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End of World War 2
USSR and USA competing to be first to get to Berlin. USSR wins this race, reaching Berlin on April 16th, and the two meet on the 25th of April. After the capture of Berlin, the USA became scared of the USSR powers in the pacific. -
Berlin divided into zones.
Berlin was divided into zones; 3 zones run by countrys with capitalist ideals, 1 zone run by the USSR, a country with communist ideals. -
Atomic bombings of Japan.
The USA bombed Japan, twice, once in Hiroshima, and once in Hiroshima. This was the first, and thusfar the only case of nuclear weapons being used in war. -
United Nations established.
The UN was founded as a replacement for the league of nations, following World War 2. It was founded after representatives of 50 countrys met in San Francisco, and officially came into existance after ratification on the 24th October 1945, by the five permanent members of the Security Council; France, the Republic of China, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States. -
Truman Doctrine
On the 12th of March, 1947, Harry Truman announced the Truman Doctrine. This was a decloration that the US would assist Greece and Turkey with economic and military aid, to prevent them falling into the scurge of Soviet communists. -
The Marshall Plan
In June of 1947, George Marshall announced the Marshall Plan. It was a plan to bring forth the Truman Doctrine, providing $9,000,000,000 in support to European countries. -
Berlin Blockade
The Berlin Blockade was the act of the Soviet Union blockading all roads and railway into Berlin. This led to the Berlin Airlift, where British, American, Canadian, Australian, South African and New Zealand airforces banded together to fly supplies into East Germany; as all other access points were blocked. -
Nato Pact Signed
In 1949, the NATO pact was signed by western nations, as an agreement to help one another against the USSR, if an attack were to occur. This helped those involved show a united front against the USSR and band together. -
Mao declares China PRC
Mao declared mainland China as the People's Republic of China, after his Communist Party of China won the Chinese Civil War. However, the UN Security Council recognised Taiwan based nationalists as the proper representatives of China, and the USSR began to boycott the UN. -
USSR gains nuclear secrets.
USSR spies infiltrated US scientists, and eventually gained the secrets they wanted; the science behind the H-Bomb. This put the two superpowers on the same level of weaponry, and led to MAD (mutually assured destruction). -
Treaty of Friendship
In February of 1950, the USSR and the PRC signed a Treaty of Friendship. This was very threatening to the US, and it united the 'vile spread of communism' across the world. -
Witch Hunt
Senator Joseph McCarthy declared that Communists had infiltrated the US State Department. This led to widespread fear, and HUAC (House of Un-American Activities Commitee) was founded. This led to black lists, that citizens were put on often with no or little evidence. This included celebrities, and ended quite a few careers. -
Korean War
The Korean War started on the 25th of June, 1950, when North Korea invaded South Korea. This scared the US, and they feared that the communists would further spread throughout Asia. The UN Security Council voted to intervene. -
Death of Stalin.
On the 5th of March, 1953, Stalin, the current leader of the USSR, died of a stroke. Khrushchev then took over as the leader of the USSR. -
Korean Armistice signed.
The armistice is signed, and the Korean War is declared over, although it was ineffective, as the countries continued to be at war. -
Dien Bien Phu
The battle of Dien Bien Phu was the forcing out of French troops by the Vietnamese, using guerilla warfare to their advantage. -
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact was signed on the 14th of March, 1955, and is an agreement between the satellite states and the USSR much like the NATO pact; where they agree to protect each other in the event of an attack. -
Castro overthrows Cuban government.
Castro overthrew the Cuban government on the 1st of January 1959. This was significant to the US, because of Cuba's proximity to them. This meant a communist nation was within range of missile attack of the US - which troubled many. -
Bay of Pigs
The Bay of Pigs was the attempt by the US to overthrow the Cuban Communist government. However, they failed miserably, losing in three days. This severely embarrased the Kennedy government. -
Cuban Missile Crisis.
The CMC started when Castro and Khrushchev came to an agreement that Cuba would house short-rang nuclear weapons for the USSR. When the US found out these plans, they stopped all shipments from the USSR to Cuba. The negotiations that followed over these weeks are thought of to be the closest the world has ever come to nuclear war. The upshot of these negotiations was that both countries would remove short-rang nuclear weapons, and the US would never attempt to invade Cuba. -
CMC continued.
The CMC resulted in the 'redphone'. This was a direct hotline between the Kremlin in Moscow and the Whitehouse in Washington. This allowed direct communication between the two, should anything arise again. -
Tet Offensive
The People's Army of Vietnam (communist) of the North, launched an attack against South Vietnam and allies (US). This offensive launched the war into the public spectrum, and greatly affected the war. -
SALT
SALT stands for Strategic Arms Limitation Talks. Two of these occured, however, only the first was effective. SALT 1 froze the number of nuclear weapons held by both sides, and eventually reduced numbers. -
End of Vietnam War.
The Vietnam War ends after the fall of Saigon, with the USA losing. It is often said that the war was lost on the television rather than the battlefield, which refers to how the political implication of the actions of the US cause the war to end rather than destruction. -
Strategic Defense Initiative
The SDI was proposed by Ronald Reagan on the 23rd of March, 1983, to use ground and space-based systems to protect the United States from attack by strategic nuclear ballistic missiles. It came under heavy criticism and was deemed impossible. -
Mikhail Gorbachev comes to power.
Gorbachev came to power in 1985. -
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty
This was an agreement between the Soviet Union and the US. The treaty eliminated nuclear and conventional ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with intermediate ranges, defined as between 500-5,500 km (300-3,400 miles). -
Fall of the Wall.
In November 1989, the Berlin Wall finally fell after 28 years. This effectively marked the collapse of the Soviet Empire, as Communist governments fell in Czeckoslovakia, Romania and Bulgaria. -
Germany Reunites.
On October 3rd, 1990, Germany reunited as on country, and Berlin became one city again. < Police at the opening of the Brandenburg Gate. -
Dissolve of Soviet Union
This marked the dissolve of the Soviet Union, and thus, the end of the cold war!
