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Leaders of the Allied powers (US, USSR) meet to discuss post-war Europe, leading to tensions over the division of Germany. -
President Truman announces a policy of containment against Soviet expansion, providing aid to Greece and Turkey. -
The USSR blocks Western access to West Berlin, leading to a massive airlift operation by the Allies. -
The Soviet Union successfully tests its first atomic bomb, escalating the arms race with the U.S. -
Tensions rise between the Soviet Union and the Western Allies after World War II, leading to the establishment of communist regimes in Eastern Europe and the beginning of the Cold War. -
Soviet leader Joseph Stalin dies, leading to a power struggle within the USSR. -
An armistice is signed, ending major hostilities in the Korean War, but leaving the Korean Peninsula divided into North and South Korea. -
The USSR and its Eastern European allies form a military alliance in response to NATO. -
Asian and African countries gather in Indonesia to promote post-colonial cooperation and assert their neutral stance amid Cold War tensions. -
A popular uprising against Soviet influence in Hungary is brutally suppressed by Soviet forces. -
A conflict erupts when Egypt nationalizes the Suez Canal, leading to a military intervention by Israel, France, and the United Kingdom against Egypt, with the USSR supporting Egypt. -
The “space race” was a Cold War competition between the United States and the Soviet Union to develop aerospace capabilities, including artificial satellites, unmanned space probes, and human spaceflight. -
he Soviet Union launches the first artificial satellite, Sputnik, into orbit, marking the beginning of the Space Race and intensifying the arms race. -
Fidel Castro comes to power in Cuba, leading to increased tensions between the U.S. and the communist regime. -
Tsar Bomba, Russian “King of Bombs” , by name of RDS-220, also called Big Ivan, Soviet thermonuclear bomb that was detonated in a test over Novaya Zemlya island in the Arctic Ocean on October 30, 1961. The largest nuclear weapon ever set off, it produced the most powerful human-made explosion ever recorded. -
The East German government constructs a wall to prevent its citizens from fleeing to West Berlin, becoming a symbol of the Cold War. -
A failed CIA-backed invasion of Cuba by Cuban exiles aiming to overthrow Fidel Castro, causing embarrassment for the United States. -
The U.S. discovers Soviet missiles in Cuba, leading to a tense standoff and narrowly avoiding nuclear war. -
The United States and the Soviet Union establish a direct communication link known as the "Hotline" to facilitate crisis management and prevent misunderstandings. -
The United States, the Soviet Union, and the United Kingdom sign a treaty banning nuclear tests in the atmosphere, outer space, and underwater. -
U.S. accuses North Vietnam of attacking American ships, escalating U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. -
Israel engages in a brief but decisive conflict with neighboring Arab states, including Egypt, Jordan, and Syria, resulting in Israel's occupation of territories. -
Czechoslovakia experiences a period of political liberalization, which is crushed by a Soviet-led invasion. -
The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons is signed, aiming to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and promote disarmament. -
The U.S. and USSR sign an agreement to limit the number of nuclear weapons and launchers. -
A conference is held, resulting in an agreement on cooperation and human rights between Eastern and Western Europe. -
A conference in Helsinki establishes principles of cooperation between the East and West. -
The USSR invades Afghanistan to support a communist government, sparking a decade-long conflict. -
The Soviet Union invades Afghanistan to prop up a communist government, leading to a protracted and costly conflict that becomes known as the Soviet Union's "Vietnam War." -
Workers' strikes and protests against communist rule emerge in Poland, leading to the formation of the Solidarity trade union. -
Iraq, led by Saddam Hussein, invades Iran, resulting in a prolonged and deadly war that involves international interventions and support for both sides. -
President Reagan proposes a missile defense system, heightening tensions with the USSR. -
President Reagan announces the Strategic Defense Initiative, a missile defense system. -
A Soviet fighter jet shoots down a civilian South Korean airliner, heightening tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union. -
NATO conducts a military exercise that Soviet leaders misinterpret as a potential prelude to a real attack, heightening tensions and the risk of nuclear war. -
Mikhail Gorbachev becomes the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, initiating reforms. -
Mikhail Gorbachev initiates political and economic reforms, known as perestroika and glasnost. -
Mikhail Gorbachev becomes the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, ushering in a period of political and economic reforms known as glasnost and perestroika. -
The US and the Soviet Union sign the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, eliminating certain types of nuclear missiles. -
The U.S. and USSR agree to eliminate intermediate-range nuclear missiles. -
The border between East and West Germany is opened, symbolizing the end of the Cold War division in Europe. -
Nonviolent demonstrations lead to the overthrow of communist rule in Czechoslovakia. -
Poland's Solidarity trade union, led by Lech Walesa, gains legal recognition, marking a significant challenge to Soviet influence in Eastern Europe. -
A wave of popular uprisings and non-violent protests across Eastern Europe leads to the fall of communist governments in countries such as Poland, Hungary, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Romania. -
East and West Germany are reunified, ending the division of the country. -
The U.S. leads a coalition to liberate Kuwait from Iraqi occupation, highlighting the shift in global power dynamics. -
The USSR disintegrates into independent nations, marking the end of the Cold War. -
Former Eastern Bloc countries, including Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, join NATO. -
The United States, United Kingdom, and Russia provide security assurances to Ukraine in exchange for its denuclearization, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. -
Conflict between Russia and Chechen separatists erupts, resulting in a devastating war with significant civilian casualties and human rights abuses. -
NATO and Russia sign an agreement aimed at building a cooperative relationship. -
NATO airstrikes are conducted against Serbia during the Kosovo War. -
NATO conducts airstrikes against Serbia to stop ethnic cleansing in Kosovo, marking its first major military intervention. -
The United States invades Afghanistan to oust the Taliban regime, which had harbored Al-Qaeda terrorists. -
Terrorist attacks on the US prompt the War on Terror and a reevaluation of global security threats. -
Several Eastern European countries, including Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, join the European Union. -
Conflict breaks out between Russia and Georgia over the regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. -
Russia annexed Crimea, leading to tensions with Ukraine and Western countries. -
An agreement is reached between Iran and world powers to limit Iran's nuclear program. -
Historic meeting between US President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, aiming to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.