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1945 - 1947: World war II ends and the Cold War begins
After world war II ends the U.S. and the U.S.S.R alliance dissolves. President Truman indicates that we need to contain communism. This begins the red scare (widespread fear of communism). Lots of people in the federal government, Hollywood, are investigated, tried, and prosecuted. Other people in Hollywood also got on the Blacklist which because of supporting and having relations towards communism. -
Winston Churchill delivers the Iron Curtain Speech
Iron Curtain is a phrase made by Winston Churchill former British Prime Minister disapproves the Soviet Union's policies in Europe. "From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, An Iron curtain has descended across the continent." This was the famous quote said by Churchill. This speech was announced in Fulton, Missouri on March 5, 1946. -
U.S. and Britain break the Soviet Blockade of West Berlin with the Berlin Airlift
This starts after the soviets blockaded West Berlin. In order to do that the U.S. and Great Britain created an airlift designed to keep West Berlin supplied with goods. This is what is now known as the Berlin Airlift. -
North Atlantic Treaty Organization is formed
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization or NATO was an organization created in 1949. The purpose of the NATO was to assists in providing protection against the soviet union. The organization was established by the United States, Canada, and some Western European countries. It did not expand over the years and reduced the fear of the soviet union. -
Korean War 1950-1953
The Korean war started after communists in North Korea invaded South Korea. North Korea was under the influence of communism. The United Nations and the United States as the principal force, came to the alliance with South Korea. China came to an alliance with North Korea and the Soviet union came in with them as well. Neither side didn't win the korean war, it still goes on today since they never signed a peace treaty. -
Warsaw pact is formed
The Warsaw pact was formed in 1955. The Warsaw pact was the soviet response to NATO. The main cause of the Warsaw pact was West Germany joining NATO in 1955. The countries included in the Warsaw pact were the USSR, East Germany, and other Eastern European countries. If one country was attacked in the Warsaw Pact another member would come to its aid. All the member countries were ordered by the Soviet Union. This would further spread communist influence. -
Vietnam war Begins
The Vietnam war was fought between North and South Vietnam. North Vietnam had the support of China, the soviet union, the Viet cong, and other communist allies. South Vietnam was supported by the United States, and other anti-communist allies. In Vietnam the war was also referred to as the Resistance war against america. In 1973 the United States congress passed the Case-Church Amendment which ended U.S. military involvement. The war ended in 1975 when North Vietnam captured Saigon. -
U.S. is defeated and humiliated at the Bay of pigs in Cuba
Cuban Exiles launched what became an invasion at the Bay of Pigs on the south coast of Cuba. In 1959 Fidel Castro came to power in an armed rebellious that overthrew cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista. Communists had took over Cuba which the U.S. wanted to prevent. Cuban exiles invaded Cuba with U.S. government backing in a failed effort to overthrow Fidel Castro. The invasion was an embarrassment for the Kennedy administration. this caused the U.S. and cuban relations to become worse. -
Berlin wall is built
The Berlin wall was built to prevent refugees attempting to leave East Berlin. The communist government of East Germany begins building the Berlin Wall to divide East and West Berlin. Construction of the wall caused a short-term crisis in the U.S. soviet bloc relations. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
Also known as the Caribbean crisis, was a 13 day (October 16-28) battle between the United States and the Soviet Union. The communist leader of Cuba wanted to start a nuclear war with the U.S. In 1962 the Soviet Union had placed nuclear missiles in Cuba to annoy and scare the United States. -
Vietnam war is over
President Nixon declares to end the Vietnam war. He assured responsibility for the Vietnam war as he swore the oath of office on January 20, 1969. He knew that ending this war was honorably essential to his success in his presidency. This was how the Vietnam war ended. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
The Cold War began to thaw across Eastern Europe. The spokesman for East Berlin's communist party announced a change in his city's relations with the west. Starting at midnight that day, he said, citizens of the GDR were to be free to cross the country's borders. This is how the fall of the Berlin Wall came to place. -
Germany is reunited
With the warning of Soviet power in the late 1990s, the communist party East Germany began to lose grip on power. Ten of thousands East Germans came to be reunited with the West Germans. They joined the federal republic as a full-fledged federal city-state. -
Soviet Union collapses (Establishment of the Russian Federation)
The soviet union leaves Russia. The soviet hammer and sickle flag lowered for the last time over the kremlin, then replaced by the Russian tricolor. Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as president of the soviet union. This left Boris Yeltsin as president of the newly independent Russian state.
