Cold War Timeline

Aug. 1991

April 1991

May 29, 1990

Nov. 1989

June 1989

Oct. 1987

Apr. 17, 1975

Sept. 1973

July 20, 1969

Oct. 1962

Aug. 13, 1961

Apr. 17, 1961

Nov. 1960

Oct. 4, 1957

July 1954

Mar. 13, 1954

July 27, 1953

June 19, 1953

June 25, 1950

Aug. 29, 1949

July 1949

Mar. 5, 1946

June 24, 1948

Aug. 6, 1945

Feb. 4, 1945

Cold War Timeline

The Yalta Conference, also known as the Crimea Conference, took place from 4–11 February 1945, is known as the World War II meeting of the heads of government of the United States, the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union to discuss the postwar reorganization of Germany and Europe. This led to the beginning of the Cold War.

Yalta Conference

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The US used the first atomic bombs against the Japanese. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were the detonation of two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6th and 9th. This began the race to make the best atomic bombs.

US First Bomb

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A very powerful speech was delivered by British prime minister Winston Churchill in Fulton, Missouri, on March 5, 1946, where he stressed the need for the United States and Britain to act as the guardians of peace and stability against the menace of Soviet communism.

Iron Curtain Speech

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To halt the democracy from spreading to the West, Soviet president Nikita Khruschev wanted East Germany closed off between East and West Berlin. On the night of August 12-13, 1961, East German soldiers laid down more than 30 miles of barbed wire barrier through the middle of Berlin.

Berlin Blockade Begins

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The foundations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) were officially laid down on 4 April 1949 with the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty, more popularly known as the Washington Treaty. The Washington Treaty, or North Atlantic Treaty, forms the basis of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or better known as NATO. This made a large alliance between many countries.

NATO Ratified

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Known as RDS-1, the first Soviet atomic test was internally code-named First Lightning and was launched on August 29, 1949, and was code-named by the Americans as Joe 1. The design was very similar to the first US "Fat Man" plutonium bomb, using a TNT/hexogen.

Soviets First Bomb

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After many years of simmering tensions on the Korean peninsula, the Korean War began on June 25, 1950, when the Northern Korean People's Army invaded South Korea in a coordinated general attack at several strategic points along the 38th parallel of Korea.

Korean War Begins

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In June of 1953, siblings Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed for conspiracy to commit espionage under the U.S. Espionage Act of 1917. Members of the communist party, the Rosenberg siblings were convicted and executed for passing secret information about the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union in 1945.

Rosenberg Executions

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On July 27, 1953, close to exactly seven months after President Eisenhower's inauguration as the 34th President of the United States, an armistice was signed, ending organized combat operations and leaving the Korean Peninsula divided much as it had been since the close of World War II at the 38th parallel. This marked the end of the Korean War.

Korean War Ends

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The KGB was established on March 13, 1954 in order to complete tasks tgat were generally defined in official Soviet publications as encompassing the four areas, which were, the struggle against foreign spies and agents, the exposure and investigation of political and economic crimes by citizens, the protection of state borders, and the protection of state secrets.

KGB Established

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In July of 1954, the Geneva Agreements were signed. As part of the agreement, the French agreed to withdraw their troops from northern Vietnam. Vietnam would be temporarily divided at the 17th parallel, pending elections within two years to choose a president and reunite the country. This split ended up becoming very healthy for the country in the future.

Vietnam Splits

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Sputnik 1 was the first artificial Earth satellite. It was launched into an elliptical low Earth orbit by the USSR on October 4th, 1957 as part of the Soviet space program. It sent a radio signal back to Earth for about three weeks before its three silver-zinc batteries ran out and it essentially "died". This marked the beginning of the space race between the Soviets and the United States.

Sputnik Launched Into Orbit

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John F. Kennedy's election changed the Cold War forever. He urged Americans to critically reexamine Cold War stereotypes and myths and called for a strategy of peace that would make the world safe for diversity. Because of him, the Cold War tensions were softened and eventually led to the end of the Cold War.

JFK Elected

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The Bay of Pigs Invasion was a catastrophic failed military landing operation on the southwestern coast of Cuba in 1961 by Cuban exiles, heavily financed and directed by the United States. The primary objective of this invasion was to overthrow Fidel Castro's communist government.

Bay of Pigs Invasion

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The Berlin Wall was a guarded concrete wall that completely encircled West Berlin of the Federal Republic of Germany from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and the German Democratic Republic. Construction of the Berlin Wall was commenced by the government of the GDR on 13 August 1961. This led to great tensions between the two sides of Berlin.

Berlin Wall Begins Construction

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The Cuban Missile Crisis also known as the great Missle Scare of October 1962 was a direct and extremely dangerous confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War and was the moment when the two superpowers came closest to nuclear conflict throughout the entire Cold War.

Cuban Missile Crisis

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Apollo 11 was the American spaceflight that first landed humans on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the Apollo Lunar Module Eagle on July 20, 1969. This was a huge victory for the Americans in the Space Race.

Apollo 11 Lands On The Moon

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On September 13, Pinochet was named President of Chile, whereupon he dismantled Congress and outlawed many Chilean leftist political parties. The takeover of the government ended a 46-year history of democratic rule in Chile. In June 1975, Pinochet announced that there would be no future elections in the country. This was another big victory for the US in getting rid of communism.

Chilean Government Outruled By The US

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The fall of Saigon, also known as the Liberation of Saigon or Liberation of the South by the Vietnamese government, and known as Black April by anti-communist overseas Vietnamese was the capture of the headquarters for South Vietnam.

North Vietnam Defeats South

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In 1987, U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, or INF Treaty. This landmark agreement proposed to eliminate all intermediate and short-range ground-based missiles and launchers from Europe. This was a big relief to many citizens in urban areas in the US and USSR.

Missiles Are Put Down

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Many Chinese civilians protested for Democracy in Tianmen Square. In response, the Chinese authorities responded with overwhelming force to repress the demonstrations. Military units were brought in and unarmed protesters and onlookers were killed en masse. The Chinese government has never acknowledged the true events surrounding the Tiananmen massacre.

China Puts Down Protesters

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The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 was a peaceful but pivotal moment, not just in the Cold War but also seen in the history of modern Europe. It was brought about by political reforms inside the Soviet block, intensely rising pressure from the people of eastern Europe and ultimately, confusion over an East German directive to open the border.

Berlin Wall Falls

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Boris Yeltsin being elected to presidency was the best thing to happen for Russia during the entire Cold War. Yeltsin transformed Russia's command economy into a capitalist market economy by implementing economic shock therapy, market exchange rate of the ruble, nationwide privatization, and lifting of price controls. Economic volatility and inflation ensued.

Boris Yeltsin Elected Russian President

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In September 1990, East Germany left the Pact in preparation for reunification with West Germany. By October, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Poland had withdrawn from all Warsaw Pact military exercises. The Warsaw Pact officially disbanded in March and July of 1991 following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Warsaw Pact Ends

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During 1989 and 1990, the Berlin Wall came down, borders opened, and free elections ousted Communist regimes everywhere in eastern Europe. In late 1991 the Soviet Union itself dissolved into its component republics. With stunning speed, the Iron Curtain was lifted and the Cold War came to an end.

Cold War Ends

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