Cold War Timeline

By ithebaddestruth

  • USA's First Successful Nuclear Test

    Marked the beginning of the Cold War Arms Race - Code named Trinity
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    The Cold War

    War characterized by standoffs between the two nuclear powers (USA v USSR) - Influences popular culture even today, seen as a fight against Communism

  • The Hollywood Ten are Fined and Imprisoned

    Ten famous figures in the film industry accused of having communist sympathies - refused to cooperate with the court

  • USSR's First Successful Nuclear Weapons Test

    Code-named First Lightning - Marks the true beginning of the Red Scare
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    The Korean War

    Proxy war fought in Korea - Represented the fight between Capitalism/Democracy and Communism

  • The Rosenbergs are Executed

    Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were Soviet spies living in the United States - They were accused of stealing state nuclear secretes and were duly executed
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    The Vietnam War

    Unpopular proxy war fought in Vietnam - Represented the fight between Capitalism/Democracy and Communism

  • First Satellite in Orbit (USSR)

    Called Sputnik, major leap for the Soviets in the Space Race - Caused mass paranoia and fear amongst the Americans

  • First Man in Space (USSR)

    Yuri Gagarin was the first man to be in Space - Major Space Race Victory for the USSR

  • Bay of Pigs Invasion

    Known as the CIA's "Perfect Failure" - Failed invasion of Cuba sponosred by the US

  • The Berlin Wall Goes Up, Diving East and West Berlin

    The Wall was erected to divide (symbolically and physically) the Communist and Capitalist halves of the city - It was also supposed to keep people from escaping the East half

  • Cuban Missile Crisis

    "Crisis" in which USSR gave Cuba missiles - Was resolved by JFK, most famous standoff of the Cold War

  • First Men on the Moon (USA)

    Marked the end of the Space Race - (Only) Major Victory for the US

  • The First Episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Shows Airs

    First show on prime-time television that featured an unmarried career woman - Defied sterotypes set by most television in that era

  • The First Episode of Happy Days Airs

    Very stereotypical show about life in the 70's - Painted life very idealisyically and nobody faced major problems
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    The Soviet-Afghan War

    Fight between Afghanistan rebels and the USSR for Afghani freedom - The US supported rebels, one of the few successful proxy wars

  • The 1980 Olympics Begin in Moscow

    Major games held in Communist Russia - USA and several other countries boycotted the games in protest

  • The 1984 Olympics Begin in Los Angeles

    Major games held in Capitalist USA - Many communist countries boycotted and held their own games

  • The Berlin Wall Falls

    Represented the decline of communism in Soviet Satellite States - Freedom for the people trapped in East Berlin

  • The Soviet Union Begins to Collapse

    Very beginning of the end for the USSR (Lead by Gorbachev) - Also the end for communist in Europe