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deciding the post-war status of Germany
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Victory in Europe as Germany surrenders to the Russian army.
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US President Harry S. Truman informs Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin that the United States has nuclear weapons.
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The United States dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima
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The United States dropped the second atomic bomb on Nagasaki.
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The Japanese surrendered bringing World War Two to an end.
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Ho Chi Minh proclaimed Vietnam an independent republic.
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The French, USA and UK partitions of Germany were merged to form West Germany
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Russia ended the blockade of Berlin.
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The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation formed with member states Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States
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McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of subversion or treason without proper regard for evidence. ... The most notable examples of McCarthyism include the investigations made by Senator McCarthy himself; and the hearings conducted by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC).
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The Korean war began when North Korea invaded South Korea.
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A court case involving Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, an American couple who were executed in 1953 as spies for the Soviet Union. Some have argued that the Rosenberg's were innocent victims of McCarthy -era hysteria against communists or of anti-Semitism (they were Jewish).
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Joseph Stalin died at the age of 74. He was succeeded by Nikita Khrushchev
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This set of documents ended the French war with the Vietminh and divided Vietnam into North and South states. The communist leader of North Vietnam was Ho Chi Minh while the US friendly south was led by Ngo Dinh Diem.
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The Korean war ended. North Korea remained affiliated with Russia while South Korea was affiliated with the USA.
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The Warsaw Pact was formed with member states East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Albania, Bulgaria, and the Soviet Union.
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Hungarian protest in Budapest. It quickly gathered momentum and on 24th October Soviet tanks entered Budapest. The tanks withdrew on 28th October and a new government was formed which quickly moved to introduce democracy, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion. The Soviet tanks returned on 4th November encircling Budapest. The Prime Minister Imre Nagy made a World broadcast that Hungary was under attack from the Soviet Union and calling for aid.
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Following military bombardment by Israeli forces, a joint British and French force invaded Egypt to regain control of the Suez Canal which had been nationalised by the Egyptian leader Nasser. The attack was heavily criticised by World leaders, especially America because Russia had offered support to Egypt. The British and French were forced to withdraw and a UN peace keeping force was sent to establish order.
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USSR Sputnik II carried Laika the dog, the first living creature to go into space
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Talks between Nikita Khrushchev and Dwight Eisenhower concerning the fate of Germany broke down when a USA U2 spy plane was shot down over Russian airspace.
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Russian cosmonaut Yuri Alekseyvich Gagarin became the first human being in space.
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A force of Cuban exiles, trained by the CIA, aided by the US government attempted to invade Cuba and overthrow the Communist government of Fidel Castro. The attempt failed.
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Berlin wall built and borders sealed between East and West Germany.
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A US spy plane reported sighting the construction of a Soviet nuclear missile base in Cuba. President Kennedy set up a naval blockade and demanded the removal of the missiles. War was averted when the Russians agreed on 28th October to remove the weapons. The United States agreed not to invade Cuba.
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JF Kennedy was assassinated while on a visit to Dallas. Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested for the murder but there has always been speculation that he was not a lone killer and that there may have been communist or CIA complicity.
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Nikita Krushchev removed from office. He was replaced by Leonid Brezhnev.
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150,000 US troops sent to Vietnam.
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Warsaw Pact forces entered Czechoslovakia in a bid to stop the reforms known as ‘Prague Spring’ instigated by Alexander Dubcek. When he refused to halt his programme of reforms Dubcek was arrested
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US Apollo 11 landed on the Moon and Neil Armstrong became the first man on the Moon.
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President Richard Nixon ordered US troops to go to Cambodia.
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The Four Power Agreement made between Russia, USA, Britain and France reconfirmed the rights and responsibilities of those countries with regard to Berlin.
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Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty signed between the US and USSR.
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The Paris Peace Accords ended American involvement in Vietnam.
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Joint space venture between USA and USSR heralded as an end to the ‘Space Race’
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The Khmer Rouge attacked and took control of Cambodia. Any supporters of the former regime, anyone with links or supposed links to foreign governments as well as many intellectuals and professionals were executed in a genocide that became known as the ‘killing fields’.
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North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam. The capture of Saigon by the North Vietnamese led to the whole country becoming Communist
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Jimmy Carter became the 39th President of the United States
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A group of Iranian students and militants stormed the American embassy and took 53 Americans hostage to show their support for the Iranian Revolution.
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Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan
