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Japan's signing of the Tripartite pact with Germany and Itally
Japan signed the tripartite pact with Geramany and Italy which then linked the conflicts in Europe and Asia. -
Bombing of Pearl Harbor
The Japanese attacked the U.S. naval installation at Pearl Harbor, therefore the United States entered World War 2. -
Atomic bombing of Nagasaki
The U.S. bombed Nagasaki which was a major ship building city and large military port, hoping to overwhelm the Japanese so they would surrender. -
The formation of Isreal as a state.
David Ben-Gurion, the head of the Jewish Agency, proclaimed the establishment of the State of Israel. U.S. President Harry S. Truman recognized the new nation on the same day. -
Blockade of Berlin was issued
The Soviet Union instituted a blockade of Berlin to protest Western efforts to integrate their zones of occupation in Western Germany. -
Berlin air lift.
The United States and its allies responded with a massive airlift that delivered supplies to the people of Berlin and generated overwhelming popular support in return -
The Berlin blockade was lifted
the Allies had established not only the Federal Republic of Germany but also the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The Soviets suffered a major defeat in the first Berlin crisis and the division of Berlin became a permanent picture of cold war geography. -
The declaration of the People's Republic of China.
Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong declared the creation of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The announcement ended the costly full-scale civil war between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Nationalist Party, or Kuomintang (KMT). -
Completion of the National Security Council Paper NSC-68 (entitled "United States Objectives and Programs for National Security" and frequently referred to as NSC-68)
NSC-68 outlined a variety of possible courses of action, including a return to isolationism; war; continued diplomatic efforts to negotiate with the Soviets; or "the rapid building up of the political, economic, and military strength of the free world." This last approach would allow the United States to attain sufficient strength to deter Soviet aggression. In the event that an armed conflict with the Communist bloc did arise, the United States could then successfully defend its territory and o -
The first revolt against communism in Eastern Europe
a direct challenge to East German authority, workers in East Berlin rose to protest government demands to increase productivity. Although the Soviets quickly suppressed the revolt, the uprising was an unprecedented episode in the cold war--it was the first time the people had openly opposed communism in Eastern Europe.
