oneworldtimeline

The world in

What happened in 1971?

19 events across 7 world regions, each with its sources.

See 1971 on the map

Europe

  • Cold War

    1945–1991Berlin, Germany

    After World War II, the Western Bloc led by the United States and the Eastern Bloc led by the Soviet Union engaged in a nearly half-century-long political, economic, and military confrontation. Although the two superpowers never fought directly, they competed globally through proxy wars, an arms race, and the Space Race. The Cold War began in the late 1940s and ended with the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

    SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: U.S. Army photo Photo Credit: USAMHI / Public domain ↗

  • Signing of the Treaty on the Creation of the USSR

    1922–1991Moscow

    On December 30, 1922, the Treaty on the Creation of the USSR was signed at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, officially establishing the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Plenipotentiary delegates from the Russian, Transcaucasian, Ukrainian, and Byelorussian Soviet republics signed the treaty, along with a declaration serving as its preamble. The treaty legally formalized the political union of the Soviet republics that had existed since 1919, creating a new federal government with centralized functions in Moscow. Legislative power was vested in the Congress of Soviets and the Central Executive Committee, while executive power lay with the Council of People's Commissars.

    SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: (неизвестно) / Public domain ↗

  • Signing of the Convention on Psychotropic Substances

    1971Vienna

    On 21 February 1971, the United Nations adopted the Convention on Psychotropic Substances in Vienna, Austria, to address the spread of new psychoactive drugs such as amphetamines and LSD. The earlier Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs had a limited scope and did not cover these substances.

    SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: DEA / Public domain ↗

  • Signing of the Four Power Agreement on Berlin

    1971Berlin

    On 3 September 1971, the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and France reached the Four Power Agreement on Berlin after ambassadorial negotiations. The agreement was signed and put into force by the four foreign ministers in West Berlin on 3 June 1972. It aimed to resolve post-World War II disputes over Berlin's status and to ease Cold War tensions.

    SourcesWikipedia ↗

  • Completion of Finlandia Hall

    1971

    In 1971, Finlandia Hall was completed on Töölönlahti Bay in Helsinki. Designed by Alvar Aalto, the congress and event venue was conceived in 1962 and built between 1967 and 1971.

    SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Thermos / CC BY 2.5 ↗

South Asia

Sub-Saharan Africa

West Asia

  • Dhofar Rebellion

    1963–1976Dhofar Governorate

    The Dhofar Rebellion was an armed conflict in Oman's Dhofar Governorate from 1962 to 1976, led by the Marxist-Leninist Dhofar Liberation Front against Sultan Said bin Taimur and British influence. The Omani government, backed by Britain and Iran, fought the rebels, who received support from South Yemen, the Soviet Union, and China, making it a Cold War proxy war. The rebellion ended in July 1976 with the Sultan's forces regaining full control.

    SourcesWikipedia ↗

  • 1971 Turkish military memorandum

    1971Ankara

    On 12 March 1971, the Turkish military issued a memorandum that forced a government change, marking the second military intervention in the Republic of Turkey, also known as the 'coup by memorandum.' The event occurred amid worsening domestic strife but ultimately did little to halt the turmoil.

    SourcesWikipedia ↗

  • Launch of Iran's White Revolution

    1963–1979Tehran

    On 26 January 1963, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran launched a series of far-reaching reforms known as the White Revolution. The program included land reform, women's enfranchisement, industrial growth, and public health improvements, aiming to modernize the country. The reform era ended with the Shah's overthrow in 1979.

    SourcesWikipedia ↗

Central & South America

East Asia

North Africa

Around 1971

These are known only to the century, not to the year. They are listed separately so a rough date is never mistaken for an exact one.

  • Beginning of the Digital Revolution

    c. 1947–2000Silicon Valley (Santa Clara Valley), California, USA

  • Completion of the Taipei Grand Mosque

    c. 1901–2000

  • Establishment of Women's Suffrage Worldwide

    c. 1893–1979Wellington, New Zealand

  • Establishment of Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park

    c. 1901–2000

  • Construction of Grimeton Longwave Radio Station

    c. 1901–2000

  • Construction of the Trans-Iranian Railway begins

    c. 1901–2000

  • Construction of the 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright Begins

    c. 1901–2000

  • Construction of the Historic Monuments of Dengfeng in 'The Centre of Heaven and Earth'

    c. 1901–2000