5. The Cold War was the ideological , political, and economic conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union following World War II. During the Cold War, each country tried to limit the other country's influence around the world by building nuclear weapons, supplying weapons and money to other countries to gain their support, and spreading false information about the other. While the two countries never came into direct, open conflict with each other, they did come into indirect conflict numerous times. This included the Cuban Missile Crisis, when the world seemed on the edge of a nuclear war.​