its satellites.\n\nIn many ways this was also a clash of values and of political systems, of a liberal democracy dedicated to free trade and market forces against a socialist authoritarian state operating on the basis of a command economy, though it is important not to overstress this. \n\nTo a large degree the Cold War was nothing more than a particular instance of bipolarity where the international order was balanced between two superpowers.
667322
Boy, there's a debate.\n\nShort Answer: The United States, and it did it by spend the Soviet Union into oblivion. The USSR suffered the fate of most empires -- it overextended itself and ran of the resources necessary to sustain its empire.\nBut the US did it at a terrible cost. We are now stuck with a military-industrial complex that is bleeding us drive and could very soon threaten our own superiority.\n\nSo philosophical answer: The Cold War isn't over yet, and we could still lose.
599209
Kennedy and McNamara got pissed because the USSR were installing nuclear weapons on Cuban soil. World held its breath for WW III and the Soviets removed the missiles and JFK got us involved in Vietnam.
641202
Korean War - UN sanctioned, because morons in USSR were boycotting the UN at the time.\n\nWorld War I - Where Britain entered the war because of treaty obligations to defend Belgium.
578381
WWII and Hirosima and Nagaski bombing.\nWWII established US's superiority in the world, and A-bomb started the cold war, which shaped US policy for 50 years and caused the technological progress that we are enjoying today.
681363
Strasveetya!  You really need to study more about the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States, its a very intereting time in history.  Most of the American movies, by the way, called the Soviet Union "Russia."  For many, many years our countries were the worst of enemies.  It started around the end of World War II, and officially ended when Yeltsin took power.  Why?  Because America believed communism to be the greatest evil, and the Soviet Union believed capitalism to be the greatest evil.  We were in a state that is known as a cold war.  A cold war is essentially a state of war, but at a constant state of cease-fire.  Some shots were fired, mainly planes shooting down other planes, but no major battles were fought between the two countries.  However, we had enough nuclear missiles pointed at each other to completely destroy all life on this planet several times over.  The Cold War was never more tense than when Khrushchev and Kennedy were presidents, and Khrushchev said on international television that the Soviet Union would crush America (taking off his shoe and pounding it for all to see while he said it).  I believe two of the greatest leaders our nations ever had were Gorbachev and Reagan.  They did much to clam things down, and both began the process of disarming our nuclear missiles.  Slava Bog!
134423
Brinksmanship diplomacy. They hope that even just the threat of their having nukes will cause other countries to bow to their demands.\n\nIt's no different than was the Cold War between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R.
1171062
U.S Civil War? Do you know what century that was in?\n\nOf your choices, I would say it was the Cold War.
472626
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1963#Events\n\nHonestly it has eveyrhting that hpappened from like restaruants opening, to war events, all accross the world.
216868
Oh there are people who were fighting the "cold war" in 49, and I do believe there were people awarded the purple heart. People were shot dowm by the Soviet Union, and there were other hotspots of the cold war where people were shot at.
791709
Iraq/Iran served as a proxy war between the US and USSR, as did Afghanistan.  The weapons and trasining provided to the Iraqis and Afghanistanis were free, we didn't sell anything.\n\nThese wars were the start of the events that led to the dissolution of the USSR.\n\nDespite liberal spin to the contrary, Reagan ran his White House, his Alzheimers did not manifest until he was out of office.
501137
McCarthyism in the US.\nThe Berlin Airlift\nThe Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cuban missile crisis, revolts against the state in East Germany, Hungary and Czechoslovakia. the Soviet war in Afghanistan, conflicts in the Middle East with the Soviet Union supporting Arab nations and the US supporting Israel\nThe building of the Berlin Wall.\nNixon's visit to China.\nThe first space satellite launched by the Soviet Union and the subsequent space race which led to the moon landing by the US.
151364
U2 flight was shot down over Russia. Russia demanded an apology and Eisenhower suspended flights. The talks over reunifying Germany broke down completely as a result.