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NATO
As tensions continued to rise, the Unites States, Canada, and ten other countries formed a military alliance. They called this alliance the North Atlantic Treaty Organization(NATO). The members of the alliance agreed to help eachother if any of them would be attacked. -
Chinese Cival War
After Japan was defeated communist forces led by Mao Zedong fought in a civil war against nationalists led by Jiang Jieshi. Mao had the support of China's huge peasant population as the nationalist popularity shrunk. The communists won and took over Tibet in 1950. In 1959, Dalai Lama, Tibet's religous leader was forced out of the country. Mao built a communist one-party totalitarian state. From 1958 -
Chinese Cival War 2
to 1960 Mao led the Great Leap Foward and urged people to make a huge effort to increase farm and industrial output. The Great Leap Foward wasn't successful due to bad weather that led to a famine. Between 1959 and 1961, 55 million chinese starved to death. Then in 1966, Mao launched the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. As the economy slowed and civil war threatened, Mao had the army restore order. -
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Nuclear Arms Race
Nuclear Weapons In the beginning the US were the only country to have nuclear weapons. By 1949, the Soviet Union developed nuclear weapons too. The people in the world feared nuclear destruction. The two sides met at diarmament talks to reduce nuclear threats. During the Nuclear Arms Race they signed two treaties SALT in 1969 and START in 1991. -
Chinese Cival War 3
and civil war threatened, Mao had the army restore order. -
Korean Conflict
After Japan was defeated in World War II, American and Soviet forces agreed to divide Korea into North and South Korea. North Korea was ruled by a dictator while South Korea had the United States help.In 1950, Sung called for a heroic struggle to reunite Korea. North Korean troops attacked and ran the South. The US then organized a United Nations force to help South Korea. In September 1950, the United Nations troops landed on the beaches near the port of Inch'on right behind enemy lines. -
Korean Conflict 2
troops landed near the port of Inch'on, behind enemy lines. US troops captured Korea's rail lines and cut off North Koreas food and ammunition, they soon surrendered. In November, Mao Zedong sent Chinese troops to help the North Koreans. An armistice was signed in 1953 by both sides to end the fight. South Korea worked on their economy after the war, in the mid 1960's their economy increased. North Koreas economy slowed. -
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Communist Cuba
CUBA In the 1950's Fidel Castro organized an armed rebellion towards the dictator that ruled Cuba. In 1959, his army was successful, Castro started transforming the country. He restricted Cuban's political power. The US tried to bring down the communist country but Castro's forces conquered them, the US then imposed a trade embargo on Cuba. -
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Communist Cuba 2
them. The United States imposed a trade embargo on Cuba that continues today. -
The Warsaw Pact
In response to the NATO alliance, the Soviet Union formed its own military alliance called the Warsaw Pact. It also included seven satellites in Eastern Europe. This pact divided Europe into the western and the eastern side. The east was ruled by the Soviets and the west by the United States. -
Soviet Union Falls
Hungarians tried to break away from Soviet control in 1956. So, Khrushchev sent in tanks to enforce obidence. The soviets had a command economy that couldn't match to Western market economies in production of consumer goods. People in the soviet union had no incentive to make better quality goods and saw little improvemtn in standards of living. The Soviet Union couldn't afford to make nuclear bombs and pay -
Soviet Union Falls 2
other military expenses. Mikhail Gorbachev came to power in 1985, he signed arm control treaties with the US and pulled the Soviet troops from Afganistan. Gorbachev encouraged openness and ended censorship. Factories couldn't handle without government help. In 1989, Poland and Bulgaria broke out of the Soviet orbit. Soviets tried to overthrow Gorbachev to restore old order but weren't successful. He soon resigned. -
Soviet Union Falls 3
At the end of the year 1991, Soviet republics seperated into 12 independent nations along with the three Baltic states. Russia was the largest nation, followin in size were Kazakhstan and Ukraine. The Soviet Union had existed for 69 years, but now ceased to exist. -
Berlin Wall
Berlin was seperated into democratic West Berlin and communist East Berlin. East Germans who didnt like communism fled to West Berlin, to stop this East Germany built the Berlin wall. The Berlin wall was a concrete barrier with barbed wire on top. It was protected by guards. -
Missile Crisis
In 1962, Cuba recieved nuclear weapons from the Soviet Union. President Kennedy made a naval blockade to stop Soviet shipments. President Kennedy demanded that the Soviets remove their nuclear missiles from Cuba. The world then faced a risk of a nuclear war. Nikita Khrushchev finally agreed to remove the missiles. -
Vietnam Conflict 2
then committed to the war. Guerrillas got involved also. Guerilla forces came out of the jungle and attacked American and South Vietnamese troops in 1968. American leaders decided to pull out of Vietnam.The new president Nixon negotiated the Paris Peace Accord in Janurary 1973, this put a stop to fighting. Two years later, North Vietnam had a victory against South Vietnam. -
Vietnam Conflict
Ho Chi Minh was determined to tranform Vietnam into communist rule. The US sent supplies and military advisors to South Vietnam at first but later decided to send thousands of troops. On August 1st 1964, South Vietnamese commandos started raids on North Vietnamese islands. The day after, North Vietnam attacked the Maddox a US navy destroyer. The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was passed on August 7, 1964. The United States began to bomb in North Vietnam, The US was then commited to the war. -
Eastern Europeon Independence 4
nations of Slovakia and Czech Republic. -
Eastern European Independence
In 1968, Czechoslovakia's,Soviet rule defiance resulted in a Soviet invasion. Hungary introduced economic reforms which included market economy. Hungary expaned its market economy in the 1970's. Shipward workers went on strike in 1980 because of economic hardships, Lech Walesa then organized solidarity an independant labor union. The Polish government arrested its leaders including Walesa but later -
Eastern Europeon Independence 3
in Eastern Europeon reforms. Poland legalized Solidarity and held free elections. A powerful democracy movement was moving through the region, everyone was in favor of reform. Communist governments fell. The Berlin Wall was opened and the country started reunification. The Warsaw Pact was dissolved in 1991 and asked Russian troops to leave. Czechoslovakia was reunified. In 1992, the Slovaks and Czechs made an agreement to divide Czechoslovakia into nations of Slovakia and Czech Republic. -
Eastern Europeon Independence 2
released him from jail because he became a national hero. East Germany wasn't in favor of Gorbachev's calls for change. In 1988,East Germany banned Soviet publications and moves towards a market economy or more political freedom. Hungary opened a border with Austria in 1989, and thousands of East Germans fled through the two countries to West Germany. In the late 1980's Grobachev said that he wouldn't get involved -
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Detente
Detente Detente was an era of relaxation of tensions. Americas plan for detente was to restrain the Soviet Union through diplomatic agreements and reframe from military action. Detente ended when the Soviet Union invaded Afganistan. -
Soviets in Afghanistan 2
smuggle modern weapons to the mujahedin. -
Soviets in Afghanistan
An Aghan government supported by the Soviets attempted to modernize the nation. The governments policies included social reforms and land redistribution.Muslim conservatives thought these policies threatened Islamic tradition. These warlords took defense against the government, but Soviet troops stepped in. By 1980,the American government started to smuggle modern weapons to mujahedin.
