The Cold War was a state of political and military tension between the United States and the Soviet Union, as well as their respective allies, that lasted from the end of World War II until the early 1990s. The ideological struggle that was the basis for this conflict was between two competing political and economic systems: capitalism and communism. The United States was a capitalist democracy, while the Soviet Union was a socialist state governed by the Communist Party. These two systems were fundamentally opposed to each other, with capitalism emphasizing individual freedom and private enterprise, and communism emphasizing collective ownership and control of the means of production. The Cold War was characterized by a series of proxy wars, arms races, and propaganda campaigns, as each side sought to advance its interests and undermine the other. The conflict had a profound impact on global politics, economics, and culture, and contributed to the development of new technologies, international organizations, and diplomatic strategies.