the whole Cold War thing came about because of USSR's ambitions to create a buffer state in Eastern Europe (so that if they were attacked again by i.e. Germany, the enemy would have to get through those areas first before reaching Russia), which eventually developed into a desire to spread communist influence over the world. The US, and western Europe, as democratic nations opposed this. The aspect of military buildup came with nuclear power, and as arms built up the two sides became more and more distrustful of each other, but afraid to attack due to possible nuclear fallout. A lot of resentment came especially with the construction of the Berlin wall in Germany, which people initially saw as a symbol of how divided the Russians and the Western World had become. This eventually ended with the end of Soviet Russia in 1991, but to some extent continues today, because Russia is once again powerful, militarily and economically. Recent events include the Russian attack of Georgia, as well as its protest over the installment of US anti-missile bases in Poland
