Master Dates & Timeline: Chronology of the Cold War
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Chronological vocabulary flashcards covering the major events, treaties, and turning points of the Cold War from the Russian Revolution to the dissolution of the USSR.
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1917 — Russian Revolution
The Bolsheviks seize power in Russia and establish the world's first communist state.
1919 — Treaty of Versailles
The peace settlement ending WWI that destabilises Germany and reshapes Europe.
1929 — Great Depression
A global economic collapse that weakens liberal capitalism and strengthens extremism.
1939–1945 — Second World War
A war that destroys European dominance and creates the US-USSR superpower rivalry.
February 1945 — Yalta Conference
Allied leaders discuss post-war Europe and clash over Eastern Europe.
August 1945 — Hiroshima & Nagasaki
The US uses atomic bombs against Japan, beginning the nuclear age.
March 1946 — Iron Curtain Speech
Churchill publicly frames Europe as divided between East and West.
March 1947 — Truman Doctrine
The US commits to resisting communism globally.
1948 — Marshall Plan
The US begins the economic reconstruction of Western Europe.
1948–49 — Berlin Blockade & Airlift
The first major Cold War confrontation between the superpowers.
April 1949 — NATO Founded
A Western military alliance established against Soviet expansion.
August 1949 — Soviet Atomic Bomb Test
The USSR ends the American nuclear monopoly.
October 1949 — Communist Victory in China
Mao establishes the People's Republic of China.
1950–1953 — Korean War
The first major proxy war of the Cold War.
March 1953 — Death of Stalin
The beginning of post-Stalin leadership and Khrushchev's rise.
1956 — Hungarian Revolution
The USSR crushes an anti-Soviet uprising in Hungary.
October 1957 — Sputnik
The USSR launches the first artificial satellite.
1961 — Berlin Wall Built
The physical division of Berlin begins.
October 1962 — Cuban Missile Crisis
The closest moment to nuclear war during the Cold War.
1964–1975 — Vietnam War
Major US involvement in Vietnam that ends in communist victory.
1968 — Prague Spring
The USSR crushes a reform movement in Czechoslovakia.
1972 — Nixon Visits China
The US exploits the Sino-Soviet split through triangular diplomacy.
1972 — SALT I
The first major nuclear arms limitation agreement.
1975 — Helsinki Accords
Human rights commitments that later weaken Soviet control in Eastern Europe.
1979 — Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan
Marks the collapse of détente and renewed Cold War tensions.
March 1983 — SDI Announced
Reagan proposes a missile defence system, alarming the USSR.
November 1983 — Able Archer
A NATO exercise that nearly triggers Soviet fears of nuclear attack.
1985 — Gorbachev Comes to Power
The beginning of glasnost and perestroika reforms.
April 1986 — Chernobyl Disaster
A symbol of Soviet dysfunction and secrecy.
October 1986 — Reykjavik Summit
Reagan and Gorbachev nearly agree to abolish nuclear weapons.
December 1987 — INF Treaty
The first treaty eliminating an entire category of nuclear weapons.
1989 — Revolutions in Eastern Europe
Communist governments collapse across Eastern Europe.
November 1989 — Fall of the Berlin Wall
The most iconic symbol of the Cold War's end.
August 1991 — Failed Coup Against Gorbachev
Hardliners fail to restore Soviet control.
December 1991 — Dissolution of the USSR
The Soviet Union formally collapses and the Cold War ends.