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Greek Civil War
This was a two-stage conflict. Greek communists attempted to gain control of France. They failed. -
Postwar Occupation and Division of Germany
After the war, Berlin was split into four. Its areas were owned by the United States, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union. It was mostly France and the Soviet Union that occupied Germany postwar. -
Enactment of the Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was brought into action in order to bring post-war Europe back from its deterioration. Four years following the Marshall Plan, Congress acquired $13.3B for European recovery. The Plan did succeed and Europe slowly recovered. -
Berlin Blockade and Airlift
Soviet Union began the Berlin Blockade to limit the ability of other countries to travel. Western powers eventually made an airlift happen, delivering necessities to Berlin. The blockade represented the first major conflict of the Cold War. -
Chinese Communist Revolution
Known as Chinese People's War of Liberation in the People's Republic of China. The People's Liberation Army defeated the Republic of China Army, bringing an end to over two decades of warfare between the Communist and Nationalist parties. -
Korean War
75,000 North Korean Soldiers poured into the 38th parallel, marking the start of the Korean War. The 38th parallel is the boundary between the Soviet-backed Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to the north and the pro-Western Republic of Korea to the south. American troops had entered the war by July on South Korea's side. -
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution was led by Fidel Castro. It was done to overthrow Fulgencio Batista and his government. -
Formation of the Eastern Bloc
The Eastern Bloc, otherwise known as the Warsaw Pact, was created by Soviets at the beginning of WWII. Several countries were invaded and annexed as Soviet Social Republics. It was made up of East Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and Albania. -
Vietnam War
This war lasted a year and a half. More than 3million people were killed in this war. Nixon eventually ordered a withdrawal of US forces due to the great danger. -
Hungarian Uprising
Otherwise known as the Hungarian Revolution. The revolution was countrywide against the Hungarian People's republic. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
The Bay of Pigs Invasion was intended to overthrow Castro. The attack failed. -
Building the Berlin Wall
The concrete and barbed wire wall was built to separate East and West Germany. It was the German Democratic Republic that built the wall. They really just wanted the Soviet-controlled citizens on East Berlin to stay in East Berlin. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
This was a 13 day standoff. It was between the leaders of the US and the leaders of the Soviet Union. The US won because the Soviets had to flee. -
Rise of the Palestine Liberation Organization
Represented by the Palestinian people. Meant to secure the return of the refugees. -
Prague Spring
Political liberalization and and mass protest took part during this time period. Known as "communism with a human face". -
Solidarity Movement in Poland
Solidarity was a broad anti-authoritarian social movement, using methods of civil resistance to advance the causes of workers' rights and social change. -
Tiananmen Square Massacre
This was a series of student-led protests and demonstrations, taking place is Tiananmen Square. The protesters goal was to block the military access to Tiananmen Square. In response, troops came storming in with machine guns and tanks. Several hundred to several thousand deaths occurred in Tiananmen Square. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
Fall of the Berlin Wall also marked the fall of the Iron Curtain. This marked the fall of Communism throughout Germany. The fall began when head of the East German Communist party announced that citizens could begin crossing the border. Then, the wall was torn down. -
Fall of the Soviet Union
Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as president of the Soviet Union, leaving Boris Yeltsin as president of the newly independent Russian state. The disbanding of the SU was lack of internal disintegration. -
9/11 Attacks
The US was targeted and attacked by terroristic group al-Queda. Members of al-Queda hijacked American planes and flew them into the twin towers in NYC, as well as attempting to hit the Pentagon. Almost 3,000 people died just from those attacks.