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Atomic Weapons used against the Japanese at Nagasaki and Hiroshima
To end the Second World War without having to lose countless lives attempting to storm the Japanese islands the United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. But the use of these bombs was also an indicator to the USSR of the strength of the United States. -
The Gouzenko Affair
Igor Gouzenko, a soviet working in the embassy for the Soviet Union in Canada, defects a provides documentation of Soviet spy programs operating in Canada as well as other countries in the area. This, in the public eye, dramitically changed the perception of the Soviets from friend to foe. -
The Truman Doctrine
President Truman issues a speech that announced nis new foreign policy that came to be known as 'The Truman Doctrine.' This policy provided aid to Greece and Turkey, two countries on the brink of Soviet control. -
Blockade of Berlin and the Berlin Airlift
The Soviet Union institutes a blockade in hopes of starving the residents of Berlin and demonstrating its power over the country. The United States and other western Allies use airlifts to provide the city with food and supplies causing the Soviets to remove the blockade -
The Founding of NATO
The founding of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization consisted of Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Its original purpose was to form an alliance of sorts to try and slow Soviet agression -
The Blockade of Berlin Ends
The Soviets officially end the blockade of Berlin, though America and the Allies continue to provide air support in the event of the blockade being reinstated. -
First Test of a Soviet Atomic Bomb
The Soviet Union successfully tests its first atomic bomb. This makes it the second country to possess nuclear force. -
The Formation of the Warsaw Pact
Created as a response to the formation of NATO, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Albania, Bulgaria, and the Soviet Union agree to aid each other in the event of a conflict. -
The Vietnam War
The Vietnam war was fought in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam over the spread of communinism. The US withdrew from the war in 1973, though the war did not end until 1975 -
Launch of Sputnik
The Soviet Union lauches the first artificial satellite into orbit. This scientific feat ignited fears that the Soviet Union might also gain some space based military advantage. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
With the placement of Soviet missiles at Cuba, the United States instituted both a naval and air blockade that prevented the Soviets from acquiring the parts needed to complete their missiles. For a two week period the world was the closest it has ever been to experiencing conflict between two world powers with nuclear capability. The missisles were later removed resolving the conflict. -
Richard Nixon Elected to President
With the election of Richard Nixon, the two world powers enter detente. The tension between the two countries is relaxed significantly compared to before. -
Ronald Reagan is Elected as President
The election of Ronald Reagan takes the country out of detente as Reagan begins supporting policy that encourages other countries to resist the development of communism. -
The US and USSR Declare a Long Lasting Peace
At the end of the Malta Summit, Mikhail Gorbachev and George H. W. Bush declare a long lasting peace. -
The Soviet Union is Dissolved
The Cold War officially came to a close when the Soviet Union ceased to exist. The Commonwealth of Independent States took its place with much less power than the Soviet Union had held.
