冷战(Cold War)
第二次世界大战後美国与苏联及各自的盟国之间所显示的公开却有限制的对立状态。美、英忧虑苏联对东欧的永久性控制，并对受苏联影响的共产党在西欧民主国家取得政权的威胁感到害怕；而苏联则决心维护其对东欧的控制，以预防来自德国的任何可能的新的威胁。冷战（是1947年美国总统顾问巴鲁克在一次国会辩论中首次使用）主要在政治、经济和宣传战线上进行，曾仅有限地诉诸武力；由於柏林封锁和空运、北大西洋公约组织的成立、共产党在中国内战和韩战的胜利，使得冷战在1948～1953年达於高峰。由於古巴飞弹危机（1962），引发1958～1962年另一次紧张阶段，造成美苏双方进行军备竞赛。1970年代冷战紧张局势逐渐缓和，因美苏双方签订两份「限制战略武器谈判协定」。1991年苏联瓦解，冷战宣告结束。
English version：
Cold War
Open yet restricted rivalry and hostility that developed after World War II between the U.S. and the Soviet Union and their respective allies. The U.S. and Britain, alarmed by the Soviet domination of Eastern Europe, feared the expansion of Soviet power and communism in Western Europe and elsewhere. The Soviets were determined to maintain control of Eastern Europe, in part to safeguard against a possible renewed threat from Germany. The Cold War (the term was first used by Bernard Baruch during a congressional debate in 1947) was waged mainly on political, economic, and propaganda fronts and had only limited recourse to weapons. It was at its peak in 1948-53 with the Berlin blockade and airlift, the formation of NATO, the victory of the communists in the Chinese civil war, and the Korean War. Another intense stage occurred in 1958-62 with the Cuban missile crisis, which resulted in a weapons buildup by both sides. A period of détente in the 1970s was followed by renewed hostility. The Cold War ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.