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The Events of The Cold War
Citations: Castro sworn in. (n.d.). Retrieved February 15, 2016, from http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/castro-sworn-in Soviet Union launches Sputnik I. (n.d.). Retrieved February 12, 2016, from http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/soviet-union-launches-sputnik-i The Bay of Pigs. (n.d.). Retrieved February 13, 2016, from http://www.jfklibrary.org/JFK/JFK-in-History/The-Bay-of-Pigs.aspx US History Timeline: Cold War. (n.d.). Retrieved February 13, 2016, from http://faculty.was -
US Drops Atomic Bomb on Nagasaki
On August 6th, 1945, The United States dropped atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. The dropping of these bombs prompted the Japanese forces to surrender and consequently end World War II -
Establishment of NATO
N.A.T.O. (The North Atlantic Treaty Organization) was established on April 4th, 1949, with the purpose of providing a collective self-defense against Soviet Aggression. This action greatly increased American influence in Europe -
Formation of The Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact was a defense agreement between the Soviets and seven other European states. It stated that if any of them were to be under attack, they would all team up as one, under the Soviet's command. The Warsaw Pact was created in response to the formation of N.A.T.O. -
Soviets Launch First Man Made Satellite
On October 4th, 1957, the Soviets successfully launched the first unmanned satellite, "Sputnik I", into space. This caused great panic and turmoil in the United States. The US was afraid that the Soviets were far ahead of them in the arms race and were much more powerful than them. -
Fidel Castro Sworn in as Prime Minister of Cuba
Fidel Castro was sworn in as the Prime Minister of Cuba on February 16th, 1959. He accomplished this feat in a rather forceful manner after he lead a campaign that forced the previous dictator into exhile. Castro was Anti-American and upon being sworn in, implemented a communist government. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
The Bay of Pigs invasion was supposed to be a full scale invasion on Cuba, orchestrated by the United States Government. The plan was for 1,400 American trained Cubans to invade Cuba and win back control. However the strike force was briskly taken care of and surrended less than twenty-four hours into the attack. -
Erection of The Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was erected on August 15th, 1961. The purpose of the wall was to divide East and West Germany. East Germany did not want any influence from the west and did not want them coming over. The Berlin Wall was a physical symbol of the "Iron Curtain" and demonstrated the divide between Europe. -
Cuban Missle Crisis
On October 22nd, 1962, President Ronald Reagan announced to the country that american spy planes spotted missle bases under construction in Cuba that had the capability to shoot short to long range missles. This prompted the United Stated to establish a naval blockade from Russia to Cuba so that military supplies could not be transported to Cuba. -
China Detonates Their Fist Atomic Bomb
Throughout the Cold War, China recieved technological aid from The Soviet Union to further advance their weaponry. The Chinese successfully detonated their first atomic bomb on October 16th, 1964, however they made it clear that the bomb would only be used for self defense; not for war. -
Richard Nixon Visits China
On February 21st, 1972, Richard Nixon arrived in China to improve relations with communist countries during the Cold War. Nixon met with Chinese Prime Minister, Zhou Enlai, and made an agreement to share international contacts and to establish a permanent trade agreement. The U.S. also established an open door policy with China, which gave any other nation that wanted to trade with China an equal oppurtunity to do so. -
The Fall of Saigon
South Vietnam was still not a communist nation, unlike North Vietnam which was. The Northern Vietnam forces wanted total control and invaded South Vietnam, leading them to eventually surrender, making Vietnam completely communist. It must be noted that the United States did not assist in defending South Vietnam -
Solidarity Union Formed
Solidarity was formed by about 17,000 Polish shipworkers who were on strike. It was the first trade union in a Warsaw Pact country that was not under communist control. -
Demolition of The Berlin Wall
Some called it "the greatest street party in the history of the world." East Germany had a change of heart with their relationship with West Germany and announced that the Berlin wall should be demolished. 171 people lost their life between 1961 and 1989 trying to cross over the border of the wall. The fall of the wall was one of the first big indicators that the Cold War was coming to an end. -
Reunification of East and West Germany
Despite the fact that the Berlin Wall had been knocked down for over a year, East and West Germany were technically still not reunited as one. On October 3rd, 1990, they were reunited as one nation -
Aboltition of Soviet Union
Boris Yeltsin and three other Soviet officials met to sign the papers ending the Soviet Union on December 8th, 1981. This was seen as very important and positive move for Russia so that they could grow and develop more as a country and finally end the Cold War.
