Chronology of the post–World War II era in blue and the
Warsaw Pact in red The term "post-war" can have different meanings in different countries and refer to a period determined by local considerations based on the effect of the war there. Considering the post-war era as equivalent to the Cold War era, post-war sometimes includes the 1980s, putting the end at 26 December 1991, with the
dissolution of the Soviet Union. The 1990s and the 21st century are sometimes described as part of the post-war era, but the more specific designation "
post–Cold War era" is often appended to distinguish the period running from the
fall of Communism up to the
present day. Some examples of post-war events are in chronological order:
Cold War (1947–1991) The Cold War was a geopolitical conflict between the
capitalist and
liberal "democratic" United States, the
communist and authoritarian
Marxist–Leninist Soviet Union, and their respective allies:
NATO and the
Western Bloc for the United States, and the
Warsaw Pact and the
Eastern Bloc for the Soviet Union. Although both sides did not fight each other directly,
both engaged through various proxy wars. At the height of the cold war, both superpowers manufactured and deployed thousands of
nuclear weapons to target each other's key economic, military, and political centers. Each superpower's buildup and demonstration of nuclear strike capabilities lead to an unofficial military doctrine known as
mutual assured destruction (MAD). The doctrine of MAD prompted leaders on both sides to believe that victory following a full-scale nuclear exchange was simply impossible as the destruction on both sides would be insurmountable. Towards the end of the Cold War, a period of
détente culminated in the easing of tensions, bans on nuclear testing, and the destruction of various quantities of nuclear stockpiles. The Cold War began to come to an end in 1989 with the overthrow of Communist governments across Eastern Europe in the
Revolutions of 1989 which was followed shortly after by the
dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, leaving the United States the world's sole superpower.
Korean War (1950–1953) On 25 June 1950, after years of tension between communist
North Korea and democratic
South Korea, North Korea coordinated a series of surprise attacks against strategic points between the 38th parallel. Soon US-led
United Nations forces joined the war on behalf of South Korea, expelled the North Korean invasion, and then invaded and nearly captured North Korea. In response,
Chinese forces entered the war on behalf of North Korea and pushed the US, South Korean, and UN forces back to the 38th parallel. After 3 years of advances and retreats nearly five million people died. To this very day there are still border disputes between the two Koreas.
Civil rights movement (1954–1968) In the 1950s,
African Americans faced
discrimination and
segregation throughout the United States, mainly due to the
Jim Crow laws, and particularly in the
American South, where many could not even vote. In 1954, the
Supreme Court ruled unanimously in
Brown v. Board of Education that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. By the end of the 1950s, fewer than 10 percent of Black children in the South were attending integrated schools.
Vietnam War (1955–1976) The Vietnam War was fought between the communist state of
North Vietnam, supported by the Soviet Union,
China, and the
Eastern Bloc, and
South Vietnam, supported by the United States and
SEATO. This war is especially brutal due to
North Vietnamese regular forces and
Viet Cong insurgents in South Vietnam adapting to guerrilla fighting and ambush tactics against the
South Vietnamese military and the
United States Armed Forces. Vietnam was one of the first wars to be broadcast to
television. Many American civilians and soldiers were
opposed to the war due to the condition and many thought the war was pointless. Finally after many protests the United States slowly withdrew from Vietnam due to public backlash. ==Post–World War II in the United Kingdom==