The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the Cold War: Cold War – period of political and military tension that occurred after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

between powers in the Western Bloc (the United States, its NATO allies and others) and powers in the Eastern Bloc (the Soviet Union and its allies in the Warsaw Pact). Historians have not fully agreed on the dates, but 1947–1991 is common. It was termed as "cold" because there was no large-scale fighting directly between the two sides. Based on the principle of

mutually assured destruction Mutual assured destruction (MAD) is a doctrine of military strategy and national security policy which posits that a full-scale use of nuclear weapons by an attacker on a nuclear-armed defender with second-strike capabilities would cause the ...

, both sides developed nuclear weapons to deter the other side from attacking. So they competed against each other via

espionage Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangib ...

, propaganda, and by supporting major regional wars, known as

proxy war A proxy war is an armed conflict between two states or non-state actors, one or both of which act at the instigation or on behalf of other parties that are not directly involved in the hostilities. In order for a conflict to be considered a pr ...

s, in Korea, Vietnam and Afghanistan.

Participants

Cold War participants – the Cold War primarily consisted of competition between the Eastern Bloc and the

Western Bloc The Western Bloc, also known as the Free Bloc, the Capitalist Bloc, the American Bloc, and the NATO Bloc, was a coalition of countries that were officially allied with the United States during the Cold War of 1947–1991. It was spearheaded by ...

. While countries and organisations explicitly aligned to one or the other are listed below, this does not include those involved in specific Cold War events, such as

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

, and

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

. It also does not include countries such as China which, while not aligned to either blocs, still played an influential part in the Cold War.

Eastern Bloc

Eastern Bloc – the communist side of the Cold War conflict, including the Soviet Union and its satellite states in

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russia, whic ...

. Organizations that the Soviet Union created in order to solidify its control over Eastern Europe, and which tied the Eastern Bloc together, included: *

Comecon The Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (, ; English abbreviation COMECON, CMEA, CEMA, or CAME) was an economic organization from 1949 to 1991 under the leadership of the Soviet Union that comprised the countries of the Eastern Bloc#List of s ...

– the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance was founded in accordance with

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...

's desire to enforce Soviet domination of the lesser states of

Central Europe Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the a ...

. Initially, the Comecon served as cover for the Soviet taking of materials and equipment from the rest of the Eastern Bloc. Its members were: ** **

People's Republic of Bulgaria The People's Republic of Bulgaria (PRB; bg, Народна Република България (НРБ), ''Narodna Republika Balgariya, NRB'') was the official name of Bulgaria, when it was a socialist republic from 1946 to 1990, ruled by the ...

** Czechoslovak Republic (

Czechoslovak Socialist Republic The Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, ČSSR, formerly known from 1948 to 1960 as the Czechoslovak Republic or Fourth Czechoslovak Republic, was the official name of Czechoslovakia from 1960 to 29 March 1990, when it was renamed the Czechoslovak ...

since 1960) **

Hungarian People's Republic The Hungarian People's Republic ( hu, Magyar Népköztársaság) was a one-party socialist state from 20 August 1949 to 23 October 1989. It was governed by the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party, which was under the influence of the Soviet U ...

Polish People's Republic The Polish People's Republic ( pl, Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa, PRL) was a country in Central Europe that existed from 1947 to 1989 as the predecessor of the modern Republic of Poland. With a population of approximately 37.9 million ne ...

People's Republic of Romania The Socialist Republic of Romania ( ro, Republica Socialistă România, RSR) was a Marxist–Leninist one-party socialist state that existed officially in Romania from 1947 to 1989. From 1947 to 1965, the state was known as the Romanian Peopl ...

(after 1965 the Socialist Republic of Romania) *

Warsaw Pact The Warsaw Pact (WP) or Treaty of Warsaw, formally the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, was a collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland, between the Soviet Union and seven other Eastern Bloc socialist repub ...

– defensive pact led by the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

for defence in

. It was the military complement to Comecon. Its members were: ** ** People's Republic of Albania **

** Czechoslovak Republic (

since 1960) **

German Democratic Republic German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **G ...

(withdrew in September 1990, before German reunification) **

(withdrew on January 1, 1990) **

(after 1965 the Socialist Republic of Romania) Additionally, the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (Byelorussia) and the

Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...

(Ukraine) were represented separately in the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

in addition to the Soviet Union. Though not parties to the Warsaw Pact, Vietnam, North Korea, Cuba and Laos, maintained Cold War alliances with the Eastern Bloc.

