Cold Wars

First Cold War

The First Cold War (1945 - January 11th 1988) was the state of political conflict, economic competition, and military tension through proxy wars existing after World War II between the communist and capitalist blocks, heralded by the Soviet Union and the United States of America.

The first Cold War ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1988, which brought a reform government under Mikhael Gorbachev to power and reduced the Soviet Union to the Russian Federation.

Interbellum

During the decades between the two Cold Wars, the struggling Russian Federation began withdrawing from the Warsaw Pact nations, while internally projecting force to maintain order.
While attempting to reform the Russian Federation into a capitalist nation, Russia's leadership merely aped the most libertarian politics of the West. Coupled with a post-Cold War economic depression, a much more acute domestic depression costed them support.

Second Cold War

The Second Cold War (1997 - 2004) was the continuation of the First Cold War.

After the Soviet Union was reestablished by a hardliner coup in 1997, tensions between the Soviet Union and the NATO member states steadily escalated after the reestablishment of the Warsaw Pact satellite nation system.

Aftermath

The Cold Wars ended with the ascension of compromise candidate Oleg Tikonov to the Premiership of the second Soviet Union, and the subsequent Second Soviet Civil War, which saw the final destruction of the Soviet Union.

Bibliography

• Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, pp. 138-139