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The End of WWII
World War II ends in Europe in May of 1945 by the invasion of Allies on German troups and their subsequent surrender.
Later on in August of 1945, America drops two atomic bombs in Japan, one on Hiroshima, and one on Nagasaki. The devastation was undeniable, and the Japanese finally surrendered. -
First Communist Government in Europe
In January the year after WWII ended, Albania was the first country to set up a Communist Governenet. This was the first of a trend of Communist governments soon to pop up all around Europe and Asia. -
Truman Doctrine
In 1947 the Truman Doctrine was announced by President Truman. The Doctrine stated that the U.S. would aid in political, economic, and military assistance needed by any democratic nations under authoritain leadership threat, whether that threat was an inside or outside force. -
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO first came to manifest in April 4th of 1949. The treaty stated that any armed attack on one of the countries was an assumed attack on the rest of the countries that signed the treaty, therefore those nations would form together to attack back. It was created for several reasons including to deter Soviet Expansion, to forbid the revival of nationalist militarism in Europe, and to encourage European political integration. -
Soviet's first Atomic Bomb
Just a few months after NATO was created, the Soviet Union tested its first atomic bomb. The U.S. did not expect the Soviets to possess nuclear weapons so soon. Knowledge of this successful test began strike fear in Americans, making them question the saftey on their own soil -
Korean War Ends
In June of 1950, the U.S. and other U.N. members fought North Korean forces. A month later, the North Korean War ended. -
SEATO
The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization, or SEATO was signed on September 8th 1954 by the representatives of Australia, France, New England, Pakistan, the U.S., New Zealand, the Phillipines, and Thailand. SEATO was formed to act as protection against the spread of communism in Southeast Asia. -
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact was signed by the Soviet Union, Albania, Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania. It was created in resonse to the NATO act saying that if anyone attacks one of these (communist) countries, the others will come to their aid. -
The Launch of Sputnik
On this date, the Soviet Union successfully launched the first man-made satellite into space. This event is significant for two main reasons. First because it was the dawn of what is known as "the Space Age" and second because it struck a new fear into the American public. -
Fidel Castro takes over Cuba
in 1959, after many years Fidel Castro was finally able to overthrow General Fulgencio Batista as the leader of Cuba and declared a Communist governent. -
Building of the Berlin Wall
At the end of WWII, a major divide was happening throughout Europe and especially Germany. Germany was divided East from West at the capital city of Berlin in the heart of Germany. After many years of growing tensions and of East Germans fleeing from communist East Germany to Democratic West Germany, the Berlin wall was built to keep more citizens from leaving East Germany and became a symbol for the Cold War and oppression of Communism. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
For 13 days in the month of October, there was a military and political standoff between the U.S. and Soviet Union when the Soviets installed missiles in Cuba. President Kennedy told the American people he was enacting a Naval blockade around Cuba and that the U.S. was prepared to use miltiary force to neutralize the threat. Eventually the decision was made to remove the missiles from Cuba in exchange for the U.S. promising not to invade Cuba as well as the U.S. removing missiles from Turkey. -
China Explodes its first Atomic Bomb
After the USSR had removed its scientists and other aids from China due to differences in idealogy, Mao Zedong encouraged his scientists to continue working on their own nuclear weapons. Once they successfully tested their first bomb, tensions were raised yet again in the U.S. and in the Soviet Union. China was the fifth country to develop Atomic Bomb technology after the U.S. Soviet Union, France, and New England. -
Solidarity Union in Poland
In September of 1980, 36 delegates who represented thousands of workers in different regions of Poland met up in Gdansk. Here they formed the Solidarity Union and presented a list of demands to the government whcih included greater freedom of religious and political expression and the freedom to strike. -
Demise of non-Communist Government in Europe
Starting in May in China, over one million Chinese university students demanded reform from the Chinese communist government. In September, the Solidarity Union formed the first non-communist governent in Poland, a nation in the Soviet Bloc. In October, Hungary declared a non-communist government. And in November, East Germany allows unrestricted migration East to West, leading to knocking down the wall and eventually uniting East and West Germany a year later. -
Soviet Union is Abolished
Boris Yeltsin and three other heads of the Soviet Union's 15 republics met up in December of 1991 and signed papers to abolish the communist government. Although the majority of people outside of the country view this act as a positive one, many Russian citizens view it as a tragady. Nevertheless this was one other factor that was a clear end to the Cold War.
