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Operation Cyclone
Operation Cycle was codename for the US CIA to arm and finance fighters in Afghanistan. It was the operation to combat the USSR in Afghanistan indirectly by giving guns and training to the rebels and freedom fighters by the CIA. The USSR invaded Afghanistan in 1979. This whole conflict was known as the Afghan-Soviet war. This is similar to the modern day conflict in Syria where the US and Russia are indirectly fighting each other by funding their enemies. -
Grain Embargo
On January 7th 1980, the US put a grain embargo on the USSR in response to the USSR invading Afghanistan. The US saw this as an act of aggression and to some, imperialism. Many muslims were angered by this. However, to keep the US economy and farmers balanced, any grain that was normally sold to the USSR would be bought by the US Government. -
1980 Winter Olympics
The opening ceremonies of the 1980 Winter Olympics Games are held in Lake Placid, New York. One of the most thrilling moments where a team of U.S. amateur ice hockey players defeated the Soviet Union professional all-star team in the semi-final game. -
NORAD Computer Glitch
On June 3 1980 a computer glitch flashed warning messages to United States Air Force that a nuclear attack was underway. During these incidents, the Pacific Air Forces followed procedure having their planes in the air properly loaded with nuclear bombs and immediate retaliation. However, this was due to a technician accidentally starting a training program to simulate a soviet attack. This little glitch could have potentially started world war 3 or even lead to the end of the world. -
Arms Reduction Proposal
President Reagan proposed renewed arms control negotiations focusing on major reductions on all types of weapons. Reagan announced his “Zero-Zero” proposal which the United States, NATO and USSR would disarm missiles on both sides. Negotiations between the United States and the Soviet Union began in Geneva on November 30, 1981. -
Strategic Defense Initiative
President Reagan proposes Strategic Defense Initiative, also known as the “Star Wars Program.”The intent of this program was to develop a sophisticated anti-ballistic missile system in order to prevent missile attacks from other countries, specifically the Soviet Union. This would give the US the upper hand in the nuclear arms conflict. The soviets feared that this program would give the US to launch the first strike against them. -
Soviet Early Warning False Alarm
In a secret bunked owned by the soviets, Commander Stanislav Petrov hears a loud siren that indicates that America has just launched 5 missiles. This caused a huge amount of distress and chaos in the bunker as they only had minutes to react, so it was up to Petrov to make the bold decision whether to react, or call it a false alarm. He made the decision to call it fake as he knew his equipment was new and unreliable. However, Petrov did really believe that the missiles were coming. -
Able Archer 83
NATO program much like the NORAD program which could respond to any Soviet Attack. Basically, if any Eastern European countries that were in NATO were attacked by Soviets, then the US would launch a series of missile attacks on the Soviet Union. The US air lifted 19,000 troops into Europe and changed their status to DEFCON 1. The soviets, in attempt to one up NATO, also quickly militarized and armed it’s nukes. Both sides were ready to attack. Good reflection of the mood of the cold war. -
Glasnost and Perestroika
Mikhail Gorbachev rose to power in 1985, along with his influential role in the Soviet Union he brought along two ideas that would lead to the downfall of the USSR. Perestroika was aimed at reforming the gov't in a more democratic way. This gave more free rights to citizens. Glasnost led to more information from west and less censorship.This exposed communism as many saw how much better democracy and criticized communism. This eventually lead to many countries leaving the USSR and fall of USSR. -
INF Treaty
The United States and the Soviet Union sign an agreement, the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, to dismantle all 1,752 U.S. and 859 Soviet missiles in the 300-3,400 mile range.
