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The US dropped atomic bombs on both Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This led to Japan surrendering, marking the end of WW2. The use of the Atomic bombs increased the tensions between the US and the USSR.
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After WW2 Berlin was divided between the Western Powers and the USSR but the USSR wanted to gain control of all of Berlin by cutting off the surface traffic to West Berlin. The US began airlifting supplies to the besieged city in September 1949.
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The USSR built their atomic bomb aided by stolen information from the US Manhattan Project. They conducted successful tests years ahead of America's predictions and began the nuclear arms race between the Soviet Union and America.
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When WW2 ended, Japan ceded control of Korea, and the United States and the USSR decided to split the land into two zones. The USSR helped the North Zone establish a communist government, and the United States supported the South to establish a democratic government. The Major powers withdrew from Korea, and the friction on both sides escalated into a war. When the US went to help the South, the Korean War turned into a proxy war between the US and the USSR.
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The US and USSR wanted to one-up each other in terms of technological advancements. This included the race to become the first country to build a rocket capable of launching a payload into space. When the Soviets launched Sputnik the US Military took that as proof that the USSR had the technology to attack the United States with nuclear weapons.
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Vietnam was considered an important sphere of influence by the US and the USSR. When the nationalist forces created North Vietnam, the USSR backed the communist side, while the US was committed to stopping the spread of communism and backed South Vietnam. Like in Korea, the war was used as a way for the two opposing governments to fight each other indirectly. Since the war was unpopular in the United States, they stopped backing the South Side, and North Vietnam eventually won.
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By 1961, massive numbers of East Berliners started fleeing through the open border to West Berlin. To stop the flow of immigrants, the Berlin Wall was constructed.
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The weapon was known as Big Ivan by the Soviets and Tsar Bomba by the United States. It was the biggest Nuclear weapon ever built. Designed as a megaton hydrogen bomb, its yield was reduced by 50% when it was tested. It was air-dropped from an altitude above 34,000 feet and detonated at 13,000 feet. The blast pressure was measured at 300 psi, and the flash of light was visible more than 600 miles away.
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On the 16th of October 1962, President John F. Kennedy was briefed by the CIA about a Soviet nuclear missile launch site under construction in Cuba. He then formed a group of advisors (The Executive Committee) to develop the US response. The Cuban missile crisis lasted for 13 days and was the closest we have ever been to a nuclear war.
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The Titan II is the largest Missile deployed by the US and was an important component of the US strategic triad.
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The Cuban Missile Crisis prompted the US and USSR to set up a direct line of communication to enable rapid and direct communication between the two countries in crises, which might impact the security of either one of them. The Hot Line reduced the time it took for the US and USSR to communicate directly with each other and reduced the possibility of misunderstandings.
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The World had come closer to the prospect of a Nuclear War since the Cuban Missile Crisis. NATO was conducting what it considered a routine exercise, Able Archer, a simulation to train and test procedures for shifting from conventional to nuclear war. However, the Soviet Union interpreted these actions as a prelude for the US to start a war.
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In 1987, US President Ronald Reagan stood at the infamous Brandenburg Gate of the Berlin Wall and challenged the Soviet General Secretary to tear down the wall. Less than 18 months later, the Germans celebrated as thousands of their compatriots tore the wall down. This act is considered one of the most iconic symbols and enduring images of the Cold War.
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Riding from the wave of unrest from the tearing down of the Berlin Wall, the leaders of every Eastern European nation (Excluding Bulgaria) were overthrown by their uprisings. The Soviet Union was in turmoil until the 8th of December when the Soviet Union collapsed.