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Chinese Revolution
The Nationalist democractic government overthrew the Qing Dynasty in 1912. Then, the government was created into a republic. The events immediately led up to the Revolution because it began with an agreement that was signed on April 5, 1911. Later, a fight broke out among the troops in Wuchang and this was the beginning of the Revolution. It impacted the Cold War because for more than twenty years, there was limited trade and no ties between US and China. -
Korean War
The Democratic People of North Korea launched a surprise attack on South Korea. The people in South Korea were unaware that the attack was going to happen. It eventually started a war that was expected to kill more than 3 million lives. Seoul, the capital of South Korea, was captured by the North Korean troops. The war begun with North Korean Leader Kim II Song's desire to unify the peninsula under Communist rule. The result was a 3 year war which ended in 1953. -
U2 Spy Plane Shut Down
There was a rejection of Eisenhower's "open skies" proposal at the 1955 Geneva summit conference. The CIA began making secret high-altitude flights over Soviet territory. The Soviets were aware of the flights since 1958. Eisenhower wanted the flights discontinued. A Soviet pilot, Igor Mentyukov brought his plane down. There was a lot of false information that was being broadcasted at first about the plane being brought down. Soviets lied to cover up about how strong their missile defenses were. -
Uprising in Hungary Part 2
Hungary was crushed by Soviet tanks and troops during this time. Thousands were killed. wounded, a quater million Hungarians fled the country. The problem started when protesters took a more democratic, political system and freedom for the Soviets into the streets. The new premier, Nagy tried to restore peace and asked Soviets to withdraw their troops. On this day, Soviet tanks rolled into Budapest and street fighting broke out. The actions of the Soviets shocked many people throughout the West. -
Sputnik Launch
During the Sputnik launch, 10 satellites were launched by the Soviet Union on October 4, 1957. The first human to go into space was Yury Gagarin and he helped launch the satellite. Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin made the first lunar landing on July 20, 1969. Other countries joined the Soviet Union and the US by developing their own space programs. It impacted the Cold War because there was a growth in new political, military, technological, and scientific development. -
Berlin Wall Goes Up
in 1961, the Berlin Wall was put up because more than 2.6 million East Germans escaped to West Berlin or West Germany from 1949 to 1961. East Germans escaped because life in the West was much better. It was easy to get over to the other side in 1952 because the border between East and West Berlin was not closed. A few years later, it become more difficult and dangerous to escape to the West over the border. Walter Ulbricht was the East German leader, who signed the commands to close the border. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Soviet premier, Nikita Khrushchev promised to defend Cuba with Soviet Arms. In 1962, the movement of Soviet Weapons to Cuba including nuclear missiles, increased. John F. Kennedy responded with a warning saying he would not tolerate offensive nuclear weapons on Cuba. Photographs were taken by U-2 planes and that gave evidence that Soviets were secretly building missile bases on Cuba. Kennedy then informed the Nation of existence of Soviet Missile sites in Cuba and how he would remove them. -
Uprising in Czechoslovakia Part 1
After WWII, Czechoslovakia began stressing heavy industry and consumer goods over agricultural services. By the 1950's, the nation became weak. low in productivity, and poor quality. This made their economy struggle. The communist party of Czechoslovakia replaced a party leader with Alexander Dubcek and he pushed his reforms. Then, he established a socialistic democracy which would guarantee the freedom of religion, press, speech, and travel. He hoped it would improve relations with everyone. -
Russia invades Afghanistan
The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan was by the troops. The Soviet Union intervened to support the Afghanistan communist government in its conflict with the Muslims during the Afghan war. Along with the fighting, the Soviets were ordered to invade the country. During this time, 30,000 troops were sent into Afghanistan. The Soviets attempted to eliminate support by bombing the rural areas. After, USSR agreed to sign an accord with US. Pakistan, and Afghanistan to withdraw their troops.
