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The Cold War Begins
When the United States and the Soviet Union entered a time of tension and hostility that later became known as the Cold War. Winston Churchill gave a speech in which he said that they were seperated by a "iron curtain" of Soviet actions and a disturbance to peace. -
Economic Help
The Truman Doctrine was created to give economic and military aid to stop the spread of communism. The Marshall Plan was later created to help reconsruct Europe. These aids demonstrated containment to resist Soviet agression. -
Berlin Airlift
When the divided Germany in four teritories and Berlin as well, they wanted it to be temporary but the West started to make plans for a future democratic government. Stalin refused and he blocked all entries by land to Berlin. Berlin Airlift was supplying the city by air and he retreatedin May 1949. -
Alliances
The United States, Canada, and most Western European countries joined and formed th North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO. The Soviet Union and other communist nations created the Warsaw Pact. NATO was formed to stop communist ideals and Warsaw to counter it. -
Arms Race
The Soviet Union and the United States were in a arms race to see who would gain up and have an advantage in weapons.Both had a hydrogen bomb that was much more deadly than the bombs dropped on Japan. It started the Red Scare in which the public feared an attack. -
Space Race
The Soviets launched the first artificial satellite 'Sputnik'. In response because the US feared technological advance they created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA. -
The Spreading Cold
The Cold War spread and the United States feared the spread of communism which took hapenned in places like Vietnam, the Middle East, and African countries. The most recognised conflict was the Cuban Missile Crisis in which the U.S. feared a nuclear attack and communist Cuba, they were removed two weeks later. Other nations decided to stay out of the war and instead of being worried or taking sides they grew economically or they tried to promote the interests of poorer countries. -
Control the Arms
For many years they would attempt to control the arms race. In 1963 the U.S and the Soviet Union signed the Test Ban Treaty in which they were not allowed to test any nuclear weapons underwater, in outer space, or in the atmosphere. In 1972 President Nixon passed the SALT1 in which they could gather and talk about weapons, the ABM was to prevent development of weapons that could shoot down missiles. In 1988 President Reagan passed the INFTreaty in to call for the elimination of certain missiles. -
Revolts In Europe
Revolts in Europe had started long before but had no real effect on what they wanted, when they did last longer they were quickly shut down by Soviet officers. The most known was the Solidarity movement in which thousands joined the anti-government protest.Gorbachev saw he could no longer control them so he let them go.The Velvet Revolution was in Czechoslovakia it was the most peaceful of all.In Poland they held elections 1990.In Romania it turned to bloodshed when they fired on them. -
End of the Cold War
The Berlin Wall crumbling symbolized the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. The Soviets were no longer able to contain the other nations and the mighty Soviet Union was gone. After Gorbachev resigned Boris Yeltsin was elected president.
