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End of WWII and Postwar Germany
In May 1945 the war ends in Europe and much of Germany suffered great damage and had no functioning government. In the summer of 1945 at the Potsdam Conference, American and British leaders argued over Eastern Europe. -
Nuremberg Trials Start
Between 1945 and 1946 Allied military courts tried over two hundred Nazi members and military officials in the Nuremberg Trials held in Nuremberg, Germany. -
Nuremberg Trials End
Many were sentenced to death for their roles in the Holocaust and other war crimes. -
Truman Doctrine
In early 1947 Soviet-backed Communists were threatening the governments of Greece and Turkey. President Truman then announced what became known as the Truman Doctrine which pledged to provide economic and military aid to oppose the spread of Communism. -
Marshall Plan
In mid-1947, the U.S. launched a massive program of economic aid known as the Marshall Plan, which provided $13 billion to help in the rebuilding of Europe. -
Berlin Airlift
In June 1948, the Soviets blocked all routes into West Berlin its residents were unable to import food, coal, and other supplies. Western leaders organized the Berlin airlift, a massive effort to supply Berlin by air. -
1949 NATO
In May 1949 because of the success of the Berlin airlift the Soviets called off the blockade. Days after the success of the Berlin airlift, the United States, Canada, and most Western European countries joined together in a military alliance, designed to counter Soviet power, known as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO. -
Berlin Blockade Ends
On May 1949, the Soviet Union finally stopped the blockade of Berlin after how successful the Berlin airlift was. -
Korean War Starts
After Japan's surrender in WWII, the Soviet Union and the U.S. agreed to temporarily divide Korea in half. The Soviets established a Communist government in the northern half and the U.S. supported a non-communist regime. In June 1950, the North Koreans attacked South Korea in an attempt to unite the country under a Communist rule. -
Korean War Ends
In 1951, the war was settled into stalemate and in 1953 both sides agreed to an armistice. -
Vietnam War Starts
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U-2 Reconnaissance Plane
in 1960 the Soviet Union shot down a U.S. U-2 reconnaissance plane and called the flight an aggressive act. -
Bay of Pigs
The CIA launched a full-scale invasion on Cuba, there was 1,400 American-trained Cubans who had fled their homes when Castro took over. However, the invasion did not go well, the invaders were badly outnumbered by Castro’s troops, and they surrendered after less than 24 hours of fighting. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
On 1962 a U-2 spy plane flying over Cuba discovered nuclear missile sites under construction. Eight days later, Kennedy ordered a naval blockade of Cuba and all U.S. military forces to DEFCON 3. DEFCON 3 is an increased readiness in force greater than that required for normal readiness. -
Soviets Invade Afghanistan/ Start of Soviet - Afghan War
Soviets invade Afghanistan and had thousands of troops and immediately assumed complete military and political control of Kabul and large portions of the country. -
Soviet - Afgham War Ends
By 1988, the Soviets decided to pull itself from the situation. Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev saw the Afghan intervention as an increasing drain on the Soviet economy, and the Russian people were tired of a war that many Westerners referred to as “Russia’s Vietnam.”
