What major geopolitical struggle took place from approximately 1946 to 1991?

The major geopolitical struggle that took place from approximately 1946 to 1991 is known as the Cold War. This period was characterized by a state of tension and rivalry between the United States and its allies, representing capitalist democracies, and the Soviet Union and its allies, representing communist states. The conflict was not fought through direct military engagement between the two superpowers but rather through a series of proxy wars, nuclear arms races, ideological contests, and political maneuvering around the globe.

The Cold War had far-reaching implications for global politics, leading to events like the Korean War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Vietnam War, and significantly influencing economic policies and military strategies throughout the world. The ideological divide it created shaped international relations for decades, and it only began to thaw with the policies of glasnost and perestroika in the 1980s, culminating in the geopolitical transformations that occurred with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

In contrast, the other choices refer to historical events that either occurred much earlier or involved different contexts. The Napoleonic Wars occurred in the early 19th century, the Wars of the Roses were a series of English civil wars in the 15th century