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The Zhdanov Doctrine
The Soviet Union proposed it, which denounced US imperialism in Western Europe and offered assistence to countries that would not submit to it. -
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A time of great tension
The rupture between the capitalist bloc and the communist bloc began in 1947. -
The doctrine of containment
It was proclaimed by the US president Harry Truman. It denounced the creation, under pressure, of communist regimes in Central and Eastern Europe, and offered help to the people threatened by the spread of communism. -
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Peaceful coexistence
This stage is known as peaceful coexistence began in 1957, marked by the desire for dialogue between the two blocs. It was favoured by the increase of nuclear power in the Soviet Union and the attitude of the new US leaders -John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon- and Soviet leaders -Nikita Khrushchev and Leonid Brezhnev. -
The resurgence of the Cold War (the Soviet Union)
During these years, the Soviet Union tried to achieve military supremacy. It deployed SS-20 missiles equipped with nuclear warheads, which directly threatened Western Europe, and it also increased its foreign interventions: the invasion of Afghanistan, the Aflican conflicts... -
The resurgence of the Cold War (United States)
The United States, under President Ronald Reagan (1981-1989), increased military spending and undertook the Strategic Defense Initiative also known as Star Wars in 1983, and intervened in "low-intensity conflicts" in the Third World. -
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The resurgence of the Cold War
Between 1977 and 1985 the Cold War again grew more tense, due to the increase in the arms race, especially focused on nuclear weapons. -
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The end of the Cold War
In the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev began to ease tensions, intensified dialogue with the United States, declared Soviet unilateral disarmament, withdrew from Afghanistan and the African conflicts, and granted greater autonomy to the people's republics. And in the United States, the increase in public deficit hampered the maintenance of the costly nuclear arms.
The United States and the Soviet Union signed several disarmament and arms reductions agreements. The Cold War ended in 1991. -
The fall of the Berlin Wall
