bipolarisation

Gathering into two ‘poles’ the forces of attraction which can be exerted over different countries or regions throughout the world. The world of the Cold War (+/- 1945 - +/- 1989) was called ‘bipolar’ in that it was characterised by the competing forces of attraction and influence of the two dominant great powers, the United States and the Soviet Union. A world divided up into numerous zones of influence is called ‘multipolar.’