The Cold War (1953–1962) refers to a period of the Cold War. It began with the end of the Korean War in 1953 and ended with the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. It was marked by tensions and efforts at détente between the US and Soviet Union.
After the death of Joseph Stalin in March 1953, Nikita Khrushchev rose to power, initiating the policy of De-Stalinization which caused political unrest in the Eastern Bloc and Warsaw Pact nations. Khrushchev's speech at the 20th Congress of the Communist Party in 1956 shocked domestic and international audiences, by denouncing Stalin’s personality cult and his regime's excesses.