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Topic timeline · 1947 – 1991

Cold War

12 events

A standoff between the United States and the Soviet Union, fought through arms races, the space race and proxy wars rather than direct battle.

This topic is contested. Event names and summaries follow Wikipedia, and each event links to its source article.

Showing 51 years

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  1. 1947Truman Doctrine—The Truman Doctrine is a U.S. foreign policy that pledges American support for U.S.-aligned nations against alleged authoritarian threats. The doctrine originated with the primary goal of countering the growth of the Soviet bloc during the Cold War. It was announced to Congress by President Harry S.
  2. 1948 – 1949Berlin BlockadeWest BerlinThe Berlin Blockade (24 June 1948 – 12 May 1949) was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War. During the multinational occupation of post–World War II Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway, road, and canal access to the sectors of Berlin under Western control.
  3. 1950 – 1953Korean WarKorea StraitThe Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict fought on the Korean Peninsula between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was supported by China and the Soviet Union, while South Korea was supported by the United Nations led by the United States under the auspices of the United Nations Command (UNC).
  4. 1955 – 1975Vietnam WarLaosThe Vietnam War (c. 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam was supported by the Soviet Union and China, while South Vietnam was supported by the United States and other anti-communist nations.
  5. 1956Hungarian Revolution of 1956Hungarian People's RepublicThe Hungarian Revolution of 1956 (23 October – 4 November 1956; Hungarian: 1956-os forradalom), also known as the Hungarian Uprising, was an attempted countrywide revolution against the government of the Hungarian People's Republic (1949–1989) and the policies caused by the government's subordination to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).
  6. 1961Bay of Pigs InvasionBay of PigsThe Bay of Pigs Invasion, also known as Playa Girón in Cuba, after the beach where the battle took place, was a failed military landing operation on the southwestern coast of Cuba in April 1961 by the United States and the Cuban Democratic Revolutionary Front (DRF), consisting of Cuban exiles who opposed Fidel Castro's Cuban Revolution, clandestinely and directly financed by the U.S. government.
  7. 1962Cuban Missile CrisisCubaThe Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis in Cuba (Spanish: Crisis de Octubre), or the Caribbean Crisis (Russian: Карибский кризис, romanized: Karibskiy krizis), was a 13-day confrontation between the governments of the United States and the Soviet Union, when American deployments of nuclear missiles in the United Kingdom, Italy and Turkey were matched by Soviet deployments of nuclear missiles in…
  8. 1968Prague SpringCzechoslovakiaThe Prague Spring (Czech: Pražské jaro; Slovak: Pražská jar) was a period of political liberalization and mass protest in
  9. 1969Apollo 11 Moon landingThe MoonNeil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become the first people to walk on the Moon.
  10. 1979 – 1989Soviet–Afghan WarDemocratic Republic of AfghanistanThe Soviet–Afghan War took place in Afghanistan from December 1979 to February 1989. Marking the beginning of the 47-year-long Afghan conflict, it saw the Soviet Union and the Communist-led Afghan military fight against the rebelling Afghan mujahideen.
  11. 1989Fall of the Berlin WallBerlinEast Germany opens its border. The Cold War division of Europe begins to end.
  12. 1991Dissolution of the Soviet UnionSoviet UnionOn 26 December 1991, the Soviet Union was formally dissolved and ceased to exist as a sovereign state and subject of international law. It also brought an end to the Soviet Union's federal government and to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev's efforts to reform the Soviet political and economic system in an attempt to stop a period of political and economic stagnation.