Cold War

The Cold War was a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc, after World War II. It is generally considered to have lasted from 1947, the year the Truman Doctrine was announced, to 1991, the year the Soviet Union collapsed.

Origins of the Cold War

The origins of the Cold War can be traced back to the ideological, political, and economic differences between the United States and the Soviet Union. After the defeat of Nazi Germany, the two superpowers emerged with conflicting visions for the post-war world. The United States promoted democracy and capitalism, while the Soviet Union sought to spread communism.

Map showing NATO and Warsaw Pact countries during the Cold War.

The Iron Curtain

The term "Iron Curtain" was popularized by Winston Churchill in 1946 to describe the division between Western Europe and the Soviet-controlled regions. This division was both physical and ideological, with the Eastern Bloc countries under Soviet influence and the Western nations aligned with the United States.

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A preserved part of the Iron Curtain in Čížov, Czech Republic.

Major Events and Developments

The Marshall Plan

The Marshall Plan was an American initiative to aid Western Europe, in which the United States gave over $12 billion in economic assistance to help rebuild Western European economies after the end of World War II. This plan was seen as a way to prevent the spread of Soviet communism by stabilizing the economies of Western Europe.

Logo of the Marshall Plan aid.

Map showing countries that received Marshall Plan aid.

The Berlin Airlift

In 1948, the Soviet Union blocked all ground routes to West Berlin, an enclave within Soviet-controlled East Germany. In response, the United States and its allies organized the Berlin Airlift, a massive effort to supply West Berlin by air. This operation lasted for over a year and was a significant early confrontation of the Cold War.

C-47 aircraft at Tempelhof Airport during the Berlin Airlift.

Formation of NATO

In 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was formed as a military alliance of Western countries to counter the Soviet threat. The treaty was signed by 12 countries, including the United States, Canada, and several Western European nations.

President Truman signing the North Atlantic Treaty.

Cold War Conflicts

The Cold War was marked by numerous conflicts and proxy wars, including the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Cuban Missile Crisis. These conflicts often involved indirect confrontations between the superpowers, with each side supporting opposing factions in regional disputes.

The End of the Cold War

The Cold War began to thaw in the late 1980s with the policies of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) introduced by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the subsequent collapse of communist regimes in Eastern Europe marked the beginning of the end. The dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 is widely considered the definitive end of the Cold War.

Related pages

• NATO
• Warsaw Pact
• Berlin Wall
• Cuban Missile Crisis
• Vietnam War