Before the Red Terror or nuclear arms race, there was a philosopher named Karl Marx. How did one man's ideas lead to centuries of political and social unrest? See more »

During the Cold War, the U.S. and USSR stockpiled weapons but never started a nuclear war. What held them back from launching a strike for nearly 40 years? Could two nations embroiled in conflict have made a mutual agreement not to strike? See more »

The annals of history offer many perspectives on the Cold War's victor. Some say the U.S. won; others claim there was no winner. And some assert that the former USSR brought itself down. See more »

Cold War, the struggle for power and influence in the years after World War II between the Communist nations led by the Soviet Union (the East) and the Western allies headed by the United States (the West). See more »

V-J Day meant the end of World War II, but not the end of global tensions. The main area of conflict was between the United States and Russia which led to a tense nuclear arms buildup. Read about how the end of World War II gave rise to the Cold War. See more »

Central Treaty Organization (CENTO), a former mutual-defense alliance of Iran, Turkey, Pakistan, and Great Britain. See more »

Helsinki Accords, a nonbinding agreement between the United States, Canada, Russia, and 49 other countries. See more »

Iron Curtain, a name for the communications barrier between the Communist countries of central and eastern Europe and the rest of the world. See more »

Moscow Conference of 1963, a conference at which the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union agreed to limit testing of nuclear weapons. See more »

Persian Gulf War, 1991, a war fought between Iraq and a coalition of Middle Eastern and Western powers led by the United States. See more »