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marshall plan
In a speech made at Harvard University, Secretary of State George Marshall proposes the Marshall Plan, a $13 billion foreign aid package designed to help Europe recover from the devastation of World War II. -
berlin blockade
After the United States, Britain, and France introduce the Deutsche Mark to serve as a single currency for their three zones of occupation in western Germany, the Soviets impose the Berlin blockade, cutting off rail and road access to the capital city, which is located in the middle of the Soviet zone of eastern Germany. -
berlin airlift
The soviets cut off supply lines into berlin. the U.S. would not back down. we flew supplies in and rendered the blockade useless -
warsaw pact
The Soviet Union forms the Warsaw Pact. this is a Communist military alliance intended to counter the threat posed by the West's North Atlantic Treaty Organization or NATO. -
soviets first atom bomb
The Soviet Union detonates its first atomic bomb, causing shock and fear in the United States. The U.S. thought they would be ahead for much longer -
korean war
The Korean War begins as North Korean troops attack across the 38th parallel in an effort to "liberate" South Korea. this is the start of a long and bloody conflict. -
NATO has power
NATO forms a joint military command, choosing American general Dwight Eisenhower as Supreme Commander. NATO's ground forces grow from 30 divisions in 1950 to nearly 60 in 1953. -
hydrogen bomb
The United States explodes its first hydrogen bomb. This weapon was hundreds of times more powerful than the atomic bombs dropped on Japan in 1945. -
soviet hydrogen bomb
The Soviets explode their first hydrogen bomb. This is only nine months after the United States accomplished the same thing. The Soviets' determination to keep up with American technological developments signals their commitment to the arms race. -
end of cold war
the cold war finally ends. the soviet union collapses and this leads to the end of the cold war
