Here are some of the major events of the Cold War between 1945 and 1950:
1945:
- August 6 and 9: The United States drops atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leading to the surrender of Japan and the end of World War II.
- October 24: The United Nations (UN) is established in San Francisco, California.
1946:
- March 5: Winston Churchill gives his "Iron Curtain" speech in Fulton, Missouri, warning of the dangers of Soviet expansionism.
- September 4-11: The Truman Doctrine is announced, pledging US support for Greece and Turkey against communist insurgency.
1947:
- March 12: The Truman Doctrine is put into practice with the provision of $400 million in aid to Greece and Turkey.
- June 5: The Marshall Plan is announced, offering economic aid to European countries recovering from World War II.
- September 22: The Cominform, a new international communist organization, is established in Warsaw, Poland.
1948:
- February 25: The communist takeover of Czechoslovakia.
- June 24: The Berlin Blockade begins, an attempt by the Soviet Union to block access to West Berlin.
- June 28: The airlift of supplies to West Berlin begins, an effort by the Western Allies to counter the Soviet blockade.
1949:
- April 4: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is established, a military alliance of the United States, Canada, and Western European countries.
- May 7: The Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) is established.
- October 1: The People's Republic of China (PRC) is established under communist leader Mao Zedong, following the Chinese Civil War.
1950:
- January 27: The United States recognizes the PRC.
- June 25: The Korean War begins with the invasion of South Korea by North Korea.
- October 7-25: Chinese troops intervene in the Korean War on the side of North Korea.