Cold war Chronology;

1945 : ‘A’-Bomb dropped on Hiroshima + Nagasaki. USA ahead in the arms race.

1945 Berlin divided into 4 sectors; American, British and French in the West and Soviet in the East.

1946 A 30 day valid Interzonenpass is required to travel between the sectors in Germany

1947 : Marshall Aid to the west of Europe. Stalin of USSR refused it for Eastern Europe

1948 Currency reform in Berlin, Berlin is divided into two different currency zones

June 1948 Berlin Blockade and Berlin airlift

May 1949 End of the Berlin blockade

May 1949 Federal Republic of Germany is founded (West Germany)

1949 : NATO established; USSR exploded her first ‘A’-bomb; China becomes communist

October 1949 German Democratic Republic is founded (East Germany)

February 9 1950 – The Stasi (Secret Police) formed – Ministry of State Security GDR  Ministerium für Staatssicherheit

1950 : Korean War started.

1952 : USA exploded her first Hydrogen bomb.

May 1952 Border between East and West Germany and between East Germany and West Berlin is closed. Only the border between East and West Berlin is still opened

1953 : Korean War ended. USSR exploded her first Hydrogen bomb. Stalin died.

November 1953 The Western Powers waive the Interzonenpass, the Soviet Union follows but East German citizen need a permission to travel to the West.

1955 : Warsaw Pact created. ‘Peaceful coexistence’ called for.

1956 : Hungary revolts against USSR. Suez Crisis

December 1957 The Western Powers waive the Interzonenpass, the Soviet Union follows but East German citizens need a permission to travel to the West

1959 : Cuba becomes a communist state.

August 13 1961 The Berlin sectorial border between East and West Berlin is closed, barriers are built.

August 14 1961 Brandenburg Gate is closed

August 26 1961 All crossing points are closed for West Berlin citizens

1962 : Cuban Missile Crisis.

August 17 1962 Peter Fechter shot in failed attempt to climb the wall

June 1963 President J.F. Kennedy visits Berlin and says: "Ich bin ein Berliner." ("I am a Berliner.")

1967 : Six-Day War in Middle East.

1968 : USSR invades Czechoslovakia

1979 : USSR invaded Afghanistan

June 1987 President Ronald Reagan visits Berlin and urges Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall...

September 1989 Hungarian government opens border for East German refugees

November 1989 Berlin Wall opened

December 1989 Brandenburg gate opened

October 3 1990 Germany reunited

October 4 1990 – End of GDR and dissolution of the Stasi.