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Overview
The Cold War: Prolonged tension and rivalry between USA-led capitalist 1st world and USSR-led socialist/communist 2nd world (1945–1991). Included arms race, ideological competition, and proxy wars.
World War Treaties Leading to Cold War
| Event | Year | Facts / Features |
|---|---|---|
| Yalta Conference | Feb 1945 | Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin; division of Germany; established UN; post-war reconstruction of Europe |
| Potsdam Conference | Jul–Aug 1945 | Truman, Churchill/Attlee, Stalin; administration of divided Germany; future of Poland/Eastern Europe |
| Bretton Woods Agreement | Jul 1944 | Creation of IMF, World Bank; Bretton Woods system |
| Marshall Plan | 1948 | European Recovery Program |
| NATO Treaty | Apr 1949 | Military alliance for collective security |
| Warsaw Pact | May 1955 | USSR-led military alliance |
| Sino-Soviet Treaty | 1950 | Treaty of Friendship, Alliance, and Mutual Assistance |
Key Features
- War of Ideology: Capitalism vs Socialism/Communism
- Bi-polarism: Balance of Power
- Military Alliances: NATO, Warsaw Pact, SEATO, CENTO
- Deterrence & MAD (Mutual Assured Destruction)
- Emergence of USA as global power: UN, Bretton Woods, economic aid, American Dream
- Post-war division of Germany & Berlin: Bizonia (1947), Berlin Blockade (1948–49), Berlin Airlift
- Formation of two German states (1949): FRG & GDR
- Détente: Late 1960s–1979; SALT-1, Nixon visit, Helsinki Accords
- New Cold War: 1979–1985; USSR invades Afghanistan
Arenas of the Cold War
| Region | Period | Event |
|---|---|---|
| Berlin | 1948–1961 | Blockade of West Berlin (1948–49), Berlin Wall erected (1961) |
| Korea | 1950–1953 | Division along 38°; N-Communist, S-Capitalist; war with USSR/China & USA involvement |
| Cuba | 1962 | Fidel Castro; Bay of Pigs Invasion (1961); Cuban Missile Crisis |
| Vietnam | 1955–1975 | Division along 17°; USA troops intervene; Vietnam reunified under communism |
| Afghanistan | 1979–1988 | USSR invasion; USA supports Mujahideen; proxy war |
| Other | Various | Congo Crisis, Arab-Israel Conflicts, Iranian Revolution, Hungary, Czechoslovakia |
Major Cold War Events
- Iron Curtain Speech – Churchill (1946)
- Truman Doctrine & Containment Policy (1947)
- Soviet Atomic Bomb (1949)
- Rosenberg Trial (1951–53)
- Suez Crisis (1956)
- Hungarian Revolution (1956)
- Sputnik Launch (1957)
- U-2 Incident (1960)
- China replaces Taiwan in UNSC (1971)
- Nixon visits China (1972)
- Solidarity Movement in Poland (1980–1989)
- Fall of Berlin Wall (1989)
- Dissolution of USSR (1991)
Arms Limitation Treaties
- ABM Treaty (1972) – Limited ABM complexes
- SALT I (1972) – Limits on ICBMs & SLBMs; ABM Treaty
- SALT II (1979) – Further limits; not ratified due to USSR-Afghanistan war
- INF Treaty (1987) – Eliminated intermediate-range missiles
- START I (1991) – Reduce strategic nuclear warheads; verification measures
- START II & New START – Continued arms reduction efforts
India & The Cold War
- Founder of Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)
- Active mediation in Korean War
- Peacebuilding during Cold War
- Leading voice of de-colonized nations
- Used NAM for national interest
- Condemned UK/France in Suez Crisis, silent on Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
- Treaty of Friendship with USSR (1971)