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United States drops atomic bomb on Nagasaki
(Nagasaki)This, for all intents and purposes, ended the major fighting of World War II. In regards to the Cold War, this act ushered in the "nuclear age", prompting other superpowers to further develop nuclear technology, adding to the tension and potential severity of the Cold War.
Image URL:
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01371/NAGASAKI-AN_1371978c.jpg -
Marshall Plan is signed into effect
Marshall PlanNamed after Secretary of State George Marshall, the Marshall Plan was a program to rebuild a war-torn Europe. It strictly provided aid to Western Europe to rebuild their economies after they were decimated by the war. In many ways, it was a pre-emptive plan to curb the expansion of Communist influence in Europe. Stalin recognized this and rejected the plan, going so far as trying to sabotage it.
Image URL:
http://www.poorwilliam.net/pix/truman_signs_marshall_plan.jpg -
NATO was formed
NATOThe North Atlantic Treaty Organization was formed by allies in Europe and North America in order to combat rising Soviet influence. The agreement stated that members of the treaty would help defend other members in the event of an attack by an external force. For the first time, official sides were chosen in the impending Cold War.
Image URL:
http://cdnph.upi.com/sec/th/i/UPI-3831393870244/2014/13938714058650/NATO-condemns-Russian-military-intervention-into-Ukraine_lg.jpg -
Soviet Union tests first atomic bomb, to success
Soviet BombThis established the Soviet Union as the world's second nuclear super power. For the first time, an all out nuclear war seemed plausible as two opposing sides had these devastating capabilities.
Image URL:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d3/Soviet_super_test.jpg -
North Korea crosses 38th parallel
38th parallelThis marked the beginning of the Korean War. Backed by his newly tested atomic weapons, Stalin became more aggressive, providing arms to the North Koreans. The UN was prompted to intervene. Most of the aid to the South Koreans came from the US as they saw it as a major step into quelling the threat of Communism.
Image URL:
http://media1.shmoop.com/media/images/large/38th-parallel.jpg -
Warsaw Pact is formed
Warsaw PactLed by the Soviet Union in response to NATO, the Warsaw Pact was a similar agreement between Communist Allies. This essentially divided the Cold War into two distinct opposing sides. The breadth of each of these alliances would essentially cause another World War if any members were directly attacked.
Image URL:
http://twilightstrategy.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/warsaw-pact-formed.jpg -
Fidel Castro becomes Prime Minister of Cuba
Fidel CastroFidel Castro would implement the first Communist regime in the Western Hemisphere. Castro enacted policies that would cause friction between them and the capitalist US. The proximity to the US was alarming, as would be seen in the Cuban Missle Crisis.
Image URL:
http://www.who2.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/gallery-image/images/fidelcastro.html-9_orig.jpg -
Cuban Missle Crisis
Cuban Missle Crisis This was the arguably the most tense moment of the Cold War. The Soviet Union was building nuclear missle sites in Cuba, much too close for comfort. JFK demanded the disarmament of these sites, but with the worry of an all out nuclear war breaking out. Thirteen days later, an agreement was reached.
Image URL:
http://sheg.stanford.edu/upload/Lessons/Unit 11_Cold War/CubanMissleCrisis2.jpg -
Moscow-Washington hotline is established
Red Phone The hotline was established in response to the Cuban Missle Crisis. In order to avoid any potential future "misunderstandings" and to expedite communication processes, a direct line from the Pentagon to the Kremlin was formed. Image URL:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/83/Jimmy_Carter_Library_and_Museum_99.JPG -
China tests first atomic bomb
China A-bomb
China became the 5th superpower with nuclear weapon capabilities. Both the US and the Soviets were worried at this development, possibly leading to each's desire to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons worldwide.
Image URL: http://www.chinaculture.org/img/2003-09/24/sguo02_01.jpg -
President Nixon visits China
Nixon to China This marked the first time a US President visited China, who were foes at the time. This meeting went a long way in stabilizing relations between the US and China, who was a major player in tipping the scales of the Cold War.
Image URL:
http://www.mocanyc.org/files/imagecache/timeline_page/timeline/1972_Nixon.jpg? -
Korean Air Lines Flight 007 shot down by Soviets
Korean Flight 007 A commercial flight in restricted Soviet airspace was shot down. Anti-Soviet sentiment reached an all-time high, as hundreds of innocent people were killed.
Image URL:
http://media4.s-nbcnews.com/i/newscms/2014_29/569616/140707-flt-007-filer-1p_58d4c9649eb7418f07a6d9523c22414c.jpg -
Mikhail Gorbachev becomes Soviet Leader
Gorbachev Eventually would establish the programs Glasnost (openness) and Perestroika (dismantling of communism) which marked the beginning of the end of the Soviet Union. These programs were aimed to "Americanize" Russia through more choice and freedoms.
Image URL:
http://xenohistorian.faithweb.com/russia/gorbachev.jpg -
Berlin Wall is destroyed
Berlin Wall Perhaps the most symbolic event to the end of the Cold War, the destroying of the Berlin Wall effectively re-unified Germany. After WWII, Germany had been split into West (capitalist) and East (communist) Germany.
Image URL:
http://gulaghistory.org/nps/onlineexhibit/after/fall-src/images/wall_detail1.jpg -
Dissolution of USSR
USSR Dissolves Gorbachev resigns as leader of the USSR and it splits into 15 distinct countries. This marked the true end of the Cold War as the US's main enemy had effectively given up and decentralized its government and military.
Image URL:
https://hum3bg.wikispaces.com/file/view/ussr/218911988/450x258/ussr
