While the Cold War itself never escalated into direct confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union, there were a number of conflicts and revolutions related to the Cold War around the globe, spanning the entirety of the period usually prescribed to it (March 12, 1947 to December 26, 1991, a total of 44 years, 9 months, and 14 days).The Fifty-Year War: Conflict and Strategy in the Cold War, Norman Friedman (1999) The Global Cold War: Third World Interventions and the Making of Our Times, Odd Arne Westad (2005)
Since 1944 + Conflict Start date End date Western Bloc related Eastern Bloc relatedRegionResult Dekemvriana3 December 1944 11 January 1945 Kingdom of Greece
3rd Mountain Brigade Sacred Band Hellenic Gendarmerie Cities Police
ΡΕΑΝ RAN Organization XEx-members of the Security Battalions EDES (in Epirus) British Army EAM ELAS National Civil Guard OPLA Students Band "Lord Byron" Southern EuropeWestern Bloc victoryAnti-Communist resistance in Poland19441953 (1963) Cursed soldiersCentral EuropeEastern Bloc victoryInsurgency in the Baltic States19441953 Lithuanian partisans Latvian partisans Estonian partisans
Northeastern EuropeEastern Bloc victory Indonesian National Revolution
Dutch East Indies KNIL NICA Pao An Tui
Japan Indonesia PDRI TNI POLRI Japanese holdouts British Indian volunteers
DI/TII (from 1949)
FDR
Small guerrilla groups Southeast AsiaIndonesia gained independenceEnd of World War II Civil conflicts in Vietnam (1945–1949) Viet Minh Indochinese Communist Party
France (1946) Nationalist Parties Front Đại Việt QDĐ Việt Nam QDĐ Vietnam Revolutionary League Đại Việt Duy dân Đảng Hòa Hảo Cao Đài Bình Xuyên
Trotskyists
Autonomous Cochinchina Provisional Central Government of Vietnam (1948–1949)
French Union (1948–1949) Southeast AsiaCold War intensified Iran crisis of 1946 IranSupported by: Azerbaijan People's Government Republic of Mahabad Tudeh Military NetworkSupported by: Southern AsiaWestern Bloc victory Greek Civil War Kingdom of Greece Hellenic Army Royal Hellenic Air Force Royal Hellenic Navy Royal Gendarmerie MAY (1946–1948) TEA (1948–1949) Supported by: (1944–1947) (1946–1949) Provisional Democratic Government Democratic Army Communist Party of Greece and allies Ex-EAM members and other communist guerrillas' local groups People's Civil Guard Supported by: (1946–1948) Bulgaria Albania (limited)Southern EuropeWestern Bloc victory Corfu Channel incident Albania Southern Europe Chinese Civil War (post-WWII) 10 August 1945 7 December 1949 1945–1949 Republic of China 1945–1949 Yan'an Soviet (1949) Eastern AsiaEastern Bloc victory Hukbalahap Rebellion July 4, 1946 May 17, 1954 Supported by: Southeast AsiaWestern Bloc victory Turkish Straits crisis 20 July 1936 30 May 1953 Supported by: Soviet Union Southern Europe First Indochina War 19 December 1946 21 July 1954 French Union France French Indochina State of Vietnam Kingdom of Cambodia
(1953–54) CIA
Việt Minh Southeast AsiaEastern Bloc victoryParaguayan Civil WarMarch 7, 1947August 20, 1947 Paraguayan Government Military of Paraguay Colorado militias Supported by: Argentina United States Liberal Party Febrerista Revolutionary Concentration Paraguayan Communist PartySouth AmericaWestern Bloc victoryRomanian anti-communist resistance movement19441962 Anti-communist groups Nationalists Monarchists National Peasantists Iron Guards Supported by: CNR (until 1947) (from 1947) PCR Securitate Supported by:Central EuropeEastern Bloc victory 1948 Czechoslovak coup d'état PresidentNational Socialist PartyPeople's PartyDemocratic PartySocial Democracy(anti-communist factions)Prime MinisterCommunist PartySocial Democracy(pro-communist factions) Supported by: Central EuropeEastern Bloc victoryCosta Rican Civil WarMarch 12, 1948April 24, 1948 National Liberation Army Ulatista Forces Caribbean