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U.S. policy aimed at containing the spread of communism by providing economic and military aid to countries resisting Soviet influence, starting with Greece and Turkey. -
Marshall plan was announced to help other countries fight the diseases poverty and harsh situations they were facing -
The United States and 19 Latin American countries signed the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance, known as the Rio Pact. This agreement established a mutual defense system, -
A Soviet-backed coup brings Czechoslovakia under communist control, intensifying Cold War tensions in Europe. -
A program is established to investigate and remove suspected communists from government positions, reflecting domestic fears of subversion. -
The Soviet Union blocks Allied access to West Berlin, prompting the Western powers to organize the Berlin Airlift to supply the city. -
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is formed, creating a military alliance between the U.S., Canada, and Western European nations to counter Soviet aggression. -
The USSR successfully detonates its first atomic bomb, ending the U.S. monopoly on nuclear weapons and escalating the arms race. -
Mao Zedong proclaims the establishment of communist China, significantly shifting the balance of power in Asia. -
The United States conducted “Ivy Mike” the world’s first full-scale thermonuclear test (yield ~10 Mt) -
In response to the Soviet atomic test, President Truman ordered accelerated development of the hydrogen (thermonuclear) bomb -
Senator Joseph McCarthy claimed to have a list of communists in the State Department, launching a national anti communist witch hunt. His accusations stoked Cold War paranoia at home -
North Korean forces invaded South Korea, prompting U.S. and UN military intervention to repel the communists. This was the first “hot war” of the Cold War -
The Truman administration created the Federal Civil Defense Administration to prepare American civilians for nuclear attack -
President Truman relieved General MacArthur of command in Korea after MacArthur publicly advocated expanding the war into China, defying civilian policy. -
The United States, Australia and New Zealand agreed to mutual defense in the Pacific, pledging to aid any party attacked in the Pacific region. This Cold War alliance extended U.S. security commitments to the Pacific, deterring communist aggression and binding the Pacific democracies in collective defense. -
Greece and Turkey were admitted into NATO, extending the alliance to the eastern Mediterranean
nato. Their accession strengthened Western defenses on the southern flank of the USSR and was a direct response to Soviet influence. -
Britain successfully detonated its first atomic device (Operation Hurricane), becoming the world’s third nuclear power
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The United States conducted “Ivy Mike” the world’s first full-scale thermonuclear test (yield ~10 Mt)
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Stalin’s sudden death ended his brutal rule over the USSR. The ensuing power struggle eventually brought Nikita Khrushchev to power and led to partial deStalinization slightly softening Soviet internal and foreign policy and causing shifts in Cold War -
U.S., North Korean and Chinese commanders signed an armistice ending active combat on the Korean peninsula. The agreement created the Demilitarized Zone along the 38th parallel and froze Korea in a divided status, -
President Eisenhower addressed the U.N., proposing to share U.S. nuclear technology for peaceful purposes while curbing the arms race -
The U.S. detonated a massive 15-megaton thermonuclear bomb at Bikini Atoll, the most powerful ever tested by the U.S -
The CIA backed a coup that overthrew Guatemala’s democratically elected President Jacobo Arbenz, who had enacted land reforms affecting U.S. business interests -
At the Geneva Conference, Vietnam was temporarily divided at the 17th parallel into North Vietnam communist and South Vietnam non communist -
West Germany was admitted to NATO, rearming it as part of the Western alliance
nato.int
. This move alarmed the USSR and prompted the Soviet bloc to form the Warsaw Pact eight days later; Germany’s accession thus solidified Europe’s division and escalated Cold War militarization -
The USSR and its Eastern European satellites (Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania) created a military alliance mirroring NATO -
Heads of state from the U.S., USSR, Britain and France met in Switzerland to discuss Cold War tensions. Although no major agreements emerged, the summit opened direct dialogue at the highest level and was hailed as a hopeful step toward easing East-West tensions -
Polish workers in Poznan rioted for economic reforms communist authorities (with Soviet backing) crushed the revolt -
Hungarians revolted against their Soviet-backed government, briefly establishing a nationalist government under Imre Nagy. The Soviet Union intervened with tanks on Nov 4, crushing the 15-day uprising -
