The Cold War ended with the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Notes on verification
Multiple authoritative sources including Britannica, U.S. State Department official history, and academic databases all corroborate the same specific dates (December 25-26, 1991) and confirm the dissolution of the Soviet Union as the definitive end of the Cold War. The consistency across independent sources is extremely strong. [2026-08-28 re-verified: 4 independent source(s) found] [2026-08-29 audit re-verified: 4 independent source(s)]
Sources
- Cold War (wikipedia)
- https://www.britannica.com/event/the-collapse-of-the-Soviet-Union (corroboration)
- https://history.state.gov/milestones/1989-1992/collapse-soviet-union (corroboration)
- https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/end-cold-war (corroboration)
- https://teachingamericanhistory.org/the-collapse-of-the-soviet-union-in-december-1991/ (corroboration)
- https://www.oerproject.com/blog/the-cold-war-ended-in-1991-right (audit-corroboration)