The period of intensified US-Soviet tension starting in the late 1970s and peaking in the 1980s is known as the Second Cold War. Which option best describes this period?

• A. First Cold War
• B. Détente
• C. Second Cold War
• D. Cold War II

Answer: (C)

The period described is best understood as a renewed, high-stakes rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union after a stretch of decreased tensions. After a decade of diplomacy and arms-control attempts in the 1970s, the late 1970s and especially the 1980s saw a return to intense competition: a faster arms race, tougher rhetoric, and a sense that both sides were willing to push riskier policies to gain strategic advantage. This included increased military deployments in Europe, a stronger defense posture, and crises that heightened distrust, all contributing to a perception of near-brinkmanship throughout the decade. That rise in confrontation and deterrence, rather than cooperation, is what distinguishes this period.

Détente describes the opposite trend—seeking to ease tensions through diplomacy and agreements—so it wouldn’t fit. The First Cold War refers to the earlier era of postwar confrontation before détente. While some informal terms like Cold War II exist, the established scholarly label for this late-20th-century surge in rivalry is the Second Cold War.