Western Bloc

– the United States and countries allied with it against the Soviet Union and the rest of the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War. As part of its

Containment policy Containment was a geopolitical strategic foreign policy pursued by the United States during the Cold War to prevent the spread of communism after the end of World War II. The name was loosely related to the term ''cordon sanitaire'', which wa ...

, the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

backed a series of regional alliances: * (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) – In the North Atlantic and

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

was formed in 1949, and its members during the Cold War were: ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** - Joined 1952 ** - Joined 1952 ** - Joined 1955 ** - Joined 1982 *

SEATO The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) was an international organization for collective defense in Southeast Asia created by the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty, or Manila Pact, signed in September 1954 in Manila, the Philipp ...

(Southeast Asia Treaty Organization) – formed in 1954 for the collective defence of

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...

, though disbanded in 1977. Its members were: ** ** ** ** - including modern

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

** ** ** ** *

ANZUS The Australia, New Zealand, United States Security Treaty (ANZUS or ANZUS Treaty) is a 1951 non-binding collective security agreement between Australia and New Zealand and, separately, Australia and the United States, to co-operate on militar ...

– formed in 1952 as a form of defensive cooperation in the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...

. Its members are: ** ** ** *

CENTO The Middle East Treaty Organization (METO), also known as the Baghdad Pact and subsequently known as the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO), was a military alliance of the Cold War. It was formed in 24 February 1955 by Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Tur ...

(Central Treaty Organization) – formed in 1955. Although the United States did not formally join, the country did support the alliance, aimed at containing Soviet ambitions in the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

. The organization was disbanded in 1979. ** ** - Withdrew 1959 ** ** **

History

* Timeline of events in the Cold War

Overview articles

Cold War (1947–1953) The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because th ...

*Cold War (1953–1962) *Cold War (1962–1979) *Cold War (1979–1985) *Cold War (1985–1991)

Beginnings

Origins of the Cold War – the Cold war was a major part of the aftermath of World War II, and was caused by frictions in the relations between the

and the allies (

, United Kingdom, and France) that emerged during and after the Second World War.

Creation of organizations

Cold War organisations – throughout the Cold War a series of organisations were created to either further the goals of individual and groups of states, or to act as intermediaries in reducing the tension. *

- Formed 1949 *Southeast Asia Treaty Organization - Formed 1954, disbanded 1977. *Central Treaty Organization - Formed 1955, disbanded 1979. *International Atomic Energy Agency - Formed 1957 *

- Formed 1955, disbanded 1991. *Non-Aligned Movement - Formed 1961.

Key areas of competition

* Nuclear arms race – competition for supremacy in nuclear warfare between the United States, the Soviet Union, and their respective allies during the Cold War. * Space Race – 20th-century competition between two Cold War rivals, the Soviet Union (USSR) and the United States (US), for supremacy in spaceflight capability. It had its origins in the missile-based nuclear arms race between the two nations that occurred following World War II, enabled by captured German rocket technology and personnel. * Cold War espionage * Cold War propaganda * Proxy wars

Conflicts

List of conflicts related to the Cold War, Conflicts related to the Cold War – there were a number of conflicts during the Cold War, and none of them escalated to direct fighting between the superpowers (which would have constituted a hot war). Some of them were:

Proxy wars

Proxy war#Cold War, Proxy wars of the Cold War – while the superpowers never engaged each other directly, they fought a series

s throughout the period of Cold War, with one, or both sides arming or otherwise supporting one side against another. *Korean War (19501953) – started when

invaded

. The

and their allies came to the aid of the South, while China and the

came to the aid of the North. *Vietnam War (19551975) – fought primarily between North Vietnam and South Vietnam. The

and their allies came to the aid of the South, while China, the

and others came to the aid of the North. Fighting occurred in

, along with neighboring Laos and Cambodia. *South African Border War (19661989) – fought between South Africa and its allies on one side, with the Angolan government and its allies, including Cuba, on the other. During the conflict, the

supplied South Africa and their allies. *Yom Kippur War (1973) – started when an Arab coalition led by Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Israel. Throughout the conflict the

and the

heavily supplied Israel and the Arab coalition, respectively. *Soviet–Afghan War (19791989) – fought between the

and allied Afghanistan, Afghan forces on one side, against the insurgent groups known as the Mujahideen. The insurgent groups received aid, and training in Pakistan and China, paid for by the

and Arab monarchies in the Persian Gulf.

