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Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was fought between the national government and the communists. While the United States supported the Chinese Government, the Communists had the most support because they promised to create land reform for the peasant farmers. The Communists would win the war and would change the Chinese government. -
Berlin Blockade
The Soviet Union blocked the railways, roads, and canal access to the sections of Berlin that were under the control of the U.S., France, and Great Britain. The Soviet Union began to control both East and West Berlin, and would this event would cause the Berlin Airlift. -
Berlin Airlift
With the Berlin Airlift, the United States, France and Great Britain would supply the people of West Berlin with food and other supplies needed. This was caused by the Soviet Union restricting Allied forces to access to both West and East Berlin. It would last from 1948 to May of 1949. -
Formation of NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was an intergovernmental military alliance formed on the North Atlantic Treaty. Its job was to help the countries in Europe to remain free and out of Communist control. -
Korean War
The Korean boundary was divided into North and South Korea at the 38th parallel after World War II because of tensions. They would fight, spending most of the time at a stale-mate, with China and the Soviet Union fighting on the side of North Korea, and the United Nations led by the United States fought for the South. The fighting ended in 1953 when an armistice was sigined between North and South Korea, but tensions still remain today. -
National Security Council Report NSC-68
This was a top secret policy paper by the United States National Security Council that would shape the U.S. foreign policy during the Cold War. It increased the pressure of containment against any Communist expansion and helped increased the defense budget and spending. -
President Truman fires General MacArthur
General MacArthur was the leading General at the time, and a disagreement was what most citizens felt when President Truman fired him. He was fired because he wanted the Korean war to expand and to use more than just conventional weapons, while President Truman wanted the war to remain contained. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a 13 day confrontation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union over Soviet missiles deployed in Cuba. It was the closest to nuclear war that the Cold War had ever become. It also was a televised confrontation shown all over the world. -
Formation of the Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact was created by the Soviet Union and other communist countries in response to the creation of NATO. It was a defense organization that put the Soviets in charge of armed forces of communist countries. -
Launching Sputnik
On this date the Soviet Union successfully launched the Sputnik, which was the first artificial Earth satellite. It was suprising for the world because it was only the size of a beach ball and weighed only 183.9. Its success launched the Space Race.
