The nuclear arms race
Escalation of nuclear weapons
Living under the nuclear threat
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Arms control efforts
Alliance systems and the division of the world
NATO and the Warsaw Pact
The Non-Aligned Movement
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Political effects
Superpower intervention in domestic politics
The spread of authoritarianism
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Economic effects
The division of the global economy
Military spending and economic strain
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The space race as economic competition
Social and cultural effects
Ideological polarization
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Effects on science and technology
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Cultural Cold War
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Effects on the developing world
The Cold War and decolonization
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Long-term consequences for the developing world
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Primary sources
George Kennan, "Long Telegram" (1946)
Dwight Eisenhower, Farewell Address (1961)
Vaclav Havel, "The Power of the Powerless" (1978)
Key figures
Key events summary
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