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On this day German troops finally surrendered and the war in Europe came to a long desired close. The wars end saw the rise of two world superpowers. For the next 46 years The United States of America and Union of Soviet Socialist Republics would compete for ideological, technological, and territorial supremacy.
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British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Soviet head Joseph Stalin, and President Harry Truman reach an agreement that Germany shall be divided between the conquering nations. This division would form the front lines of the Cold War to come.
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After the Western Allied Forces merged their portions of Western Germany into a single unit, Berlin responded by subsequently blockading the territory in protest. The allied forces then responded to this blockade with an airlift which kept the area well supplied.
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The North Atlantic Treaty bound many of the western powers to an alliance which required each signing nation to come to the aid of any signing nation which finds itself under attak.
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Communist forces from the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea infiltrate South Korea setting off a conflict which would involve the forces of the United Nations as well as the Peoples Republic Of China
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Soviet forces controlling northern Korea put a communist government in charge effectively splitting the country. When North Korea found itself dissatisfied with this split it attempted to reclaim South Korea as a communist state. Communist China backed and bolstered the Norther Korean attack while United Nation forces supported the forces of South Korea.
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Communist forces sign The Warsaw Pact, a deal which echos the sentiment of the North Atlantic Treaty, but which creates an alliance of communist states. These states stand in essential opposition to those of NATO. With the signing of this deal a line was drawn in the sand both figuratively and literally.
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The CIA attempts to create a coup in nearby communist Cuba. John F. Kennedy supports a plan to liberate the neighboring country from its communist ruler Fidel Castro. The coup is a total failure and ultimately a large victory for communist forces.
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Soviet forces attempt to place nuclear missiles on the island of Cuba, within range of the United States. Tensions were high, the world was closer to an all out nuclear war than ever before. Ultimately the Soviets agreed not to place their missiles on the island of Cuba if the U.S. would agree not to invade Cuba. Likely the pinnacle of the Cold War.
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With a communist invasion in Vietnam, Western forces were looking for a reason to enter the war. After a breif naval skirmish in the Gulf of Tonkin President Lyndon B. Johnson put forth this resolution which allowed the U.S. to enter the conflict in full force. The events of the skirmish are debated and many believe the president misled congress in order to enter into the bloody Vietnam conflict.
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The Tet Offensive was a major push by the communist led forces of North Vietnam. The offensive was appalling to the American public because it signified to them that the war was all but one. It signifies a crucial moment in the war as support began to wane rather quickly.
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President Richard Nixon visited China in 1972, breaking a silence between the two nations which had lasted approximately 25 years or more. Nixon's self proclaimed "week that changed the world" was an event that helped mark a moment of change in the Cold War. Nations on either side of the conflict could still find diplomatic ways to resolve issues between them.
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Mikahil Gorbachev was named General Secretary of the soviet forces in March 1985. This was a crucial moment in the Cold War as Mikhail would play an integral part in the conclusion to the conflict which was now in its fortieth year.
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Gorbachev introduced his two part plan to revive the U.S.S.R. from its recent economic downturn. The first part of this plan was called "Perestroika" and was a radical economic platform which moved somewhat from communist ideals. The second part was "Glasnost" which was a complete reforming of the government which had not been very forthright with its citizens at this point.
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On Nov. 9, 1989, the head of the East German Communist Party declared that people could once again travel freely between East and West Germany. This announcement effectively reunified the country for the first time in 45 years.
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Mikhail Gorbachev resigns following the announcement from 11 nations would be leaving the U.S.S.R. The Soviet Republic was dissolved and the cold war was effectively ended, with a resignation. Likely a more peaceful ending than anyone could have imagined.
