The Cold War took place immediately following WWII and ended after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. This war was between the USSR and the United States, as well as each group’s capitalist and communist allies. It was a period of great tension between the two nations and their political ideals. While no shots were ever officially fired between the two, they engaged in a number of proxy wars, like in Korea and Vietnam. Both nations took great steps towards spreading their ideas, even conducting coups and placing dictators in power. The Cold War had a number of offset conflicts, such as the Korea and Vietnam War, the Space Race, and the arms race.