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Presentation U.S. History Primary Source Timeline

The Cold War

Smyrna Times. (Smyrna, DE), Nov. 10 1949

In the years after World War II, the rise of atomic weapons, along with competing political and economic ideologies from two global powers–the United States and the Soviet Union–set into motion an era of competition and mistrust known today as the Cold War. The United States exerted its power and influence over a number of countries, including much of Western Europe, while the Soviet Union dominated life in Eastern Europe. As more countries successfully tested nuclear weapons, nuclear drills and fear of nuclear war became a way of life.

In the U.S., concerns that communism and might take hold in American life led to investigations and legislation to curtail membership or association with communist organizations. The U.S. also attempted to limit the reach of communism abroad by instituting policies that directed economic aid to allied countries or those countries they hoped to keep aligned with the United States’ interests.

Globally, the Cold War shaped relationships between nations, with new international alliances, treaties, and organizations emerging. While the armed forces of the United States and the Soviet Union did not engage directly with each other in significant combat, they engaged in conflicts in supported proxy wars that had lasting effects on the safety and security of countries around the world.

End of the Cold War

Over time, leaders within the Soviet Union implemented different economic and political reforms, hoping that changes might yield a stronger union of Soviet states. However, as reforms took effect, a tide of resistance and call for change took hold throughout Eastern Europe. In November 1989 the Berlin Wall came down and in part, generated momentum for the spread of democratization. By the winter of 1989 and into the spring of 1990, more Eastern European countries held democratic elections. Some changes happened peacefully while many countries experienced chaos and violence as different groups competed for political power. By the end of 1991, the Soviet Union had been dissolved.

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