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Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact was formed with member states East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Albania, Bulgaria, and the Soviet Union. -
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Postdam conference and division of Germany
The Potsdam Conference, held in 1945, solidified the division of Germany into East and West. This division became a symbolic and physical manifestation of the Cold War tensions between the Soviet Union and the Western Allies. -
Truman Doctrine
President Truman promised to help any country facing a Communist takeover. Containment policy - stop Soviet expansion and spread of communism. -
Marshall Plan
George Marshall introduced an economic plan aimed at providing aid to all nations in Europe. The initiative allocated 90% of its resources as economic aid, with the remaining 10% offered as loans to assist European nations in rebuilding and stabilizing their economies after World War II. -
Formation of NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was established, creating a military alliance between Western nations to counter the perceived threat from the Soviet Union. This marked a significant collective defense strategy during the Cold War. -
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Korean War
The Korean War erupted when North Korea, backed by the Soviet Union and China, invaded South Korea. The conflict became a proxy war between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, with an armistice agreement eventually ending the fighting in 1953. -
Suez Crisis
The Suez Crisis began on October 29, 1956, when Israeli armed forces pushed into Egypt toward the Suez Canal after Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser (1918-70) nationalized the canal, a valuable waterway that controlled two-thirds of the oil used by Europe. -
Bay of Pigs
After the failed U.S. attempt to overthrow the Castro regime in Cuba with the Bay of Pigs invasion, and while the Kennedy administration planned Operation Mongoose, in July 1962 -
The Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis brought the U.S. and the Soviet Union to the brink of nuclear war. The crisis was a result of Soviet ballistic missiles deployed in Cuba, prompting a tense confrontation between the two superpowers. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall fell, symbolizing the end of the Cold War's ideological divide. The event marked the beginning of the reunification of East and West Germany and the eventual dissolution of the Soviet Union.