Cold War

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Dates for the Cold War

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1947 to 1991

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The Cold War

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The Cold War was an ongoing political rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies that developed after World War II.

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The Iron Curtain

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The Iron Curtain was a barrier that divided capitalist and communist nations. This barrier was not physical but instead economic and political.

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The Truman Doctrine

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the Truman Doctrine was a US foreign policy, announced in 1947, that pledged American support to countries resisting communist expansion, effectively marking the start of the Cold War's policy of containment.

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The Marshall Plan

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A US-led initiative to provide economic aid to Western Europe after World War II, aiming to rebuild war-torn economies and prevent the spread of communism.

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The Berlin Airlift

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From 1948 to 1949 when the United States and the United Kingdom sent in supplies to West Berlin after the Soviet Union placed a blockade on the city. People received flour, milk, fuel, food, supplies, and even special treats from hundreds of planes every day.

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NATO

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North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), 1949. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was created in 1949 by the United States, Canada, and several Western European nations to provide collective security against the Soviet Union.

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Warsaw Pact

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A military alliance formed in 1955 by the Soviet Union and several Eastern European communist countries, serving as a counter to NATO and aimed at mutual defense and collective security within the communist bloc.

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The Propaganda War

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During the Cold War, a "propaganda war" involved both the US and the Soviet Union using media and messaging to promote their ideologies and demonize the opposing side, aiming to influence public opinion and gain global support.

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The Berlin Wall

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A fortified concrete and wire barrier that separated East and West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, built by the communist government of East Germany to prevent its citizens from fleeing to the West.