Legion Supported by: Government of Costa Rica Calderon forces People's Vanguard Party Nicaraguan National GuardCentral AmericaWestern Bloc victory Communist insurgency in Burma Communist Party of Burma (1948–1989) Communist Party (Burma) (1948–1978)Shan State Communist Party (1956–1958) Southeast AsiaWestern Bloc victoryJeju uprisingApril 3, 1948May, 1949 United States Army Military Government in Korea (until August 1948) South Korea (from August 1948)Northwest Youth League Workers' Party of South Korea Local supportersEastern AsiaWestern Bloc victory First Arab–Israeli War
Before 26 May 1948: Yishuv Paramilitary groups: Haganah Palmach Hish Him Irgun Lehi Allied Bedouin tribesPalestine Post, "Israel's Bedouin Warriors", Gene Dison, August 12, 1948After 26 May 1948: Israel Defense Forces Minorities Unit Foreign volunteers: Mahal : Oren 2003, p. 5. All-Palestine Protectorate Holy War Army
Syria
Gelber, pp. 55, 200, 239 Morris, Benny (2008), 1948: The First Arab-Israeli War, Yale University Press, p. 205, New Haven, .Irregulars: Arab Liberation Army Al-Najjada Holy War Army Western AsiaIsraeli Victory Malayan Emergency British Commonwealth forces: Federation of Malaya
(until 1957) (until 1957) Kenya (until 1953) (from 1953) Fiji Supported by:(Thai–Malaysian border) Communist forces: Malayan National Liberation ArmySoutheast AsiaWestern Bloc victory Berlin Blockade South Africa Western EuropeWestern Bloc victoryAlbanian–Yugoslav border conflict
FPR YugoslaviaFinancial/Military Support: PR Albania Southeast Europe Inconclusive
Since 1950s + Conflict Start date End date Western Bloc related Eastern Bloc relatedRegionResult Cazin Rebellion Civilians and rebels
Yugoslav People's ArmySoutheast EuropeYugoslav victory Korean War Eastern AsiaInconclusive Egyptian Revolution of 1952 Supported by: Free Officers MovementSupported by: North Africa, Western Asia Free Officers victoryPlzeň uprising of 1953May 31, 1952June 2, 1952DemonstratorsCentral EuropeEastern Bloc victory Uprising of 1953 in East Germany Anti-Stalinist demonstrators Eastern EuropeEastern Bloc Victory Cuban Revolution
Cuban Constitutional Army Caribbean Revolutionary victory 1953 Iranian coup d'état Iranian Government supporters Southern AsiaPahlavi victory Laotian Civil War (until 1967) Southeast AsiaPathet Lao-North Vietnamese victory 1954 Guatemalan coup d'état Guatemalan rebel exiles Guatemalan military (elements) Supported by: CIA Guatemalan government Guatemalan military loyalists Central AmericaRebel-American victory First Taiwan Strait Crisis Eastern AsiaInconclusive Algerian War
La Main Rouge MPC ANPA North AfricaAlgerian victory Calderonist Invasion on Costa Rica
Supported by: Calderón forces
Supported by:
(Diplomatic Support) Central AmericaCosta Rican government victory 1955 Argentine coup d'état “Liberating Revolution” Second Perónist Government Military Junta Provisional Government Armed Forces loyalists Peronist Party General Confederation of Labour Nationalist Liberation Alliance Revolutionary Provisional Government Argentine Armed Forces Argentine Federal Police Argentine Opposition Radical Civic Union Socialist Party National Democratic Party Communist Party Democrat Progressive Party Christian Democrat Party South AmericaRevolutionary victory Vietnam War
(1967–1970) (1970–1975)
and PRG Pathet Lao Khmer Rouge GRUNK (from 1970) (1965–1969)
Southeast AsiaEastern Bloc victory Poznań 1956 protests Protesters Central EuropePolish government victory Hungarian Revolution of 1956 Central EuropeEastern Bloc victory Suez Crisis France EgyptNorth Africa, Western AsiaEgyptian victory Ifni War
Spain West Africa
France (1958) Mauritania
Morocco Army of Liberation Allied Sahrawi tribes North AfricaFranco-Spanish victory First Albanian air force incident against US air force Albania Southeast EuropeEastern Bloc victory 14 July Revolution Arab Federation
