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Yalta Conference: Allied leaders meet to discuss post-war reorganization and division of Germany.
United Nations established.
Potsdam Conference: Leaders meet to finalize the division of Germany and discuss the future of Europe. -
Yalta Conference: Allied leaders meet to discuss post-war reorganization and division of Germany.
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Truman Doctrine: The U.S. policy of providing economic and military aid to countries threatened by communism.
Marshall Plan: The U.S. initiative to provide economic aid to rebuild war-torn Europe. -
Truman Doctrine: The U.S. policy of providing economic and military aid to countries threatened by communism.
Marshall Plan: The U.S. initiative to provide economic aid to rebuild war-torn Europe -
Berlin Blockade and Airlift: The Soviet Union blocks land access to West Berlin, leading to a massive airlift by the U.S. and its allies to supply the city. -
Berlin Blockade and Airlift: The Soviet Union blocks land access to West Berlin, leading to a massive airlift by the U.S. and its allies to supply the city.
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NATO formed: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is established as a defensive alliance between Western European countries and the U.S. and Canada. -
Korean War: Conflict erupts on the Korean Peninsula as North Korea, supported by China and the Soviet Union, invades South Korea. The war ends in a stalemate. -
Warsaw Pact: The Soviet-led military alliance is formed, consisting of Eastern European countries in response to NATO. -
Berlin Wall erected: The East German government constructs a wall to prevent East Germans from fleeing to West Berlin. -
Cuban Missile Crisis: The U.S. discovers Soviet missile installations in Cuba, leading to a tense standoff between the superpowers. -
Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT I): The U.S. and Soviet Union sign an agreement to limit the deployment of strategic nuclear missiles. -
Gorbachev's reforms: Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev introduces policies of perestroika (restructuring) and glasnost (openness) to reform the Soviet Union. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall: The symbolic barrier between East and West Germany is breached, leading to German reunification.
Revolutions of 1989: Popular uprisings and political changes occur across Eastern Europe, leading to the collapse of communist governments. -
Dissolution of the Soviet Union: The Soviet Union officially disintegrates into independent states.