During which decade did the beginning of the Cold War occur?

The beginning of the Cold War is primarily identified with the decade of the 1940s. This period marked significant geopolitical shifts following World War II and the emergence of the United States and the Soviet Union as superpowers with fundamentally opposing ideologies.

Key events that illustrate the onset of the Cold War include the Yalta and Potsdam Conferences, where the Allies negotiated post-war Europe. The Truman Doctrine, articulated in 1947, signified a commitment by the United States to contain the spread of communism, directly placing it in opposition to Soviet influence. Additionally, the Marshall Plan, which aimed to aid European recovery, further emphasized the divide between capitalist and communist nations.

The establishment of the Iron Curtain, symbolizing the ideological and physical boundary dividing Eastern and Western Europe, also emerged in the late 1940s, as did the formation of NATO in 1949 and the Soviet response with the Warsaw Pact later on. Collectively, these developments solidified the framework of the Cold War, which began to deeply influence international relations and conflicts well into the following decades.

The other decades mentioned do not match the significant historical events that would define the Cold War's commencement, as tensions were not fully realized until the 1940s. Therefore