-
Period: to
Cold War
The central reason The Cold War started was over an ideological power struggle between atheistic communism and the democratic capitalism when the allies( United States, Britain, France, and the soviet Union) disagreed over how to govern Germany.The Cold War was a continuing state of political and military tension between the powers of the Western world, led by the United States and its NATO allies, and the communist world, led by the Soviet Union, its satellite states and allies. -
The Potsdam Conference
Potsdam ConferenceThe conference resulted in the Potsdam Declaration regarding the surrender of Japan, and the Potsdam Agreement regarding the Soviet annexation of former Polish territory east of the Curzon Line. Truman had mentioned an unspecified "powerful new weapon" to Stalin during the conference. Japan was given an ultimatum to surrender or meet "prompt and utter destruction". After prime minister Kantarō Suzuki's reply to maintain silence, atomic bombs were dropped on Japan on 6 and 9 August. -
Berlin Blockade
The Berlin Blockade VideoBerlin BlockadeThe Soviets wanted to force the western allies to stop sending food/fuel to Berlin (a city in Germany) and then taking over the city. The Western Allies than used their air forces to fly supplies over the blockade and into Berlin. In the spring on 1949, the soviets realized that is was useless to keep the blockade to the removed it. This lead to Germany splitting into 2 parts. West (Federal Republic of Germany) and East (German Democratic Republic). -
NATO
NATOThe outbreak of the Korean War in 1950 was crucial for NATO as it raised the apparent threat of all Communist countries working together, and forced the alliance to develop concrete military plans. In September 1952, the first major NATO maritime exercises began. In 1954, the Soviet Union suggested that it should join NATO to preserve peace in Europe. The NATO countries, fearing that the Soviet Union's motive was to weaken the alliance, ultimately rejected this proposal. -
Korean War
Korean WarThe Northern Korea established a communist government, while the South established a capitalist one. The 38th parallel increasingly became a political border between the two Korean states. Cross-border skirmishes and raids at the 38th Parallel persisted. The situation escalated into open warfare when North Korean forces invaded South Korea on 25 June 1950. It was the first significant armed conflict of the Cold War. -
The Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact
A mutual defense treaty between eight communist states of Eastern Europe in existence during the Cold War. The founding treaty was established under the initiative of the Soviet Union and signed on 14 May 1955, in Warsaw. The strategy was dominated by the desire to prevent, at all costs, the recurrence of an invasion of Russian soil. -
Period: to
The Vietnam War
A Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of South Vietnam, supported by the United States and other anti-communist nations. It is estimated the number of Vietnamese soldiers and civilians killed vary from less than one million to more than three million. -
Sputnik
Video about SputnikSputnik
First artificial satellite to be put into Earth's orbit. It was launched into orbit by the Soviet Union on 4 October 1957. The unanticipated announcement of Sputnik 1's success precipitated the Sputnik crisis in the United States and ignited the Space Race, a part of the larger Cold War. The launch ushered in new political, military, technological, and scientific developments. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuban Missle CrisisIn August 1962, after some unsuccessful operations by the US to overthrow the Soviets in Cuba, the Cuban and Soviet governments secretly began to build bases in Cuba for a number of nuclear missiles with the ability to strike most of the United States. This ended with the withdrawal of the Soviet Union's nuclear missiles from Cuba, withdrawal of the United States' nuclear missiles from Turkey, and agreement with the Soviet Union that the United States would never invade Cuba. -
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
Nuclear Non-Proliferation TreatyThe Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, commonly known as the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT, is a landmark international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and to further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament. Opened for signature in 1968, the Treaty entered into force in 1970 -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
Fall of the Berlin Wall VideoFall of the Berlin WallIt was a barrier constructed by East Germany on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin. The barrier included guard towers placed along large concrete walls and other defenses. Protests broke out all over East Germany in September 1989. The protesters were mostly people wanting to leave to the West, chanting "Wir wollen raus!" ("We want out!"). Finally, at 10:45 pm, the guards finally yielded allowing people through. -
The Dissolution of the Soviet Union
The Dissolution of the Soviet UnionThis left all fifteen republics of the Soviet Union as independent sovereign states. The dissolution of the world's largest communist state also marked an end to the Cold War.The Revolutions of 1989 led to the fall of the socialist states allied to the Soviet Union. Even as independent nations, the former Soviet republics have retained close links with Russia and formed multilateral organizations with them.
