-
Chinese Civil War (between Jiang Jieshi and Mao Zedong)
Fought between the forces of the government of the Republic of China, led by the Kuomintang and forces of the Communists Party of China. -
Berlin Blockade
One of the first international crisis in the Cold War. The Soviet leadership created a blockade on Wetern Berlin. The U.S., France and Britain took steps to reform the currency in the parts of Germany they occupied, in order to promote economic recovery. -
Berlin Airlift
This massive airlift carried supplies into Western Berlin. There were only 2 airlifts; Tempelhof with one runway in the US sector and Gatow with one runway in the British sector. -
Formation of NATO
The prospect of further Communist expansion prompted the United States and 11 other Western nations to form the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). -
National Security Council report- NSC 68
The report was a group effort, created with input from the Defense Department, the State Department, the CIA, and other interested agencies; NSC-68 formed the basis for America's Cold War policy for the next two decades.In the face of U.S. foreign policy concerns, most notably the Soviet explosion of an atomic device in September 1949 and China's fall to communism the following October, President Truman requested a complete review and re-evaluation of America's Cold War diplomacy strategy. -
Korean War
75,000 North Korean soliders went across the 38th parallel between the Soviet-backed Democratic, Republic of Korea to the North and the pro-Western Republic of Korea to the south. This invasion was the first military action of the Cold War. By July, American troops had entered the war on South Korea’s behalf. -
President Truman fires General MacAuther
Truman was working on a peace treaty to North Korea and China. MacAurther wrote a letter that was unauthorized to North Korea saying expand war into China if the communists didnt stop. -
Formation of the Warsaw Pact
The allignment of every European nation into one of the two opposing camps formalized the political divsion of the European continent that had taken place since WW2. This allignment provided framework for the military standoff that continued throughout the Cold War.
