Today we concluded our overview of the Cold War and saw how and why it ended not with a bang but with a whimper (or, rather, a celebration). But, above all, it ended peacefully. We first looked at the intensification of the Cold War, leading to the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the aftermath when both sides began the long road to detente. Finally, we looked at the nature of the European Union in general, as a backdrop to tomorrow's discussion of the historical development of the EU. Cold War (Conclusion) and the EU