Curated timeline

The Cold War

The global geopolitical chess match between the US and USSR. Covers the Iron Curtain, proxy wars, nuclear brinkmanship, and the eventual Soviet collapse.

• Truman Doctrine Announced (March 12, 1947)

  President Truman announces policy to contain Soviet expansion, marking official start of Cold War.

• Marshall Plan Announced (June 5, 1947)

  US announces economic aid program to rebuild Western Europe and counter Soviet influence.

• Berlin Blockade Begins (June 24, 1948)

  Soviet Union blocks all land access to West Berlin, prompting Allied airlift.

• NATO Formation (April 4, 1949)

  North Atlantic Treaty Organization formed as Western military alliance against Soviet threat.

• Soviet Nuclear Test (August 29, 1949)

  USSR successfully tests its first atomic bomb, ending US nuclear monopoly.

• People's Republic of China Founded (October 1, 1949)

  Chinese Communist Party wins civil war, Mao Zedong proclaims People's Republic of China.

• Korean War Begins (June 25, 1950)

  North Korea invades South Korea, beginning first major Cold War proxy conflict.

• McCarthyism Peak (1950-1954)

  Anti-communist hysteria in US reaches peak under Senator Joseph McCarthy.

• First Hydrogen Bomb Test (November 1, 1952)

  United States tests first hydrogen bomb, escalating nuclear arms race.

• Stalin Dies (March 5, 1953)

  Death of Stalin leads to de-Stalinization process and power struggle in Soviet Union.

• Soviet Hydrogen Bomb (August 12, 1953)

  USSR tests first deliverable hydrogen bomb, maintaining nuclear parity.

• Geneva Conference (April 26, 1954)

  International conference ends French involvement in Indochina, divides Vietnam.

• Warsaw Pact Formation (May 14, 1955)

  Soviet-led military alliance formed in response to NATO and West German rearmament.

• Geneva Summit (July 18, 1955)

  First superpower summit since WWII, beginning of peaceful coexistence era.

• Khrushchev's Secret Speech (February 25, 1956)

  Khrushchev denounces Stalin's crimes, beginning de-Stalinization process.

• Hungarian Revolution (October 23, 1956)

  Hungarian uprising against Soviet control crushed by Soviet tanks.

• Suez Crisis (October 29, 1956)

  British, French, and Israeli attack on Egypt creates Cold War tensions in Middle East.

• Sputnik Launch (October 4, 1957)

  Soviet satellite launch begins Space Race and shocks Western world.

• European Economic Community (March 25, 1957)

  Treaty of Rome establishes EEC, furthering Western European integration.

• Cuban Revolution Victory (January 1, 1959)

  Fidel Castro's revolution succeeds, later aligning with Soviet Union.

• U-2 Incident (May 1, 1960)

  Soviet Union shoots down American spy plane, derailing Paris Summit.

• Sino-Soviet Split Public (1960)

  Ideological split between USSR and China becomes public, dividing communist world.

• Bay of Pigs Invasion (April 17, 1961)

  CIA-backed invasion of Cuba fails, pushing Castro toward Soviet alliance.

• Yuri Gagarin Space Flight (April 12, 1961)

  First human in space gives USSR early lead in Space Race.

• Berlin Wall Built (August 13, 1961)

  East German authorities build Berlin Wall, becoming symbol of divided world.

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