For almost fifty years, the United States and the Soviet Union were engaged in the Cold War. This global stalemate emerged after both nations had been allies against Hitler during World War II. What political events precipitated the Cold War? What scientific and technological developments fueled the arms race that characterized the Cold War? What new institutions were created by the Cold War, and how were existing institutions reshaped by it? How did the Cold War condition society and culture? How did it shape the foreign policies of the U.S. and the Soviet Union? What did--and does--"the end of the Cold War" mean for citizens in the United States and the former Soviet Union? The answers to these questions and more are available in this collection of oral histories.