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Mao Zedong takes control of China
Mao was a Communist leader that held a stronghold in Northwestern China. He sent his troops to southwestern China to overthrow the Nationalist forces there. He succeeded in doing so and the Nationalists moved to Okinawa. -
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Korean War
After WW2 ended, the Soviet Union thought the US wouldn't defend South Korea and in attempt to take over both parts of Korea, supplied North Korea with troops, military equipment, and money. North Korean attacked South Korea in 1950 and the attack was very effective. The US retaliatedby by supporting South Korea in the same way as North Korea had been. The war raged on for three years until they signed a cease-fire agreement. -
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Vietnam War
Vietnam was mostly controlled by France at this time and didnt agree with the government. Ho Chi Minh asked the communists for help and leaded revolts against the French. After the French had been defeated, the US who had supported them set up an anti-communist government in the south. -
Soviet Invasion of Hungary
The Soviets created a wall between them and eastern Europe by establishing a communist government in many countries including Hungary. Their main goal was just to create a barrier to seperate the Soviet Union from their enimies. -
Fidel Castro Takes Over Cuba
Cuba was led by an unpopular dictator during the 1950s and the people decided to revolt. Fidel Castro led the revolt and became leader of Cuba. He improved nearly every aspect of the country however was very harsh. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
The CIA in the US planned an invasion on Cuba to take over Castro. They trained anti-Castro Cuban exiles and had them perform the task. Kennedy who was the president at the time approved the invasion but wouldn't supply them with planes. Therefore, Castro's forces overwelmed the invaders. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Soviets believed that the US wouldnt stop them if they conquered Latin America. They secretly began building many missile sites in Cuba. Kennedy declared that the missiles were a threat to the US because they were so close. He demanded the removal of the sites and blockaded Cuba to provent any more missile sites. -
Soviet Invasion of Czechoslovakia
The Soviet Union invaded Czechoslovakia because they resisted Communism and as one of the Soviet Union's satellite nations, they had no right and they were punished. -
Nixon Visits China
Nixon was planning to talk to the Russians, but in order to do so, he needed China with him. He needed China to help make a deal with the Russians that numbered the amount of intercontinental ballistic missiles each country could have. -
SALT Treaty Talks
The deal to number the amount of intercontinental ballistic missiles a country could have was signed in Russia. 33 other countries joined the US and the Soviet Union to sign the deal. -
Revolution in Iran
The United States controlled Iran at this time. They revolted against them because they didn't make their government based on Islamic laws. -
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Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan
The Soviet Union didn't want the Afghanistan government to follow Marxist laws. So instead, they killed the Afghanistan president and replaced him and other significant people in the government with people who would enforce Communism. -
Civil War in Nicaragua
After they declared independence from Britain, they began experiencing some problems, for they were ethnically divided. They broke out in civil war and divided the nation and eventually was governed by the military. -
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Iran/Iraq War
It began when Iraq invaded Iran. Their goal was to destroy the Iranian air force. The main cause was border disputes between the two countries. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
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Mikhail Gorbachev takes control of USSR
He suggested that instead of making the USSR closed off to everyone else, he promoted openness. He wanted citizens to dicuss ideas to improve their society. He made the Soviet Union different in foreign affairs, government, economy and society all together. -
Soviet Union Falls Apart
Slowly the Soviet Union's satellite nations declared independence from Russia. They planned to overthrow the leader and dismantle the Soviet Union once and for all. The Soviet parliment stopped all party activites and the republics declared independence.