The Cold War was an ongoing political rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies that developed after World War II. It started in 1947 and ended in 1991. The main enemies were the United States and the Soviet Union. The Cold War got its name because both sides were afraid of fighting each other directly. Therefore, both sides fought each other indirectly. There are several causes that led to the outbreak of the Cold War: tensions between the two nations at the end of World War II, the ideological conflict between both the United States and the Soviet Union, the emergence of nuclear weapons, and the fear of communism in the United States. The Cold War involved the United States, Russia, Asia, Europe and parts of Africa and Latin America (especially Cuba). The only place the Cold War took place physically was in Korea, during the Korean Conflict from 1950-53.