Timeline of Events

The Cold War Timeline
Significant Events 1945-1989

 

1945-1950

  • The Marshall Plan
  • The Truman Doctrine-policy of containment
  • Communist takeover of Czechoslovakia
  • Berlin Blockade-Airlift
  • Korean Conflict


1951-1955

  • Eisenhower-doctrine of Massive Retaliation
  • 3AD activated
  • West Germany enters NATO-doctrine of Forward Defense
  • Formation of the Warsaw Pact


1956-1960

  • 3AD deploys to West Germany
  • Hungarian revolution crushed
  • Suez Crisis Alert
  • Lebanon crisis
  • Krushchev demands U.S. troops leave Berlin
  • Castro takes over in Cuba


1961-1965

  • Bay of Pigs
  • Kennedy increases military budgets-presses for doctrine of Flexible Response
  • Berlin border closed-construction of Berlin Wall
  • Cuban Missile Crisis
  • JFK Assassination
  • Gulf of Tonkin Resolution-Vietnam War


1966-1970

  • Vietnam War strips resources from USAREUR
  • Warsaw Pact troops crush Czech revolt
  • NATO adopts Flexible Response Doctrine
  • Willi Brandt’s Ostpolitik-Detente


1971-1975

  • SALT I
  • Nixon resigns
  • Vietnam War ends


1976-1989

  • SALT II
  • Iranian Hostage Crisis
  • Ronald Reagan initiates massive build-up of U.S. Forces
  • Mikhail Gorbachev launches policy of openness in Soviet Union
  • Soviet empire collapses
  • Berlin Wall falls
  • CFE Treaty initiated-planning starts for reduction of conventional forces in Europe