Royal Guard Supported by: Free Officers 19th Brigade 20th Brigade Western AsiaRevolutionary victory Second Taiwan Strait Crisis Eastern AsiaTaiwanese-American victory1959 Mosul uprisingMarch 7, 1959March 11, 1959 Arab nationalists Supported by:
Iraqi Government Communist Party Kurdistan Democratic Party Arab, Kurdish, and Assyrian peasantsMohammed Mughisuddin (1977), p. 153Western AsiaCoup fails 1959 Tibetan uprising Tibetan and Khampa protesters and guerrillas Remnants of the Tibetan Army
People's Liberation Army Central AsiaEastern Bloc victory
Since 1960s
+ Conflict Start date End date Western Bloc related Eastern Bloc relatedRegion The attack on the Soviet naval presence Albania Soviet UnionSupported by: Warsaw Pact:Southeast Europe 1960 U-2 incident United States Soviet Union Soviet Air Defense Forces Eastern Europe Congo Crisis 1960–63:
Supported by:
September 1960–63: Republic of the Congo Supported by: ONUC
1963–65: Democratic Republic of the Congo Supported by: ONUC July–September 1960: Republic of the Congo Supported by: ONUC
December 1960–62: Free Republic of the Congo Supported by:
1963–65: Kwilu and Simba rebels Supported by: Central Africa Political Crisis in Ecuador Government of Ecuador Protesters and Militaries South America Guatemalan Civil War Government of Guatemala Mano Blanca PGT FAR URNG Central America Portuguese Colonial War Portugal MPLA FNLA UNITA FLEC PAIGC FRELIMO Western/Southern Africa Angolan War of Independence Portugal MPLA FNLA UNITA FLECRDL Southern Africa Bay of Pigs Invasion Cuban DRF Caribbean Berlin Crisis of 1961 France East Germany Western Europe Nicaraguan Revolution Somoza regime Contras FSLN (1978–1979) Central America Eritrean War of Independence Before 1974: Ethiopian Empire After 1974: ELF
EPLF TPLF Before 1974: ELF
EPLF
After 1974: PDR Ethiopia Eastern Africa Operation Trikora Dutch New Guinea Southeast AsiaNorth Yemen Civil WarSeptember 26, 1962December 1, 1970 Kingdom of YemenSupported by: (alleged) Iran EgyptSupported by:Western Asia Cuban Missile Crisis Caribbean Sino-Indian War Southern Asia Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation North Kalimantan Communist Party Brunei People's Party Southeast Asia Guinea-Bissau War of Independence Portugal PAIGC (1970 only) Western AfricaAr-Rashid revoltJuly 3, 1963July 3, 1963 Iraqi Republic Iraqi Army Iraqi Communist PartyWestern Asia 1964 Brazilian coup d'état Brazilian Armed Forces Supported by: Fourth Brazilian Republic South America Rhodesian Bush War (1964–1965)(1965–1979)(1979) ZANU (ZANLA) FRELIMO
ZAPU (ZIPRA) ANC (MK) Southern Africa Mexican Dirty War Supported by: Left-wing groups People's Guerrilla Group Party of the Poor
Liga Comunista 23 de Septiembre National Liberation Forces Various other social and armed movements in the country North America Mozambican War of Independence Portugal FRELIMO Eastern Africa Colombian conflict Present Colombia Far-Left Guerrillas FARC ELN EPL M-19 MOEC MAQL
AUC
Medellín Cartel South America Communist insurgency in Thailand Thailand Republic of China (until 1967) Communist Party of Thailand Pathet Lao Khmer Rouge (until 1978) Malayan Communist Party Southeast Asia Dominican Civil War Dominican Republic (Loyalist military government) IAPF Dominican Republic (Constitutionalist) Caribbean Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 Pakistan India India Indian subcontinent 30 September Movement Suharto-backed Armed Forces Supported by: Sukarno government
Communist Party of Indonesia China Southeast Asia Indonesian killings of 1965–66 Indonesia PKIGerwaniAbanganatheists and Kafirethnic Chinese Southeast Asia Cultural Revolution Liu Shaoqi government Mao Zedong governmentRed Guards Eastern Asia South African Border War South Africa