Allied leaders (Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin) met to discuss post-war Europe. They agreed on the division of Germany and plans for free elections in Eastern Europe, but tensions between the USSR and the West began to surface.

U.S. President Harry Truman declared a policy of containment, pledging support for countries resisting communism, beginning with aid to Greece and Turkey.

The USSR blocked access to West Berlin in an attempt to gain control. The Allies organized an airlift to supply the city with food and fuel, showcasing Western resolve.

Western nations formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as a mutual defense pact to counter Soviet influence and aggression.

North Korea, supported by China and the USSR, invaded South Korea. The U.S. and UN forces intervened to support South Korea in a proxy war of the Cold War.

The U.S. discovered Soviet missiles in Cuba, leading to a tense standoff that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war. A negotiated settlement led to the removal of the missiles.

The U.S. began large-scale troop deployments to Vietnam to prevent communist expansion in Southeast Asia, marking a major Cold War conflict.

The Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) between the U.S. and USSR resulted in a treaty limiting the number of strategic missiles, signaling a period of détente.

The symbolic end of the Cold War as East Germany opened its borders, leading to the reunification of Germany and the collapse of Soviet influence in Eastern Europe.