Israel, Britain and France invaded Egypt after President Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal. The crisis exposed strains between the Western allies (the U.S. did not back Britain , France) and risked Soviet involvement, highlighting superpower competition in the Middle East. -
The USSR successfully test-fired the R-7 Semyorka ICBM and announced it as the world’s first intercontinental ballistic missile -
The Soviet Union placed the first artificial satellite into Earth orbit. Sputnik’s success stunned the U.S., initiating the space race and intensifying Cold War tension as Americans feared Soviet superiority in missile technology -
The USSR quickly followed with Sputnik 2, carrying a dog Laika into orbit. This continued display of space prowess further spurred U.S. investment in rocketry and astronautics to catch up with the Soviet space program -
The United States launched its first satellite, Explorer I, from Cape Canaveral. This success restored American prestige after Sputnik and led to the discovery of the Van Allen radiation belts, marking the U.S. entry into the space race and the use of satellites for scientific and military purposes. -
American pianist Van Cliburn wins the inaugural International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. The judging panel declares Cliburn the winner only after consulting Khrushchev. -
The U.S. government formally created Project Mercury to put an American astronaut into orbit. As America’s first human spaceflight program, Mercury symbolized U.S. determination to match and surpass Soviet space achievements during the Cold War. -
Fidel Castro’s 26th of July Movement entered Havana, overthrowing the U.S.-backed Batista regime. Castro’s rise introduced a new socialist government on America’s doorstep, which by the early 1960 would align with the Soviet Union, dramatically shifting the Cold War balance in Latin America. -
At a Moscow exhibition, Vice President Nixon and Premier Khrushchev sparred informally about capitalism vs. communism in a model U.S. kitchen -
Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev made the first official Soviet visit to the United States, meeting President Eisenhower and touring American sites -
France detonated its first nuclear weapon, becoming the fourth country to develop an independent atomic bomb. This ended any remaining monopoly on nuclear arms and signaled wider proliferation; France’s arsenal later became a key element of NATO deterrence and added complexity to East-West strategic calculations -
A U.S. Lockheed U-2 reconnaissance aircraft piloted by Francis Gary Powers was shot down over the Soviet Union. The Soviet capture of Powers and surveillance film embarrassed the U.S. and led to the collapse of a scheduled superpower summit -
A CIA-backed force of Cuban exiles attempted to overthrow Fidel Castro by landing at the Bay of Pigs. The invasion failed within days, embarrassing the Kennedy administration and driving Castro closer to the Soviet Union -
East Germany, with Soviet backing, closed the border between East and West Berlin and quickly built a concrete wall. This sealed off East Berlin to prevent defections, becoming an iconic symbol of the Iron Curtain and permanently dividing Germany until 1989 -
The Kennedy administration sharply increased U.S. military advisory support and covert actions in South Vietnam as the guerrilla war intensified -
U.S. reconnaissance discovered Soviet nuclear missile sites in Cuba, leading to a tense 13-day U.S.–Soviet standoff. President Kennedy imposed a naval “quarantine” and after tense negotiations Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in exchange for U.S. concession -
: Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova flew aboard Vostok 6, becoming the first woman in space. This propaganda victory for the USSR demonstrated Soviet space leadership and was part of the USSR’s efforts to outpace the U.S. in the Cold War–driven space race -
The U.S., USSR, and UK signed an agreement banning nuclear tests in the atmosphere, outer space, and under water -
In reaction to reported attacks on U.S. Navy destroyers, Congress passed a resolution authorizing President Johnson to use military force in Vietnam without a formal declaration of war -
China successfully detonated its first atomic bomb, becoming the fifth nuclear power. This proliferation of nuclear weapons to another communist state complicated the Cold War balance, worrying both the U.S. and USSR and leading to increased efforts (later) to limit nuclear proliferation -
President Johnson sent U.S. Marines and airborne troops into Santo Domingo to stop a leftist revolt and prevent what was perceived as a potential communist takeover -
President Johnson announced that U.S. ground forces in Vietnam would be increased from about 75,000 to 125,000 troops -
U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bombers conducted thousands of heavy bombing sorties over Vietnam and parts of Laos. By mid-1966 these jets were dropping some 8,000 tons of bombs per month against Viet Cong and North Vietnamese targets. This massive aerial campaign (Operation Arc Light) intensified the Vietnam War and reflected the Cold War strategy of overwhelming force to stop communist insurgency