Origins of the Cold War The Cold War emerged in the aftermath of World War II, fueled by ideological differences between the capitalist West, led by the United...
The Cold War emerged in the aftermath of World War II, fueled by ideological differences between the capitalist West, led by the United States, and the communist East, led by the Soviet Union. The Yalta and Potsdam conferences aimed to establish a post-war order, but tensions arose over issues like the future of Eastern Europe.
In 1947, President Truman announced the Truman Doctrine, committing the US to containing the spread of communism. This marked the beginning of the Cold War and the policy of containment.
In an effort to gain control over Berlin, the Soviet Union blocked Allied access to West Berlin. The US and its allies responded with the Berlin Airlift, supplying the city by air until the blockade was lifted in 1949.
In 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was formed by Western nations to counter Soviet influence. In response, the Soviet Union established the Warsaw Pact in 1955, a military alliance with its Eastern European satellites.
The discovery of Soviet nuclear missile sites in Cuba, just 90 miles from the US, led to a tense standoff between the superpowers. After a naval blockade, the Soviet Union agreed to remove the missiles, averting a potential nuclear war.
The Cold War shaped international relations for decades, with both sides engaged in an arms race and proxy wars around the world. However, by the early 1960s, tensions began to ease, paving the way for improved East-West relations and eventual détente.