Periods of heightened tension

US-USSR confrontations during the Cold War – while open conflict did not break out between the two superpowers during the Cold War, there were some very intense confrontations that seemed likely to trigger World War III. As the Cold War stretched on, the main concern became the possibility of a nuclear exchange—the ultimate fear characterizing East-West tensions. Some of these confrontations included: * Berlin Blockade (19481949) – while located wholly within the Soviet occupation zone, Soviet zone of Allied-occupied Germany after World War II, Berlin was not considered to be part of the Soviet zone. The major city (and former Nazi capital) was jointly occupied by the Allied powers and subdivided into four sectors. On 24 June 1948 to 12 May 1949, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway, road, and canal access to Berlin. Not to be outdone, the Western Allies organized a massive air lift and flew up to 8,893 tons of necessities into the city each day.Nash, Gary B. "The Next Steps: The Marshall Plan, NATO, and NSC-68." ''The American People: Creating a Nation and a Society''. New York: Pearson Longman, 2008. P 828. * Berlin Crisis of 1961 – the USSR demanded the withdrawal of NATO armed forces from West Berlin. After the West Bloc refused, the East German government put up the Berlin Wall to block traffic between the Western and Eastern sectors of Berlin. * Cuban Missile Crisis (October 16–28, 1962) – 13-day confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union concerning Soviet ballistic missile deployment in Cuba. Along with being televised worldwide, it was the closest the Cold War came to escalating into a full-scale nuclear war. * Able Archer 83 (1983) – NATO exercise mistaken by parts of the KGB, Politburo of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Politburo, and Soviet Armed Forces as cover for an attack. The USSR responded by readying its forces for war.

Ending

End of the Cold War – While many observers state the 1989 Malta Summit was the end of the Cold War, it was December 1991 before the President of the United States, Presidents of the United States and the President of the Soviet Union, Soviet Union formally recognised the conflict's end, with the Soviet Union also being dissolved at that time. Some key events leading up to the end include: * Removal of Hungary's border fence with Austria (1989) – * Fall of the Wall (1989) – * Malta Summit (1989) – * German reunification (1990) – *

dissolved (1991) – Between 1989 and 1991, Communist governments were deposed by popular uprisings in Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Romania and Bulgaria; effectively ending the Warsaw Pact. * Dissolution of the Soviet Union (1991) – * Belavezha Accords (1991) – agreement that declared the Soviet Union effectively dissolved and established the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in its place.

Aftermath

* Effects of the Cold War ** New world order (politics)#Post-Cold War "new world order", New world order * Post–Cold War era

Cold War foreign policy and diplomacy

* Superpower disengagement * Trust, but verify

Influential people

Military personnel

*Stanislav Petrov *Vasily Arkhipov (vice admiral), Vasily Arkhipov

National leaders

The United States

*Harry S. Truman - 19451953 *Dwight D. Eisenhower - 19531961 *John F. Kennedy - 19611963 *Lyndon B. Johnson - 19631969 *Richard Nixon - 19691974 *Gerald Ford - 19741977 *Jimmy Carter - 19771981 *Ronald Reagan - 19811989 *George H. W. Bush - 19891993

Soviet Union

- 19221953 *Georgy Malenkov - 1953 *Nikita Khrushchev - 19531964 *Leonid Brezhnev - 19641982 *Yuri Andropov - 19821984 *Konstantin Chernenko - 19841985 *Mikhail Gorbachev - 19851991

Notes

References

External links

;Archives
An archive of UK civil defence material

Post-Cold War World Economy
from th
Dean Peter Krogh Foreign Affairs Digital Archives

CONELRAD Cold War Pop Culture Site

* [http://www.wilsoncenter.org/program/cold-war-international-history-project The Cold War International History Project (CWIHP)]
The Cold War Files

;Bibliographies * [https://web.archive.org/web/20060203121815/http://alsos.wlu.edu/qsearch.aspx?browse=issues%2FArms+Race Annotated bibliography for the arms race from the Alsos Digital Library] ;News
Video and audio news reports from during the cold war
;Educational Resources
''Minuteman Missile National Historic Site: Protecting a Legacy of the Cold War'', a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan

Electronic Briefing Books
at the National Security Archive, George Washington University {{Outline footer Outlines of wars, Cold War Wikipedia outlines, Cold War Cold War,