The document summarizes the origins and key events of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and its Eastern Bloc allies on one side, and the United States and its Western allies on the other. It describes how tensions arose after WWII due to differing political and economic ideologies. It then discusses major flashpoints like the division of Germany and Berlin, the formation of opposing military alliances like NATO and the Warsaw Pact, and the Berlin Blockade and Airlift that escalated Cold War tensions.

1. Origins of the Cold War

5. The “Iron Curtain” From Stettin in the Balkans, to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the Continent. Behind that line lies the ancient capitals of Central and Eastern Europe. -- Sir Winston Churchill, 1946

7. Post-War Germany

23. 1961 – Berlin Wall Built