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formation of the Eastern Bloc
The formation of the Eastern Bloc originated at the end of World War 2. Joseph Stalin created the formation. The Soviet Union, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland and Romania. -
Postwar occupation and division of Germany
Germany was divided into four occupied zones the Great Britain in the northwest, France in the southwest, the US in the south and the Soviet Union in the east. -
Enactment of the Marshall Plan
The Marshall plan were to help rebuild the postwar British economy and minimize trade barriers. Also, to prevent the spread of communism and Soviet influence in Western Europe. When the Soviet Union refused to participate or allow its satellites to participate, the Marshall plan became an element of the emerging Cold War. -
Berlin Blockade and airlift
The Berlin blockade and airlift is a 327-day operation. The U.S. and British planes flew food and supplies into West Berlin after the Soviets blockaded the city in 1948. 275,000 planes transported 1.5 million tons of supplies to Berlin. Stalin wanted to destroy Germany and was stripping East Germany of its wealth. -
Chinese Communist Revolution
Mao Zedong lead the revolutions and lasted for 10 years. The goal was to preserve Chinese communism by purging remnants of capitalist and traditional elements from Chinese society. Poverty, abuse, and early death were the only prospects for nearly half a billion people. -
Korean War
For five years there was tensions on the Korean Peninsula. The Northern Korean People's Army invaded South Korea. 2.5 million people died from the Korean War. -
Cuban Revolution
The revolution began with a failed assault on Cuban military barracks by Fidel Castro. One of the starting causes of the revolutions were over different political views. There was 196,000 casualties. -
Building the Berlin Wall
German Democratic Republic built the wall during the Cold War. It was to prevent its population from escaping Soviet-controlled East Berlin to West Berlin. It took two weeks for the wall to be built. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
It was a direct and dangerous confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It was the last time that the world was brought to the brink of nuclear weapons use. Vasily Aleksandrovich Arkhipov stopped the Soviet nuclear torpedo launch. -
Vietnam War
Two U.S. destroyers stationed in the Gulf of Tonkin in Vietnam radioed that they had been fired upon by North Vietnamese forces. President Lyndon B. Johnson requested permission from the U.S. Congress to increase the U.S. military presence in Indochina. President Eisenhower deploys the Military Assistance Advisory Group to train the Army of the Republic of Vietnam.. -
Tiananmen Square Massacre
There was protestors in Tiananmen Square in central Beijing. The Chinese authorities responded with overwhelming force to repress the demonstrations. Military units were brought in and unarmed protesters and onlookers were killed. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
There was a peaceful revolution that marked the beginning of the destruction of the Berlin Wall. Günter Schabowski and other East German officials said to bring the wall down. During the night of November 9, 1989, crowds of Germans began dismantling the Berlin Wall. -
Fall of the Soviet Union
The Soviet Union collapsed due to satellite nations declaring independence and they couldn't economically compete with the West. The Russian, Belorussian, and Ukrainian SSRs leaders declared that the Soviet Union no longer existed. Estonia was the first Soviet republic to declare state sovereignty inside the Union. -
9/11 Attacks
There were four coordinated terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda thought that by attacking these symbols of American power, they would promote widespread fear throughout the country and severely weaken the United States' standing in the world community.