How would I write an essay on the causes and effects of the Cold War and the significance of it in history?

The Cold War is perhaps one of the most interesting conflicts in the entirety of world history. Let's start from the very beginning. During World War II, the United States was allied with the Soviet Union against the Germans, despite of their differing ideals. They worked together to combat the threat of the Nazis, but when Nazi Germany fell, they had little in common. When America had successfully created and used a nuclear weapon, it generated great fear and urgency in the Soviet Union to complete their own nuclear weaponry (they had also begun developing nuclear arms during the war because of the threat of Germany developing their own). This threat escalated between the two nations, and was aided by the intelligence delivered to the United States by former Nazi spies who had been brought to America through Operation Paperclip.
The main threat, according to the United States, was the spread of communism, which democratic nations in the West wanted to prevent at all costs. This led to America's war of isolation, where the United States and its allies fought to prevent communism from spreading beyond the Eastern hemisphere.
The Cold War had a huge impact on world history and was very interesting because it was a war between two nations who never attacked each other in that time period. Both nations amassed greater nuclear arsenals and prepared for a seemingly inevitable war, but one which would have obliterated the entire human race at large.
The escalation of the war created the Space Race as well, wherein America and the Soviet Union competed to achieve greater military and technological might in space. This is one of the biggest positive effects of the Cold War because it led to incredible technological advancement. Sputnik was launched as the first satellite and was used against the United States and its allies to spy and transmit messages. From there, the Soviet Union launched Yuri Gagarin and others into space. Eventually, the United States responded and successfully launched many men into space and landed the astronauts on the moon. The technological development has led to breakthroughs in computer imaging, GPS, medical technology, physics, travel, and so much more.
Eventually, both nations signed a denuclearization treaty and ostensibly do not carry active nuclear weapons. To ensure safety throughout the world, they have both also taken steps to prevent other nations, particularly radicalized nations, from developing nuclear arms as well. Today, tensions between the nations involved are greatly improved, though not perfect.