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The Berlin Airlift
The Berlin airlift was an effort to our Western Berlin by air, and was a success. The need to aid Western Berlin came when the Soviet leaders, in June 1948, blocked off all routes into West Berlin, which meant Berlin's people could no longer import necessary supplies. The Soviet leaders formed this blockade in response to the Western leaders planning for the creation of an independent democratic German nations. The Berlin airlift also caused the Soviet leaders to end the blockade in May 1949. -
The Creation of the Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was created by the United States government, to aid the European economy after the second World War. The Marshall Plan was named after the U.S. secretary of state, George Marshall. It also, provided 13 billions dollars to rebuild Europe and its economy, and it helped Western Europe quickly recover from the war and preserve their political stability. -
Formation of the NATO Alliance
The United States, Canada, and Western European countries joined together in a military alliance, in the aftermath of the Berlin airlift. The alliance was called the National Atlantic Treaty Organization, or for short NATO, and it was designed to counter the Soviet forces in Europe. -
The Start of the Korean War
Korea was split in half, when the U.S. took over the South making it a non-Communist regime, and the Soviet Union took the North making it a Communist regime. In June of 1950, the North Koreans attacked the South because of their goal to unite the country under a communist regime, which marked the start of the Korean War, which was an extension of the Cold War. -
The Creation of the Hydrogen Bomb
The Western forces were baffled by the news that the Soviet Union had successfully tested their first atomic bomb. This led to the West developing new technologies in order to get an advantage. In fall of 1952, the U.S. successfully tested their first hydrogen bomb which gave them a leg up on their competition. When the Soviet Union successfully tested their first hydrogen bomb, it led to an arms race between the East and West. -
The End of the Korean War
After 3 years of fighting, and nearly 4 million casualties, the Korean War ended when both sides agreed to armistice. Though the war had formally ended, not a lot had changed since the war began, North Korea still remained a Communist state and the South was still an ally of the Western forces. -
The Formation of the Warsaw Pact
The Communist nations in Eastern Europe, and the Soviet Union formed this alliance to oppose the NATO. The countries that formed the Warsaw Pact included the Soviet Union. Albania, Poland. Romania, Hungary, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Bulgaria -
The Establishment of NASA
NASA was established in response to the Soviet Union launching "Sputnik". "Sputnik" was the history's first artificial satellite. NASA was established by the U.S. government, and NASA was short for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. -
The Bay of Pigs Invasion
After rebels in Cuba overthrew their dictator, installed a Communist government, established a centrally planned economy, and forged ties with the Soviet Union, the U.S. became concerned, so they secretly planned and trained for an invasion. This invasion happened when a trained force came ashore to Cuba's Bay of Pigs, and U.S. officials believed that the Bay of Pigs invasion would start a Cuban uprising against their Communist leader. -
The Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban missile crisis was a confrontation over the Soviet installation of nuclear missiles in Cuba between the U.S. and Soviet Union. This worried the U.S. because of Cuba's location, which is extremely close the United States. This standoff lasted two weeks and ended when the Soviet leaders removed the missiles from Cubas, after the U.S. agreed the remove their missiles from Turkey, and agreed not to attack Cuba.
