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Truman Aims to Contain "Radical" Foreign Policies
While not mentioning Communist states directly, Truman implies that he will spend any amount of money and utilize any amount of force to keep "radical" foreign policies at bay. This comes into effect later at the start of the Korean War. -
Berlin Blockade/ Airlift
During post WWII occupation of Berlin, USSR forces blocked the allied forces railway and canal access to Soviet controlled sectors of Berlin. This was one of the first multinational events of the cold war. Truman later decided to fly over the blockades and airdrop supplies into the city. -
Formation of NATO
The formationof NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) consisted of the US and 11 of its European allies that bonded tgether to prevent the further expansion of Communist efforts. -
Soviet Boycott of UN
The UN consisted of several permanent mebers with the right to veto actions proposed by the council. The Soviet Union, at this time, was one of those members. Their plan to boycott UN security councils backfired in late June of 1950, which lead to the use of UN troops in support of South Korea during the Korean war. -
Korean War
Generally viewed as a proxy battle during the Cold war, the people of Korea were divided into two regimes.The Northern part of Korea was declared a Communist state, while the South was anticommunist. The US decided to back the South in its efforts to diminish the spread of Communism, though South Korea had an abundance of corruption within its own right. UN Forces got involved as South Korea was facing emminent defeat. -
Second Red Scare
Also known as McCarthyism- named after its most outspoken politician. The second red scare was brought upon by US fear of Soviet influence within the US government. Many federal employees and media members were accused and investigated to see if they were in fact loyal to the US' efforts in anti-communist action. -
WARSAW Pact
The WARSAW Pact lead to the formaton of the Iron Curtain. It consisted of the Soviet Union ad 7 of its allies and was formed in response to the formation of NATO. Most European states and countries alligned themselves with one organization or the other, dividing the modern world into a series of armed camps. Countermeasures on both sides escalated. -
Vietnam War
The Vietnam war was long and complicated. US involvement was driven by the Truman Doctrine in efforts to prevent the expansion of Communism. Northern Vietnam was a Communist state and had allies in the South known as the Viet Cong. Southern Vietnam was corrupt, but anti-communist. US involvment was never supposed to go past financial aid and military advisement. The US eventually launched troops and full bombing attacks at North Vietnam. The US lost the war and some confidence in the process. -
Launch of Sputnik Satellite
The launch of the Sputnik Satellite was the first time a foreign object had been put into orbit around the Earth. This brought about a heightened sense of fear of space-range missile attacks from the Soviet Union and the Space Race was born. Americans feared the Soviets had gotten the upper hand in techonological advancement and the repercussions this would have. -
Election of 1960
This election between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy used past anti-communist agendas as propoganda tools tofuel both sides' interests in the election. Kennedy eventually won the election based on a platform of previous reactionary responses to Soviet action, the allowance of a "missile gap", and the loss of Cuba to Communist rule. -
Bay of Pigs
The CIA wanted to keep this operation a secret as long as possible. As one of Kennedy's first military moves in office, this ended as a complete failure. Refugees that fled Cuba after Castro took leadership were trained to land in the Bay of Pigs and overthrow his rule. Castro knew about the attach and after less than 24 hours of fighting, the effor thad been thwarted. Over 100 men killed and over 1100 taken captive. -
Construction of Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall began construction on this day to prevent fascists from West Germanyto enter East Germany and undermine the socialist state. The wall had the effect however of causeing many East Germans to flee to West Germany. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
After gaining knowledge of Soviet missile bases with the ability to launch and make contact on US soil, efforts began to coerce Cuba to remove their missiles. Kennedy announced a full naval blockade of ships entering Cuba. Eventually an agreement was made between Kennedy and Nikita Kruschev that allowed for the dismemberment of these missiles in exchange for the US not to invade Cuba. -
Jack Kennedy's Assassination
Kennedy was assassinated on a trip to Dallas, TX. His death brought Lyndon B. Johnson to presidency and left Americans with a lot of "what if" questions in regards to the Cold War. Kennedy was projected to have been able to get the US military spending under control and close the gap in the arms race, among other things. -
US Moon Landing
The space race began back in 1957 with the successful launchof the Sputnik satellite into orbit. Since then, both powers in the Cold War developed policies to explore the furter potential of space-based weaponry and the possibility of sending human life into space. Throughout this time, the Soviets were the first to send a probe to the moon and a man into orbit. Landing Neil Armstrong and his team on the moon in 1969 effectively won the space race for the US. -
Gorbachev Assumes Leadership
Mikhail Gorbichev assumed power in 1985. With this power he initiated two movements, the Glasnost and Perestroika. Glasnost, or openness, meant that Soviet officials were more willing to let US goods into the Soviet Union. Perestroika was an intiative that allowed for limited market incentives for Soviet citizens. Freedom was found to be addictive for the Soviet people. Through other events, communist dictatorships fell all around the Soviet union and eventually lead to the end of the Cold War. -
Demolition of Berlin Wall
More symbolic than anything, the destruction of the wall began in the fall of 1989. It represented a step in the domino-like effect triggered by Gorbachev's non-action when a non-communist Polish government was elected into office that eventually lead to other Soviet territories demanding their freedom or secession from the Union. -
Soviet Union Dissolved
Demands for freedom continued to spread. Gorbachev kept qiet with the Eastern European states, but he drew the line with efforts to maintain the structural integrity of the Union. He proposed a treaty in 1991 hoping to appease the states and keep their loyalty to the Union. The treaty gave states more autonomy, but essentially still kept them under central control. The plan failed, and eventually even Russia seceeded from the Union. Gorbachev was a president with no country.
