The Early Cold War
From the Iron Curtain to the Cuban Missile Crisis — the dangerous first phase of superpower rivalry that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war.
United Nations Founded
The United Nations is established in San Francisco with 51 founding member states, committed to preventing another world war.
Churchill's 'Iron Curtain' Speech
Winston Churchill declares that an 'iron curtain' has descended across Europe, marking the beginning of Cold War rhetoric.
The Truman Doctrine
President Truman pledges American support for nations resisting communism, establishing the policy of containment.
The Marshall Plan
The US launches a massive economic aid program to rebuild Western Europe, spending $13 billion to prevent economic collapse and communist expansion.
Partition of India
British India is divided into independent India and Pakistan, triggering the largest mass migration in history and communal violence killing up to 2 million.
Israel Declares Independence
The State of Israel is proclaimed, immediately followed by invasion from five Arab armies in the first Arab-Israeli War.
Berlin Blockade Begins
The Soviet Union blocks Western access to Berlin, prompting the Berlin Airlift — 278,000 flights delivering supplies over 11 months.
Soviet Union Tests Atomic Bomb
The USSR detonates its first nuclear weapon, ending America's atomic monopoly and beginning the nuclear arms race.
People's Republic of China Founded
Mao Zedong proclaims the People's Republic of China after communist forces defeat the Nationalists, reshaping Asian geopolitics.
Korean War Begins
North Korean forces invade the South, triggering a three-year war that kills 2.5 million and cements Cold War divisions in Asia.
Bandung Conference
Leaders from 29 newly independent Asian and African nations meet in Indonesia, laying groundwork for the Non-Aligned Movement.
Sputnik Launched
The Soviet Union launches the first artificial satellite, shocking the West and igniting the Space Race.
Cuban Revolution
Fidel Castro's guerrilla forces overthrow the Batista dictatorship, establishing the Western Hemisphere's first communist state.
Berlin Wall Erected
East Germany builds a wall through Berlin overnight, physically dividing the city and becoming the Cold War's most potent symbol.
Cuban Missile Crisis
Thirteen days of nuclear brinkmanship between the US and USSR over Soviet missiles in Cuba — the closest the world has come to nuclear war.