The Cold War

By nlindzay

  • Mao Zedong takes control of China

    The fight between the Nationalists and the Commnists spread to China. Under the communsit leader, Mao Zedong, against the nationalist leader, Jiang they fought until his army fled. The peasants were inthused by the idea of the land being returned to them. The Chinese economy was collasping, and the Nationalist soldiers were fleeing to the communist side. The communist soldiers were well trained, and took over many major cities in China.

  • Korean War

    The U.S. and the Soviet Union had drawn a line between southern and northern Korea, Both had taken out their troops, but the Soviet Union didn't think that the U.S. would intervene if Northern Korea attacked the southern part. They gave them weapons and supplies and the northern koreans attacked. In a matter of days they had taken over the whole peninsula. The United Nations was called upon by southern koreans, and they intervened, by sending troops from 15 nations, reclaiming the land.

  • Vietnam War

    The French had controlled Vietnam before WW2. The Vietnamese wanted freedom. The United States believed that if one south asian country fell to communism, the rest would fall also. War breaks out between the Northern and Southern parts of Vietnam, the U.S. in the end slowly backs out, and the war ends with the Northern communist side of Vietnam taking over everything.

  • Soviet Invasion of Hungary

    Stalin died, and with him all his ideas.The satellite countries thought things would be differnt but learned otherwise. The Hungarian army and protestors joined together to overthrow Soviet- Hungarian controlled government. In November, the Soviet tanks rolled in with the infantry units, and over powered them stopping the revolt right in its tracks.

  • Fidel Castro Takes Over Cuba

    The Cuban people weren't happy with their previous leader, Fulgencio Baptista. They overthrew him,and Fidel Castro, the revolutionary leader at the time took over. At first he was liked for improving the economy, literacy, health care, and conditions for women. But he was also a harsh dictator, he suspended elections, jailed or executed his opponents, and took over U.S. owned sugar mills and refineries.

  • Bay of Pigs Invasion

    Because of the relationship between Cuba and the United States had deteriorated, Cuba turned to the Soviet Union for any military and supply aid. The CIA planned an invasion of Cuba, by training anti- Castro Cuban exiles. The exiles landed and were ready, but President Kennedy refused to send U.S. planes to aid them. Castro's forces crushed the invasion. This humiliated the U.S.

  • Cuban Missile Crisis

    After the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, the Soviet Union didn't think that the U.S. would not resist Soviet expansion. They started to build 42 missile sites in Cuba. An American spy plane discovered what they were up to. President Kennedy demanded that the missiles be removed, because they were too close to the U,S, The U.S. got ready for resistance, Castro complained of being in the middle of all this. Later the Soviet Union agreed to disable the missiles if the U.S.didn't invade Cuba.

  • Nixon Visits China

    President Nixon adopted a new policy called detente instead of brinkmanship. He became the fisrt president to visit Communsit China. He explained that he wanted the chinese there with him when he talked with the Russians.

  • SALT Treaty Talks

    President Nixon made history again by visiting the Soviet Union. After a series of meetings, Nixon and Brezhnev signed the SALT 1 Treaty. This agreement limited to 1972 levels the number of intercontinental ballistic and submarine- launched missiles each country could have.

  • Revolution in Iran

    The ruler of Iran, at the time was Shah Pahlavi. The people didn't like him because he wanted to westernize Iran. They overthrew him, and got a new leader, but the United States didn't want them to turn to the Soviets, so they had him jailed. This angered the Iranians. The shah returned to power, to then be overthrown again. He had to flee to America toget medical help, which the Iranians were insulted by. This hightened hostile behavior toward the U.S.

  • Civil War in Nicaragua

    The Nicaraguans weren't happy with their dictator, at the time so rebels overthrew him. The United States and the Soviet Union got involved. The civil war lasted over a decade and weakoned the country's economy.

  • Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan

    Afghanistan was at first neutral, then Soviet influence statred to grow on them. In 1970, a Muslim revolt threatened to topple communist power. This caused an invasion from the Soviet Union. They got stuck in there longer than they expected ecause the U.S. gave the rebels weapons to fight back with.

  • Iran/Iraq War

    The new leader who came to power after the revolution was Khomeini. He encouraged Muslim believers to overthrow their secular governments. This heightened tensions between Iran and its neighboring country, Iraq. Iraq was run by a secular state. War broke out between the two countries, trying to gain territory. The United States secretly sold weapons to Iran in an effort to get their hostages released.

  • Fall of the Berlin Wall

    The reforms in Poland and Hungary were excited the East Germans to want to revolt. The leader at the time of Eastern Germany, Honecker didn't want reform. At one point there were portesters, and Honecker called in the police, the police refused to do anything. Because of resistance, he resigned. A new leader took over and decided the only way to win is to take down the wall. This was a great idea and later because of corruption communsim in Germany ended.

  • Mikhail Gorbachev takes control of USSR

    After, Brezhnev's death, their were two leaders that the Poliburo had in mind. Gorbachev was young, and had creative skills. His goals were not to end communism, but to be more useful with the power he had. He introduced the idea of perestroika. The people got back their churches, and their right to write and say what they want about things and the government.

  • Soviet Union Falls Apart

    The new reforms in Germany, and other East European countries sparked the interest of the Soviet people. Gorbachev wasn't making fast enough reforms, so the people looked for a new leader. Boris Yeltsin came to power by the people. He let all the little countries unannex themselves and declare independence. Gorbachev resigned from being president of the Soviet Union, but the Soviet Union no longer existed.