The Cold War was a time of much tension between the US and the Soviet Union. Many times during this period, war almost broke out. If it did, it would have been a full scale nuclear war. The US and the Soviet Union were basically opposites. US for democracy and the Soviet Union for communism. Both nations had powerful allies and supporters, and that made it even more dangerous. Most people might things that this being name the "Cold War" that there actually was a battle between the US and the USSR. There never was, there was just constant tension between the two nations. The US and the USSR had always had a competition in everything during this time. From the arms race to the olympicxs, things were pretty scary. Both sides were preparing for Nuclear Warfare. Each side would attack if the other did, causing WWIII and decimating the entire world. The Cold War between the US and USSR lasted around 43 years until the USSR fell and became Russia again.