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NATO was created by the United States, Canada, and several Western European nations to provide collective security against the Soviet Union. NATO was the first peacetime military alliance the United States joined outside of the Western Hemisphere. The creation was influenced by the Soviet’s growing power. -
The crisis began when Soviet forces blockaded rail, road, and water access to Allied-controlled areas of Berlin. The United States and United Kingdom responded to this by airlifting food and fuel to Berlin from western Germany. Without firing a shot, Americans were able to mess up the Soviet plan to hold West Berlin hostage. -
The Korean War was a conflict between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) where at least 2.5 million people lost their lives. The war reached international proportions when North Korea (advised by the Soviet Union) invaded South Korea. It left North and South Korea permanently divided.
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The Soviet Union formed this alliance as a counterbalance to NATO. The original signatures of the pact were the Soviet Union, Albania, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, and the German Democratic Republic. The pact provided a unified military command and the ability for the Soviets to strengthen their hold over participating countries. -
The war was a long, costly conflict that put the communist government of North Vietnam against South Vietnam and their ally, the United States. The Cold War intensified the conflict. The war was mainly about types of government.
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Sputnik was a USSR satellite that rocketed to the lead of the “Space Race.” Sputnik was a basketball-sized satellite that became the first manmade object to orbit the Earth. It remained in orbit until January 4, 1958 when it fell and burned in Earth’s atmosphere. -
The Berlin Wall was a barrier that divided Germany from 1961-1989. It was constructed by the German Democratic Republic (Eastern Germany). The wall completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin. -
In 1962, the USSR began to secretly install missiles in Cuba to launch attacks on United States cities. The USSR was eventually confronted and this was known as the Cuban Missile Crisis. The two superpowers were very close to war before an agreement was made to withdraw the missiles. -
American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin became the first humans to land on the moon. Armstrong then became the first person to walk on the moon. The United States won the Space Race with this accomplishment. -
Sections of the Berlin Wall were torn down by East German border guard crews and residents of a reunified Berlin. They used demolition to tear down the wall. The fall of the Berlin Wall was the first step towards German reunification.