Cold War

  • Yalta Conference 1945

    The Yalta Conference, held in February 1945, brought together the leaders of the United States, the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom (Roosevelt, Stalin and Churchill respectively) to discuss the future of Europe after World War II.
  • Creation of the united nations organization 1945

    The creation of the United Nations dates back to the San Francisco Conference, which took place in April 1945, with the participation of 50 countries. The main objective of this conference was to establish an international organization that could promote cooperation among nations, prevent future conflicts and ensure world peace and security.
  • Doctrina Truman 1947

    This doctrine established the U.S. commitment to support countries facing internal or external threats from totalitarian or expansionist regimes, particularly communism. It was a direct response to the situation in Greece and Turkey, where the United States feared communist influence.
  • Blockade of Berlin 1948-1949

    After World War II, Berlin was divided into four sectors controlled by the United States, the United Kingdom, France and the Soviet Union. In an attempt to curb Western influence in Berlin, the Soviet Union blocked land, sea and river access to the city of Berlin, which was located within the Soviet occupation zone of Germany.
    In response, the United States and its allies launched an impressive airlift effort, Operation Vittles.
  • Formation of NATO 1949

    NATO was created as an alliance between several Western countries, led by the United States, to counter the influence and expansion of the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The member countries agreed to defend each other in the event of an armed attack against any of them. The formation of NATO represented a commitment to mutual security and defense at a time of growing tension between the Western bloc and the Soviet-led communist bloc.
  • Korean War 1950 1953

    It began on June 25, 1950, when North Korean forces, backed by the Soviet Union and China, invaded South Korea. The UN, led primarily by the United States, intervened in support of South Korea.
  • Formation of the Warsaw Pact 1955

    The Warsaw Pact was a mutual defense treaty signed on May 14, 1955 between the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries in response to the creation of NATO by Western countries. The member countries of the Warsaw Pact pledged to defend each other in the event of an armed attack against any of them. It was a military alliance led by the Soviet Union and served as a counterpart to the Western bloc led by NATO during the Cold War.
  • Vietnam War 1955 1957

    The Vietnam War was a conflict that took place between 1955 and 1975, primarily between the South Vietnamese government, supported by the United States and other anti-communist nations, and the North Vietnamese government, backed by the Soviet Union and China. It was an extension of the Cold War and a struggle for the reunification of Vietnam under a communist government.
  • Suez Crisis 1956

    The Suez Crisis occurred in 1956 when Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal, controlled by the British and French. These countries, together with Israel, invaded Egypt. However, international pressures, especially from the US and the USSR, led to a withdrawal and the reassertion of Egyptian control over the canal. The crisis marked the end of Europe's colonial hegemony in the region and strengthened the role of the US and the USSR in the Middle East.
  • Cuban Missile Crisis 1962

    The United States discovered that the Soviet Union was installing nuclear missile bases in Cuba. This provoked an escalation of tensions that led to the brink of nuclear war. After days of intense negotiations, an agreement was reached in which the Soviet Union would remove the missiles in exchange for a U.S. commitment not to invade Cuba and to withdraw its missiles in Turkey.
  • Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty 1968

    The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is an international agreement aimed at preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons and promoting nuclear disarmament. It was first proposed in 1968 and entered into force in 1970. The treaty has been signed by most of the world's countries.
  • Soviet invasion of Afghanistan 1979

    The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan occurred in 1979, when the Soviet Union deployed troops to Afghanistan to support the Afghan communist government in its fight against Muslim insurgents, known as mujahideen, who opposed the government and communist influence in the country.
  • Solidarity in Poland 1980 1989

    Solidarity was a trade union and political movement in Poland that emerged in 1980. It was founded by trade union leader Lech Wałęsa and other activists, and became a symbol of resistance against the communist regime in the country.
  • Perestroika y Glasnost 1980

    Perestroika and Glasnost are two key policies implemented by Mikhail Gorbachev during his tenure as leader of the Soviet Union in the 1980s.
  • Euro missile crisis 1983

    The Euromissile Crisis was a Cold War episode that occurred in the 1980s, mainly between 1979 and 1987. It was triggered by NATO's decision to deploy Pershing II intermediate-range nuclear missiles (INF) and cruise missiles in Western Europe in response to the Soviet Union's deployment of SS-20 missiles in Eastern Europe.
  • Geneva 1985 and Rekyavik 1986 Summits

    The Geneva and Reykjavik Summits are two significant events in the history of the Cold War, marking important moments of dialogue and negotiation between the United States and the Soviet Union.
  • Fall of the Berlin Wall 1989

    The Fall of the Berlin Wall was a historic event that took place on November 9, 1989. This wall divided the city of Berlin into two parts since 1961: West Berlin, controlled by the Western Allies, and East Berlin, under the control of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), backed by the Soviet Union.
  • Reunification of Germany 1990

    The reunification of Germany refers to the process that led to the unification of the two separate Germanys after World War II: the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) in the west and the German Democratic Republic (GDR) in the east. This process culminated on October 3, 1990, when the two republics united to form a single nation, the Federal Republic of Germany.
  • Dissolution of the Soviet Union 1991

    The dissolution of the Soviet Union was a complex process that culminated in the official disappearance of the Soviet Union as a political entity on December 26, 1991. This event marked the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the communist system in Eastern Europe.
  • Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty 1991

    START I: Signed in 1991, START I was the first major nuclear disarmament agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union. It set limits on the number of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) and nuclear-equipped heavy bombers that each country could possess. It also included provisions for the verification and exchange of information on nuclear weapons.