History glossary
Proxy war
a conflict where major powers support opposing sides without fighting each other directly.
- Category
- Conflict type
What it means
Proxy wars were common during the Cold War because the United States and Soviet Union wanted influence but feared direct nuclear war. Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Angola, and other conflicts became tied to superpower rivalry.
Related terms
Stories using this term
The Cold War
Rivalry between East and West shapes global politics - through proxy wars, propaganda, and nuclear tension.
The World After The Cold War
From the fall of the Soviet Union to the rise of China and global terrorism, this story traces the turbulent reshaping of the international order after 1991.
