<Tr> <Th> Cold War II </Th> </Tr> <P> The Cold War had many effects on society, both today and in the past . Primarily, communism was defeated . In Russia, military spending was cut dramatically and quickly . The effects of this were very large, seeing as the military - industrial sector had previously employed one of every five Soviet adults and its dismantling left hundreds of millions throughout the former Soviet Union unemployed . </P> <P> After Russia embarked on economic reforms in the 1990s, it suffered a financial crisis and a recession more severe than the United States and Germany had experienced during the Great Depression . Russian living standards have worsened overall in the post--Cold War years, although the economy has resumed growth since 1995 . </P> <P> The legacy of the Cold War continues to influence world affairs . After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the post--Cold War world is widely considered as unipolar, with the United States the sole remaining superpower . The Cold War defined the political role of the United States in the post--World War II world: by 1989 the United States held military alliances with 50 countries, and had 1.5 million troops posted abroad in 117 countries . The Cold War also institutionalized a global commitment to huge, permanent peacetime military - industrial complexes and large - scale military funding of science . </P>

How did the cold war effect the soviet union
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