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1945 - End of World War II
Germany surrenders in May; Japan surrenders in September after atomic bombs are dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. -
Truman Doctrine Announced
U.S. commits to containing communism, marking the official start of the Cold War. -
Berlin Blockade & Airlift
Soviet Union blocks access to West Berlin; U.S. and allies respond with an airlift to supply the city. -
NATO Formed & Soviet Union Tests Atomic Bomb
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is established. Meanwhile, the Soviet Union successfully tests its first nuclear weapon. -
Korean War
North Korea invades South Korea; the U.S. and UN intervene to stop communist expansion. War ends in stalemate with Korea remaining divided. -
Death of Stalin
Joseph Stalin dies; Nikita Khrushchev eventually takes power, leading to a shift in Soviet policies. -
Warsaw Pact Established
Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc nations form a military alliance in response to NATO. -
Hungarian Uprising
Anti-Soviet revolution in Hungary is brutally crushed by Soviet forces. -
Sputnik Launched
The Soviet Union launches the first artificial satellite, starting the Space Race. -
Berlin Wall Constructed
The East German government builds a wall to stop East Berliners from fleeing to the West. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The U.S. and Soviet Union come close to nuclear war over Soviet missile installations in Cuba. -
Prague Spring & Soviet Invasion of Czechoslovakia
Reform movement in Czechoslovakia is crushed by Soviet military intervention. -
U.S. Moon Landing
The U.S. wins a major victory in the Space Race as Apollo 11 lands on the Moon. -
SALT I Treaty Signed
The U.S. and USSR agree on arms control measures to limit nuclear weapons. -
Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan
Soviet troops enter Afghanistan, leading to a long, costly conflict and U.S.-backed resistance. -
Solidarity Movement in Poland
Independent trade union "Solidarity" emerges as a major challenge to communist rule. -
Mikhail Gorbachev Becomes Soviet Leader
Gorbachev introduces reforms like glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring). -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
Symbolic end of communist control in Eastern Europe as East Germans dismantle the Berlin Wall. -
German Reunification
East and West Germany officially reunite under democratic rule. -
Collapse of the Soviet Union
Gorbachev resigns, and the Soviet Union officially dissolves in December, marking the Cold War’s end.