World War Two ended with the world divided between the Pro-Western capitalist bloc and the Soviet Union’s Eastern Bloc satellite states and the period from 1946-1962 marked the first phase of confrontation characterized by significant events. The Truman Doctrine (1947) supported Greece and Turkey against communism, while the Marshall Plan (1948) facilitated Western Europe's recovery. NATO was formed in 1949, prompting the USSR's Warsaw Pact (1955). Key flashpoints included The Berlin Blockade (1948-49), The Korean War (1950-53) ending in stalemate, the crushing of the Hungarian Uprising (1956), and the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962) narrowly avoiding direct exchange. Additionally, this era saw the Sino-Soviet split (1961-89), and the decline of the French colonial empire in Algeria (1954-62) and Indochina (1946-54), setting the stage for US involvement in the Vietnam War (1955-1975).

1962-1979 saw Détente (1969) and the need to avoid tensions, The Limited Test Ban Treaty (1963), the Washington-Moscow Hotline and the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (1968) allowed a thaw in US-Soviet tensions. Reformist movements in Czechoslovakia (1968), suppressed by the Warsaw Pact and threatening to derail Détente. The US and Mao’s China normalise relations (1972) with a televised visit by President Richard Nixon, SALT I (1972) had the US and USSR agree to limit nuclear weapons. The US withdraws from Vietnam (1973) as proxy conflicts abroad raged across South America, the Middle East and Africa, alongside the end of the Vietnam war with the Fall of Saigon (1975). The US and China officially established diplomatic relations (1979), the year also sees the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan

1979-1985 had a complete reversal of Détente and return to the US-Soviet arms race, The Soviet intervention in Afghanistan (1979-89) to preserve the Communist government is met with global condemnation. The Solidarity Movement (1980) emerges in Poland and the worker strikes are driven underground following martial law. Reagan takes office (1981) and issues a “rollback” policy to counter Soviet influence abroad, arming anti-communist movements internationally from Nicaraguan Contras, the Mujahideen and UNITA. In the USSR Brezhnev passes and is replaced by Yuri Andropov, and maintains hardline policies (1982). The arms race is re-escalated (1983) the same year a false alarm by the USSR is nearly triggered by NATO’s Operation Able Archer. Andropov passes away and is replaced by Konstantin Chernenko (1984) ruling briefly before dying and being replaced by Mikhail Gorbachev (1985). Later that year sees the first Reagan-Gorbachev Summit to reduce nuclear arsenals.

1985-1991 Would see the ending of the Cold War, Soviet and American leaders made efforts to mitigate geopolitical tensions under several summits. The USSR under Gorbachev enacted Glasnost and Perestroika (1985) to reform the Soviet Union, dissent festered and many saw the shortcomings of the Soviet system. The Chernobyl Meltdown (1986) added to the increasing burden on the Soviet economy. By early 1989, the Soviet Union would withdraw all remaining forces from Afghanistan, later that same year the Eastern Bloc began unravelling with movements that removed the communist administrations, all with minimal Kremlin intervention. Germany Reunifies (1990), The August Coup (1991) destabilises the Soviet government, leading to widespread nationalism in the SSRs. December sees the collapse of the Warsaw Pact, Gorbachev’s resignation and the collapse of the USSR.

Detail your characters nationality, along with your name, gender, age, background and the period from the Cold War you are in (1946- 1991)