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Chinese Communist Revolution
The Chinese Communist Party was founded in 1921, originally a study group. The communists served in the national army until this date when the army turned on them in the Shanghai Massacre. There would be a long civil war between the Communist Part and the nationalist party, though there was also intermittent cooperation against outside threats. The communists eventually emerged victorious in 1949 and established the socialist nation, the People's Republic of China with Mao Zedong as head. -
Enactment of Marshall Plan
Formally known as the European Recovery Program, the Marshall Plan sent 13 million dollars to European countries over 4 years. Most of the aid was directly in grants, and the rest in loans. The date is when harry Truman signed it. Larger population countries and allied countries received more. Even Soviet occupied countries were offered aid, though the Soviets opted out early on. -
Greek Civil War
During Axis occupation of Greece in WWII, the Greek government still existed in exile, heavily influenced by the British. When reinstated after WWII, they faced rebellion from communist resistance groups forged in WWII. On tis date, full-scale fighting began between the communist resistance groups and government and anti-communist groups. The government was supported first by the British and then the Americans after the British withdrew. The civil war ended in 1949 with government victory. -
Formation of the Eastern Bloc
The Eastern Bloc refers to the group of communist states in Central and Eastern Europe. The group is primarily influenced by the Soviet Union, which created the group in World War II by annexing various countries as Soviet Socialist Republics. The group was further connected by the Comecon and Warsaw Pact. The date used the Potsdam conference when East Germany was given to the Soviets. -
Postwar Occupation and Division of Germany
Postwar Germany lay in ruins, filled with refugees, and full of people homeless and starving. The Allies quickly declared supreme authority over the chaos and divided Germany into 4 occupation zones after the Potsdam conference on this date. The Soviets forcibly moved millions and went to establish a socialist society. France sought to extract as much as possible. America and Britain realized Germany as a possible Ally and tax-hole, and sought to make it self-sufficient. -
Berlin Blockade and Airlift
On this date, alarmed by the aid the the U.S. was feeding Germany and the Allies' combining of their ones into a single economic unit, the Soviets formed a blockade surrounding Berlin. Rail, road, and canal access to west Berlin was blocked. The American response came in on June 26th with aid via airlift of food, clothing, etc. By the end, 8,000 tons of supplies were delivered per day. The Soviets ended the blockade in May 1949 after international scorn. -
Korean War
The Korean War was a war between North Korea (occupied by the Soviets) and South Korea (occupied by the US). The two occupation zones had become their own states in Cold War tensions and their dictators each wanted the other half. On this date, North Korean forces crossed the 38th parallel and invaded South Korea, initiating the war. UN forces supported the south and Chinese forces supported the north. Peace talks began in 1951 and armistice was reached in 1953. -
Cuban Revolution
The revolution began on this date when Fidel Castro led a failed attack on Cuban military barracks. The current leader Batista had been a brutal force for 2 decades and just canceled the elections that Castro was in with a coup. He was also supported by America as an anti-communist. Castro led a violent revolution with guerrilla tactics, successfully ousting Batista and purging his supporters, putting himself in power. He ran a communist regime and formed close ties with the Soviets. -
Vietnam War
Following WWII, Ho's communist forces took control of north Vietnam, and war ensued between the western influenced South Vietnam and Communist north Vietnam, each seeking to unify Vietnam under their own system. On this date, Viet Minh troops took over a French garrison after which the French pulled out of the region. America pledged their full support to the south, which escalated as the war went on, to large criticism at home. The north eventually won after taking Saigon in 1975. -
Hungarian Uprising
On this date, amidst de-Stalinization, 20 000 protestors crowded Budapest demanding democratic reforms, Hungarian independence, and civil rights. The protest became more active and Hungarian forces were unwilling to put down their own people. The Communist Party put the popular liberal Imre Nagy in power to appease the people, but he pushed rapidly for a multi-party system and leaving the Warsaw Pact. In response, the Soviets invaded on November 4th, brutally crushing the national uprising. -
Building the Berlin Wall
