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Creation of the "Iron Curtain"
The "Iron Curtain" is a term used to describe the boundary that seperated the Soviet Union and it's European allies from contact with the West and other noncommunist areas. The "Iron Curtain" is a political, military, and ideological barrier.
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/294419/Iron-Curtain -
The Marshall Plan
Secretary of State George C. Marshall delivered a speech at Harvard University that called for American assistance in restoring Europe. This eventually resulted in the Economic Cooperation Act of 1948 which restored Europe and prevented communist takeover.
http://www.coldwar.org/articles/40s/marshall_plan.asp -
Berlin Airlift
The Soviet Union placed a blockade from western-occupied Germany into western-occupied Berlin to cease transportation of food and other supplies. In response, Allied cargo planes delivered needed goods to the western part of the city. The Allies carried about 2.3 million tons of cargo in the course of the airlift. On May 12, 1949, the Soviets lifted the blockade. This event only intensified Cold War tensions.
http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/berlin-airlift -
Formation of NATO
The threat of more Communist expansion led to the United States and 11 other Western nations to form the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO. NATO still exists today.
http://www.coldwar.org/articles/40s/NorthAtlanticTreatyOrganizationNATO.asp -
Korean War
The first military action of the Cold War. Began when soldiers from the North Korean People's Army swarmed across the 38th parallel. American troops entered the war on South Korea’s behalf because they believed it was a war against international communism. On July 27, 1953, an agreement was created that drew a new boundary near the 38th parallel that gave South Korea extra territory and created a two mile “demilitarized zone”.
http://www.history.com/topics/korean-war -
Formation of the Warsaw Pact
The Soviet Union, Albania, Poland, Romania, Hungary, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Bulgaria signed a treaty that created the Warsaw Pact in somewhat of a response to the formation of NATO. The Warsaw Pact created a defense among the nations involved against possible enemy attacks.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-warsaw-pact-is-formed -
The Suez Crisis
Israeli armed forces, joined by French and British forces, pushed into Egypt toward the Suez Canal after Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the canal. Eventually, British, French and Israeli governments withdrew their troops but this damaged relationships with the United States.
http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/suez-crisis -
Sputnik
The Soviet Union launched Earth's first artificial satellite, Sputnik-1. This led Americans to believe that the U.S. military had fallen behind in developing new technology. The launch of Sputnik intensified the arms race and raise Cold War tensions.
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1953-1960/sputnik -
U-2 Spy Incident
The USSR shot down an American U-2 spy plane in Soviet air space and captured its pilot, Francis Gary Powers. The United States was forced to admit to the USSR that the CIA had been flying spy missions over the USSR for many years. This incident raised tensions between the US and the USSR during the Cold War.
http://www.coldwar.org/articles/60s/u2_incident.asp -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
When Fidel Castro overthrew General Fulgencio Batista, America tried to push Castro from power. The CIA eventually launched an invasion of Cuba with American-trained Cubans who had fled when Castro took over. The invaders were outnumbered by Castro’s troops, and they surrendered after less than 24 hours of fighting. The Bay of Pigs invasion eventually led to the Cuban missile crisis.
http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/bay-of-pigs-invasion -
Creation of the Berlin Wall
The German Democratic Republic created this barrier to seperate West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and East Berlin. The Berlin wall was a barbed wire and concrete fence with guard towers. The Berlin Wall is still one of the most powerful and enduring symbols of the Cold War.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/places/berlin_wall -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was when the United States and the Soviet Union came close to a nuclear war. The Cuban missile crisis improved Kennedy’s image and it may have also helped improve world opinion after the failed Bay of Pigs invasion. The Cuban Missile Crisis also encouraged the first steps in agreeing to a nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1961-1968/cuban-missile-crisis -
Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty
The United States, Soviet Union and Great Britain signed the treaty, which prohibited the testing of nuclear weapons. The treaty was an important first step toward the control of nuclear weapons.
http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/nuclear-test-ban-treaty -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
East German government official Günter Schabowski announced, "Permanent relocations can be done through all border checkpoints between the GDR (East Germany) into the FRG (West Germany) or West Berlin." East and West Germany reunified into a single German state on October 3, 1990.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/coldwa1/a/berlinwall_2.htm -
Fall of the Soviet Union
The soviet republics broke off from the Soviet Union and formed a Commonwealth of Independent States. This happened mainly because of the great number of radical reforms that Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev had implemented as leader of the USSR. The fall of the Soviet Union ended the Cold War which had occured since the end of World War II.
http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/fall-of-soviet-union
