-
Berlin Airlift
This was part of an international crisis that arose from an attempt by the Soviet Union, to force the Western Allied powers to abandon their post-World War II jurisdictions in West Berlin. The Airlift could have resulted in war but instead the Soviets withdrew their forces. West Berlin became a symbol of the Allies’ willingness and determination to oppose further Soviet expansion in Europe. -
Korean War
This war represented an important shift in the US’s Cold War policy. They had become embroiled in a land war over the fate of a strategically insignificant Korea, unlike with China. It showed that, to the US, a ‘loss’ to communism anywhere was a loss everywhere. The US also supported a practical sham democracy, as the leader they pushed forward (Syngman Rhee) was basically a dictator. This set a Cold War pattern for the US, supporting dictators just because they were anti-communist. -
Warsaw Pact
Stalin created a military alliance where the members would defend each other if they were attacked. It included almost every communist country in Eastern Europe and was dominated by the Soviet Union. It was important as a counteraction to NATO fact, with great potential as a militaristic threat, a sign of Communist dominance and an opponent to ‘American capitalism’, symbol of Communist Europe. With these two alliances, the opponents of the Cold War stood on mostly equal footing. -
U-2 spy plane incident
It was significant because this spy plane was shot down in Soviet airspace, while performing photographic aerial reconnaissance. The US tried to cover up the plane’s purpose but were eventually forced to admit its military nature. It became a huge embarrassment for them and prompted an even more marked deterioration in this relationship with the Soviets, especially as it was two weeks before the summit meeting in Paris. This incident would have revealed to many, the espionage that was going on. -
The Berlin Wall
In the 1950s, thousands of West Berliners were moving into East Berlin. Hundred were killed after the wall was resurrected showing the desire for which many of the inhabitants possessed for escape. This attempted fleeing from Communism, for a better life under Capitalism even under pain of death, undermined Communism generally. The Wall stayed after some initial tension, and it became the symbol of the division of Germany, the division of Europe and the division of Communist East and democratic -
Cuban Missile Crisis
It was arguably the closest the US and the Soviets had come to provoking a nuclear conflict. It encouraged the usurpation of Khrushchev which began a massive military buildup in the Soviet Union. Some of the logical leaders initiated steps to begin some control over nuclear weapons. Afterwards, an agreement was soon signed to end aboveground testing and in 1968, both nations signed a non-proliferation treaty. This crisis signalled the partial recovery of relations between the US and the Soviets. -
End of the Vietnam War
the American policy of containment had failed militarily, in that not even USA’s military strength could stop the spread of communist. It also failed politically, as the heavy bombing of Vietnam hastened the Domino effect. It was also a propaganda disaster. The failure affected the US’s policies towards Communist states in that their relationships improved. The Americans became very cautious in involving their troops in any conflict which is an attitude that affects American foreign policy now. -
Reunited Germany:
This was where East and West Germany reunited and East Germany was no longer Communist. It stood as evidence that the Warsaw Pact’s days were numbered and partly in consequence, the Cold War too.
