The outcome of the Cold War, which lasted several decades, was the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the subsequent end of communist regimes in Eastern Europe. The Cold War was characterized by a prolonged period of political and military tension between the United States and its allies versus the Soviet Union and its Eastern Bloc nations. The ideological conflict extended to various arenas, including military, economic, and cultural. Ultimately, the Soviet Union's failure to maintain its economic structure and political grip led to its collapse, resulting in the emergence of democratic governments and the spread of capitalism in former communist countries.