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Stalin states that a war is incoming
In February 1946, Stalin stated that a war was bound to happen soon. He believed this war would be between the East and the West. -
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine, named after President Truman, was announced in early 1947. This was a pledge to provide economic and military aid to oppose the spread of communism. -
Marshall Plan Is Announced
The Marshall Plan was a plan to provide $13 billion to Europe in order to rebuild after the war. This was also done to oppose communism. -
Soviet Blockade of Berlin
In June 1948, Soviets blocked off all routes into west Berlin. This led to the Berlin airlift, which was a massive effort to provide Berlin with goods from the air. The blockade was called off in May 1949. -
NATO and Warsaw Pact are formed
In 1955, the National Alliance Treaty Orginization (NATO) was formed to counter Soviet power in Europe. The Soviets formed their own pact with other communist countries called the Warsaw Pact. -
The Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis brought the world close to a nuclear war. The Soviets had missiles in Cuba that could take take out a large portion of the United States. -
Test Ban Treaty
This was an early attempt at arms control. The Test Ban Treated banned nuclear weapon testing in space, underwater, or on land. -
SALT I
SALT I was an agreement made by the two sides. This agreement was to limit the amount of nuclear power both sides had. This also led to other treaties. -
INF Treaty
The INF treaty called for the elimination of certain missiles. This improved the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union after many years of conflict. -
Soviet Union Collapses and the Cold War Ends
The Cold War ended when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. Some Communist Party leaders sought to take down the Soviet government. They were unsuccessful, but their impact caused the Soviet Union to collapse.
