Sentence:  On the heels of <WSD>Cold War II</WSD>, the Soviet empire in Eastern Europe has collapsed, the Soviet Union itself has dissolved, Germany - long the divided heart of the Cold War - has been permitted to reunite, representative government has made a large advance throughout the region, arms control has forged ahead with (by Cold War standards) dazzling speed, and strategic tensions across the length of the European continent have eased (in some cases, only to replace by long-smoldering nationalist strife). 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  (dated) Mostly the late 1970s–1980s phase of the Cold War.