It wasn't a war. It was called a war due to the lack of an easier term to say. The cold war meant 'no shooting, no killing'...if it was a real shooting war, it would've been a hot war (guns get hot when fired and fire is hot).

The cold war was an arm's race; one upmanship on the other. It was brought on by the atomic bomb in 1945 and lasted until the Soviet Union became Russia again in 1990.

A cold war or cold warfare is a state of conflict between nations that does not involve direct military action but is pursued primarily through economic and political actions, propaganda, acts of espionage or proxy wars waged by surrogates. The surrogates are typically states that are 'satellites' of the conflicting nations, i.e., nations allied to them or under their political influence. Opponents in a cold war will often provide economic or military aid, such as weapons, tactical support or military advisors, to lesser nations involved in conflicts with the opposing country.

The Cold War is the name given to the relationship that developed primarily between the USA and the USSRafter World War Two. The Cold War was to dominate international affairs for decades and many major crises occurred – the Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam, Hungary and the Berlin Wall being just some. For many, the growth in weapons of mass destruction was the most worrying issue. A cold war or cold warfare is a state of conflict between nations that does not involve direct military action but is pursued primarily through economic and political actions, propaganda, acts of espionage or proxy wars waged by surrogates. The surrogates are typically states that are 'satellites' of the conflicting nations, i.e., nations allied to them or under their political influence. Opponents in a cold war will often provide economic or military aid, such as weapons, tactical support or military advisors, to lesser nations involved in conflicts with the opposing country.