The confrontation between the US and the Soviet Union dominated geopolitics during the '60s , with the struggle expanding into developing nations in Latin America , Africa , and Asia as the Soviet Union moved from being a regional to a truly global superpower and began vying for influence in the developing world . After President Kennedy 's assassination , direct tensions between the US and Soviet Union cooled and the superpower confrontation moved into a contest for control of the Third World , a battle characterized by proxy wars , funding of insurgencies , and puppet governments
Kennedy 's assassination
Assassination of John F. Kennedy
1960s