alternatehistory.com

From 1947 to 1991, the United States and the Soviet Union were the reigning superpowers of the world. One was a republic that championed free market capitalism, the other a far-left polity that sought global communism. Naturally, this brought the two colossi into a multi-decade standoff; proxy wars and militarization, coups and rigged elections, and spying and subterfuge characterized the long, potentially world-destroying tension now known as the Cold War.

Fortunately, the immediate threat posed by such conflict dissipated on December 25, 1991--the USSR peacefully dissolved into separate states that more-or-less gave up on communism. Those born after its collapse never knew a world where the Bolshevik boogeyman threatened their nation, their future, or their way of life. But could they have?

How long could the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union have lasted, and what would it take to make that so? Furthermore, what would result from continued tensions in a world where communism possibly remains a dominant competitor into the 21st Century?

Thank you in advance,
Zyobot
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