19461954

1946–1954 designates the period immediately after World War II through the early Cold War, a time of reconstruction, ideological rivalry, and rapid geopolitical change. The aftermath of war left vast displacement, economic disruption, and a reordering of international power, laying the groundwork for new institutions and alliances.

Europe experienced concerted reconstruction and political realignment. The Marshall Plan (1948–1952) provided extensive aid to Western Europe, while the alliance system formed in response to Soviet pressure, culminating in NATO’s founding in 1949. Germany was divided into the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), with Berlin becoming a focal point of tension—highlighted by the 1948–49 Berlin Blockade and the sustained airlift to supply West Berlin. The European Coal and Steel Community, established in 1951, laid early groundwork for European economic integration.

In Asia and the wider world, political order shifted dramatically. The Chinese Civil War concluded in 1949 with the establishment of the People's Republic of China. India became a republic in 1950, and Pakistan emerged as an independent state in 1947. The state of Israel declared independence in 1948. The Korean War (1950–1953) pitted the United Nations forces against North Korea and China, ending in an armistice in 1953. In Indochina, the First Indochina War culminated in French defeat at Dien Bien Phu in 1954, leading to the Geneva Conference and the temporary partition of Vietnam.

Economically, Bretton Woods institutions matured, reinforcing a liberal international order through the IMF and the World Bank. The period ends with the 1954 Geneva agreements reshaping Southeast Asia and signaling a more defined postwar balance of power.