-
The Shah Flees
Angry Iranian nationalists resented these foreign alliances. They seized and nationalized a British-owned oil company and forced the shah to flee. -
Joseph Stalin Dies
On March 5, 1953, Joseph Stalin died. This made the Soviet Union really weak. -
Hungarian Protests
In October 1956, the Hungarian army joined with protesters to overthrow Hungary's Soviet-controlled government. The wanted freedom. -
Tehran Modernizes
By the end of the 1950s, Tehran, Iran's capital was modernized mimicking a US city. Iran was not modern and people lived in extreme poverty. -
US Involvment With Vietnam
After the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963, Lyndon Johnson took office. To prevent the spread of communism, he increased US involvement in Vietnam War. -
Prague Spring Ends
On August 20, 1968, armed forces from the Warsaw Pact nations invaded Czechoslovakia. Brezhnev justified this invasion by claiming the Soviet right to prevent its Satellite from rejecting Communism. -
Nixon and Brezhnev signs the SALT Treaty
President Nixon and Brezhnev signed a five-year agreement called the SALT Agreement. This limited the number of nuclear weapons a country could have. -
Riots Erupt
In late 1978, riots erupted in every major city in Iran. This opposition forced the shah to flee Iran in January 1979. -
President Carter and Brezhnev Sign SALT II Agreement
In June 1979, Brezhnev and Carter eventually sign the SALT II Agreement. But when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, the US refused to ratify the agreement. -
Ayatollah Seizes US Embassy
When US had admitted letting the shah into the US for medical treatment in 1979, Iran was furious. That Year Ayatollah and his group had seized the US embaasy in Tehran. -
War Breaks Out
War breaks out in Iran and Iraq which lasts for 8 years until a cease fire was reached. US were caught in the middle by secretly givung weapons to Iraq. -
US Hostages Released
The people in the US embassy had been held hostage for 444 days. They would not be released until the Shah was brought back to Iran to face trials. -
Reagan Announces Star Wars
When Reagan took office, he announced a program known as Star Wars this would protect the US from enemy missiles. Although it was never put into effect, it remained an anti-communist symbol. -
Gorbachev Announces Glasnost
When Gorbachev came to power, he realized that Soviet society rarely changed. So he came up with a policy that encouraged people to speak publically about ways to improve society. -
Gorbachev Announces Perestroika
Gorbachev sees that people are complaining about the economy.So he came up with the idea Perestroika or economic restructuring. -
Gorbachev Changes Soviet Union Foreign Policy
Gorbachev knew that Soviets could not afford the costly arms race so he pulled out of it. He announced that a "new thinking" in foreign affairs that stressed diplomacy over force. -
Reagan And Gorbachev sign the INF Treaty
In December 1987 signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. This banned nuclear missiles with the ranges of 300 to 3,400 miles. -
Hungary Allows vactioning in East Germany
In 1989, Hungary allowed people to vacation to Austria on the border with West Germany. This allowed people in East Germany to escape into West Germany. -
People Begin to Protest
People begin to protest because they have just got a taste of what freedom tastes like and they haven't had that before. When Honecker tried to stop the protests, he was removed from power. -
The Berlin Wall Falls
On November 9, 1989, Egon Krenz announced that the Berlin Wall was opened. This marks the beginning of the end of communism in Germany. -
End of Communism in East Germany
Krenz opened the Wall to try to save communism, but when word got out, all of the officials were forced to resign. By the end of 1959 the Communist party in East Germany had ceased to exist. -
Germany is Reunited
When communism in East Germany was gone, people began to talk about reunification, or the reuniting of the two Germany's. People were worried that they would try to take over Europe again. But they were convinced to reunite. On October 3rd, 1990, Germany had been reunited.