Due to a steady stream of refugees moving from east Berlin to the west, and many being prime laborers, east Berlin was experiencing social and economic collapse. To stop this, the German Democratic Republic began constructing a wall between the west and east. On this date, temporary walls of barbed wire were set up at the border. The over time, the barbed wire was replaced with concrete walls reaching up to 15 feet high, topped with barbed wire and armed watch towers. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
On this date, an American spy plane photographed a Soviet medium-ranged ballistic missile being assembled on Cuba only 90 miles from Florida. Kennedy was briefed on the 16th and a naval blockade around Cuba was set up on the 22nd. Soviet ships met the blockade on the 24th. Nuclear warfare seemed imminent, but on the 26th, the Soviets proposed to remove their missiles in exchange for no Cuban invasion, and the Americans agreed on the 28th. A hot line was established the next year. -
Rise of the Palestine Liberation Organization
After the Arab-Israeli war of 1948, the Palestinians were dispersed among a number of nations. Resistance groups were small and independent until the and Arab Summit on this date, when Palestinians came together under the Palestine Liberation Organization, with its initial goals being to unite various Arab groups and reach self-determination for Palestines. The group expanded after the Israeli attacks in 1967, when in contrast to reeling Arab armies, the PLO declared defiance, attracting many. -
Prague Spring
On this date, Alexander Dubček became the first secretary of the Czechoslovak Communist Party. He pushed and called for reforms for freedom of press, democracy, and civil rights. This initiated a period of liberalization called the Prague Spring. This period came to an abrupt end after the Soviets saw the reforms as a precursor to revolution, and invaded and conquered Czechoslovakia. -
Overthrow of the Allende Government in Chile
Allende was a Marxist activist and nationalized US-owned industries in Chile when he became president in 1970. In response, America or Nixon masterminded international economic backlash that put the Chilean economy in shambles, causing the middle class to oppose Allende. On this date, Chile's armed forces attacked Allende's government, air-striking the presidential palace where Allende shot himself. General Augusto Pinochet Ugarte became dictator in the aftermath, with American support. -
Soviet War in Afghanistan
The year before, an unpopular socialist regime overthrew the government. On this date, seeking to prop up the pro-Soviet regime the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, purging opposition. However, resistance fighters in the countryside applied guerrilla tactics and were given weapons by the U.S. With no victory in sight, the Soviets withdrew in 1988, with wounds financially and in public relations. -
Tiananmen Square Massacre
In April, in honor of the death of Hu, a democratic reformer, tends of thousands of students protests in Tiananmen Square for democratic and social reforms. In the following weeks, the demonstration drew considerable media coverage and over a millions students. In the latter half of May, martial law was declared in Beijing but the troops were still blocked from Tiananmen square by residents. On this date, the heavily armed troops forcibly and violently stormed through Tiananmen Square. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
In 1989, protests against the Berlin Wall grew widespread. Along with a thawing Cold War, the eastern administration held a press conference at 7pm on this date to announce the easing of restrictions. It was not meant to open the walls immediately but due to poor planning, it was widely interpreted so. Thus, crowds flooded to the gates that night, and the guards eventually yielded. People began tearing down the wall soon after, though official demolition was not for a while longer. -
Fall of the Soviet Union
On this day, the Belovezh Accords were signed by leaders of several founding countries declaring that the USSR no longer existed. In light of the Soviet's failing economy, Premier Gorbachev had withdrawn from the arms race and mostly withdrew the military from Warsaw Pact countries and fully out of Afghanistan. Revolution and independence movements immediately followed across the eastern Bloc. In place of the Soviet Union was left the Commonwealth of Independent States. -
9/11 Attacks
Allegedly in retaliation for supporting Israel, 19 terrorists smuggled knives onto and hijacked 4 transcontinental flights from the east coast. The north World Trade center was hit in the 80th floor at 8:45 am and the south was hit in its 60th 18 minutes after. The Pentagon was hit at 9:45 am. Flight 93 was delayed so its passengers knew of the hijackers' intentions. They retook the cockpit and the plane crashed into a field in western Pennsylvania at 10:10 am. 2,996 people died overall.