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An iron curtain descends across Europe
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Berlin Airlift occurs and Czechoslovakia becomes the last Eastern European country to become Communist
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Creation of East and West Germany
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China comes to the aid of North Korea and forces UN troops to retreat
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North Korea invades South Korea
In 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea, starting the Korean War, a major Cold War conflict between communist and capitalist forces. -
The Korean War ends with a cease fire and Korea remains divided at the 38th parallel and Stalin, leader of Soviet Union, dies
In 1953, the Korean War concluded with an armistice, maintaining the division of Korea at the 38th parallel into North and South. This ended active combat but left the region in a tense stalemate. Additionally, the death of Joseph Stalin, the Soviet Union's leader, led to a power struggle and marked the beginning of a period of de-Stalinization under his successor, Nikita Khrushchev. -
The French lose the Battle of Dien Bien Phu and decide to pull out of Indochina
In 1954, after the decisive defeat at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, the French were forced to pull out of Indochina. This marked the end of French colonial rule in the region and led to the Geneva Accords, which divided Vietnam into North and South, setting the stage for the Vietnam War. -
Nikita Khrushchev becomes Soviet Premier and Austria reunifies under the condition they remain neutral in the Cold War
In 1955, Austria reunified as a neutral state, while in 1958, Nikita Khrushchev became the Soviet Premier, leading the USSR during key Cold War events. -
Soviets crush a revolt in Hungry while the West does nothing
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Sputnik is launched
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American and U-2 spy plane is shot down by the Soviet Union.
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Construction begins on the Berlin Wall & the Bay of Pigs Invasion occurs
In 1961, East Germany built the Berlin Wall, symbolizing Cold War division. The same year, the U.S.-backed Bay of Pigs Invasion failed, strengthening Castro's rule. -
Cuban Missile Crisis occurs
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The Gulf of Tonkin Incident occurs and the United States' Congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution and Leonid Brezhnev becomes the leader of the Soviet Union
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President Lyndon B. Johnson sent the first 60,000 ground troops to Vietnam
In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson deployed the first 60,000 U.S. ground troops to Vietnam, marking a significant escalation of American involvement in the Vietnam War. This decision aimed to counter the communist North Vietnamese but led to a prolonged and controversial conflict. -
Tet Offensive occurs
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Détente begins
In the 1970s, Détente began as a period of eased Cold War tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, marked by arms control agreements and diplomatic efforts. -
United States and North Vietnam agree to a cease fire
In 1973, the United States and North Vietnam agreed to a ceasefire, known as the Paris Peace Accords, which aimed to end the Vietnam War. U.S. troops began withdrawing, but fighting continued between North and South Vietnam until the fall of Saigon in 1975. -
The last combat troops leave South Vietnam and the nation falls to Communist North Vietnam
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Soviet-Afghan War begins
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Josip Broz Tito, president of Yugoslavia, dies and Lech Walesa establishes the Soildarity Movement in Poland
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Mikhail Gorbachev becomes the leader of the Soviet Union
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The Soviet Union withdraws troops from Afghanistan, Romanian uprising ousts Nicholae Ceausescu and his wife, and the U.S.S.R. allows the dismantling of the Berlin Wall.
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Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania declare their independence and East and West Germany reunite under Chancellor Helmut Kohl
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Soviet republics of Ukraine, Georgia, America, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Belarus, Moldova, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan declare independence and Gorbachev resigns and Boris Yeltsin becomes the first president of Russia
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Czechoslovakia becomes the Czech Republic and Slovakia
