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End of World War II
Germany surrendered on May 7th to the Western Allies, and May 8th to the Soviet Union, 1945. Atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9 respectively. After that the Imperial government attempted to get the Emperor's authority to surrender which he granted. The surrender was signed on Sept. 2, 1945
World War II -
Start of the Cold War
The Cold War began in 1945. It was called the "Cold War" because there was very little fighting. At this time, both sides of the war had developed nuclear weapons. Both sides also knew that using these weapons would surely lead to destruction. The few spots that broke out into war were called "hot spots."
The Cold War -
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The Iron Curtain
The Iron Curtain was the boundary that separated the Warsaw Pact countries from the NATO countries from about 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. The Iron Curtain was both a physical and an ideological division that represented the way Europe was viewed after World War II.To the east of the Iron Curtain were the countries that were connected to or influenced by the former Soviet Union.
The Iron Curtain -
NATO Ratified
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, is an intergovernmental military alliance. The NATO headquarters are in Brussels, Belgium. The alliance includes 28 members in North America and Europe. All 28 members of the treaty pledge to defend and protect any fellow countries within the treaty if they happen to be attacked.
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Korean War
The Korean War was a war between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea. This war led to the separation and physical division of Korea. This split happened along the 38th parallel. The United States supported the southern part of Korea, while the Soviet supported the northern part.
The Korean War -
The Death of Joseph Stalin
The cause of death was cerebral hemorrhage. Joseph Stalin was the second leader of the Soviet Union. He the leader of one of the three nations in which defeated the German Forces. He also began the cold war with the western countries which engulfed the world in a atomic weapons standoff for fifty years.
Joseph Stalin -
First Nuclear Submarine
On January 21, 1954, the United States proceeded to launch the world's first nuclear submarine. This type of submarine allowed the submarine to travel for long periods of time without having to surface much.This nuclear submarine was called the USS Nautilus. Because the United States sent this type of submarine out, the aquatic weapon became the "ultimate nuclear deterrant" throughout the globe.
Nuclear Submarine -
Splitting of Vietnam
The Splitting of Vietnam</a>After the Vietnam War, the country was split into two different countries, North Vietnam and South Vietnam. The government of North Vietnam was communist, while South Vietnam was anti-communist. The splitting of the country happened along the 17th parallel, which is a line of latitude. When the split happened, 860 thousand people fled from the north to south, while only 50 thousand people fled from south to north.
History of Vietnam -
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact was established as a mutual defense strategy between eight of the communist countries in eastern Europe. The Soviet Union created this pact and had it initiated in Warsaw. This pact made each of the countries pledge to defend any other countries within the pact that were under attack.
Warsaw Pact -
Sputnik I
History changed on October 4, 1957, when the Soviet Union succesfully launched Sputnik 1. The world's first artificial satellite weighed around 183 pounds. It took this satellite around 98 minutes to complete an orbit around the earth. Launching Sputnik 1 created new many new developments in the fields of military and science. The Sputnik launch marked the beginning of the Space Race.
Sputnik 1
Sputnik 1 Vid -
President Kennedy’s Assassination
President John F. Kennedy and his political advisers were preparing for the next presidential campaign. President Kennedy was going to run and he seemed confident about his chances for re-election. Kennedy was fatally shot while traveling with his wife Jacqueline, Texas governor John Connally, and the latter's wife Nellie, in a Presidential motorcade.
Kennedy's Assassination -
Apollo 11
Apollo 11 was the first manned mission to land on the moon. The first humans on the moon were Neil Armstrong, who became the man to step foot on the moon, and Buzz Aldrin on July 20, 1969. The astronauts also returned to Earth with the first samples of the moon's surface.
The Apollo Program
First Moon Walk -
The Resignation of Richard Nixon
He resigned during his second term as the result of a political disaster known as the Watergate Scandal. It started during his reelection campaign, when five burglars were arrested in the Watergate Hotel, where the Democratic Party's headquarters were located. The burglars had been trying to install microphones in the building.
President Nixon
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North Vietnam defeats South Vietnam
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. The war between communist North Vietnam and US-backed South Vietnam, in which North Vietnam aimed to conquer South Vietnam and unite the country as a communist state. North Vietnam was supported by communist rebels from South Vietnam, the Vietcong.
Vietnam -
End of Cold War
After many dramatic events, like the Berlin wall being destroyed, NATO being passed, and Gorbachev resigning, the Cold War was finally over, The Soviet Union officially ceases to exist. The union between the countries within the Soviet Union fell, due to 90% of the countries within the union wanting independence. Russia tried to take over what remained of the Soviet government, which led to the fall, as well.
Cold War Timeline