-
Period: to
French-Vietnam Conflict
The bloody Vietnam conflict consisted of two major parts: the First Indochina War (1946-1954), and the Cold War conflict (1955-1975). The French had controlled Indochina until WWII, when Japan conquered it. In 1946, France tried to reclaim it, but unexpectedly lost to Ho Chi Minh (a nationalist-communist) at Dienbienphu, and left. In 1954, Vietnam was split into North (Communist) Vietnam and South (noncommunist) Vietnam at an international conference. -
NATO
The United States, Canada, and ten other countries formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The member countries pledged to help each other if they were attacked. -
Chinese Civil War
By the time WWII ended, northern China belonged (mostly) to the Communists, who had support from the massive peasant population. Mao Zedong transformed the political structure of the People’s Republic of China into a one-party Communist/totalitarian state. He collectivized farms, and launched the Cultural Revolution, both of which backfired. -
Period: to
Cold War
A global conflict between the US and USSR fowling WWII. It is called the "Cold" War because the US and the Soviets never fought each other directly. -
Period: to
Nuclear Arms Race
The US and USSR tried to out match each other in nuclear strength. Thousands of nuclear and hydrogen bombs were built and tested around the world, though none were ever used due to mutually assured destruction. This was eventually controlled by multiple nuclear arms treaties. -
Period: to
Korean Conflict
After WWII, Korea was split along the 38th parallel into Communist North Korea, and non-Communist South Korea. Both Koreas wanted to be whole again, so Kim Il Sung sent troops to overrun the South. They had almost succeeded when the United Nations deployed their own troops to defend the South. This caused China to send troops to support the North. Eventually, an armistice ended the stalemate. -
Warsaw Pact
The Soviet Union (USSR) formed an Alliance with its satellites, in response to the formation of NATO. Unlike NATO, the Soviets often used this to keep their seven satellites in line. -
Period: to
Vietnam-Cold War Conflict
Scheduled elections to reunite Vietnam never took place (due to the fear the Communists would win). In the early 1960s, guerilla fighters appeared in the South. The president used a North Korean attack on the U.S. Navy destroyer "Maddox" (which the North thought had aided raids) to convince Congress to go to war to stop Communism. The U.S. never lost a battle, but the Tet Offensive fed a growing anti-war movement, and caused the U.S. to pull out. The North took the South two years later. -
Cuba becomes Communist
Fidel Castro leads his guerrilla army to victory in the Communist Revolution. After overthrowing the corrupt Cuban dictator, Castro looked to the Soviet Union for the economic support cut off by the US's trade embargo. -
The Bay of Pigs Invasion
US President John F. Kennedy supported an attempt to rid Cuba of Communism. Cuban refugees that had fled for Florida in 1959 were trained by the US military and sent in to conquer Cuba. However, the promised naval and air support never arrived and the refuge-soldiers were captured. -
Berlin Wall
Berlin was a very unique city. It was in the Communist East Germany, but West Berlin was not Communist. A wall was erected to seal-off West Berlin, not only form the rest of the city, but all of East Germany. The reason was not that people were fighting, but the people of East Berlin were fleeing to West Berlin, dramatically decreasing the Communist population. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
At Castro's request, the USSR sent nuclear missiles to Cuba, which is only 90 miles from Florida. This caused the US to blockade Cuba, and demand that the USSR immediately remove the missiles. It took several tense days for the possibly apocalyptic situation to defuse, with the USSR caving at the last minute. -
Period: to
Détente
A period of relaxed tensions between the US and the USSR. During this time, the US tried to stop the USSR through diplomatic agreements, instead of using force. This era ended with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. -
Soviets in Afghanistan
A Soviet-supported government had tried to implement Communist policies that threatened Islamic tradition, causing mujahedin (Muslim religious warriors) to take up arms. The mountains of Afghanistan proved as difficult for the U.S.S.R. as the jungles of Vietnam had for the U.S. To make matters worse, the U.S. begun to smuggle weapons to the mujahedin, particularly the Stinger Missile. Like Vietnam in the U.S., the major loss of lives caused a massive drop in moral. This helped end the USSR. -
Eastern European Independence
Many rebellions in the Soviet bloc had to be put down over the years. However, it wasn't until the 1980s that their wish for freedom was finally fulfilled. Hungary took up a market economy, and opened the boarder to Austria. Outraged ship yard workers in Poland formed an illegal, independent labor union called Solidarity, which had many supporters, including Pope John Paul II. -
Eastern European Independence Cont.
In East Germany, the government banned the changes the USSR was trying to make. Soviet media was banned, but West German media wasn't, meaning people got news of changes anyway. When the Hungarian border with Austria opened in 1989, thousands of East Germans flocked towards it. Thousands more publicly demanded change. Gorbachev (who led the USSR) said he wouldn't stop these reforms. Solidarity was legalized, free elections were held, the Berlin Wall opened, and Czechoslovakia split in two. -
The Soviet Union Falls
After having their own "Vietnam" in Afghanistan, the USSR suffered a massive drop in moral. To fix this, their new leader (Mikhail Gorbackev) tried reforms that ultimately blew-up in his face. He signed arms control treaties with the US and pulled out troops. He also called for reconstruction of the government and economy, openness, and limited private enterprise. These reforms caused unrest and economic turmoil. In 1991, he resigned as president.
