The Cold War was a nearly 50-year long period of tense relations between the United States and the Communist-ruled Soviet Union. The Cold War began almost immediately after World War II and ended with the 1991 dismantling of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The fear of Communism infiltration in the U.S. government, entertainment industry and other organizations affected American politics, culture, and even daily life, particularly in the early years of the Cold War.