Preceden

Cold War Timelines

Timelines of the Cold War, from the end of World War II to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Each one lays out the key dates in order, so you can see how a crisis in one part of the world fed the next one somewhere else.

The Cold War as a Whole

Cold War

Cold War timeline

Post-War Era

Post-War Era timeline

Soviet Union

Soviet Union timeline

NATO

NATO timeline

Cold War Arms Race

Cold War Arms Race timeline

Atomic Age

Atomic Age timeline

History of Nuclear Weapons

History of Nuclear Weapons timeline

East Germany

East Germany timeline

The Early Cold War

Truman Doctrine

Truman Doctrine timeline

Berlin Airlift

Berlin Airlift timeline

Red Scare

Red Scare timeline

McCarthyism

McCarthyism timeline

Chinese Civil War

Chinese Civil War timeline

Mao Zedong

Mao Zedong timeline

The Korean War

Korean War

Korean War timeline

Battle of Inchon

Battle of Inchon timeline

Battle of Chosin Reservoir

Battle of Chosin Reservoir timeline

History of North Korea

History of North Korea timeline

History of South Korea

History of South Korea timeline

Cuba and Other Flashpoints

Cuban Revolution

Cuban Revolution timeline

Fidel Castro

Fidel Castro timeline

Che Guevara

Che Guevara timeline

Bay of Pigs Invasion

Bay of Pigs Invasion timeline

Cuban Missile Crisis

Cuban Missile Crisis timeline

Battle of Dien Bien Phu

Battle of Dien Bien Phu timeline

Battle of Ia Drang

Battle of Ia Drang timeline

Suez Crisis

Suez Crisis timeline

Prague Spring

Prague Spring timeline

Six-Day War

Six-Day War timeline

Yom Kippur War

Yom Kippur War timeline

Battle of Hue

Battle of Hue timeline

The End of the Cold War

Mikhail Gorbachev

Mikhail Gorbachev timeline

Chernobyl Disaster

Chernobyl Disaster timeline

Fall of the Berlin Wall

Fall of the Berlin Wall timeline

Reunification of Germany

Reunification of Germany timeline

Fall of the Soviet Union

Fall of the Soviet Union timeline

Making Your Own

Every timeline here can be copied into your own Preceden account, where you can add events, change the dates, or restyle it. To set two timelines side by side, see how to make a comparative timeline.

These timelines are generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet, and mistakes do get through. If you spot one, email us at [email protected].

We also have collections of ancient history timelines, American history timelines, space exploration timelines, World War II timelines, World War I timelines, revolution timelines, invention and technology timelines, empire timelines, and science timelines. For every other topic, browse all of our history timelines.