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Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine came from a speech made to Congress by President Harry Truman. The Doctrine pledged to support other countries in their struggle to resist communism. The major element was the policy of containment, by restricting communist expansion by diplomatic, military and economic actions. It was the duty and the mission of the United States to stop the aggression of communism. -
The Marshall Plan
The plan was proposed by US Secretary of State George C. Marshall. The Marshall Plan was in response to the economic disaster and political chaos following WW2. The Plan would provide financial help to destroyed from the war and help in their reconstruction. The Marshall Plan was essential for the success of the US policy of containment against communism. -
Korean War begins
Fought between South Korea and communist North Korea, the war was the first major conflict of the Cold War.The communist North Korean troops entered across the border into South Korea to reunify the country through force.The Soviet Union supported North Korea and the United States supported South Korea. -
End of the Korean War
War ended when the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed. The agreement created the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) to separate North and South Korea.The war ended with little resolved with North Korea still ruled by a communist regime. -
Building of the Berlin Wall
After World War II the country of Germany ended up dividing into two separate countries. East Germany became a communist country under the control of the Soviet Union and West Germany was a democratic and allied with the United States, Britain, and France. It was called the symbol of the Iron Curtain and its purpose was to prevent people from fleeing East Germany. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a major Cold War confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union. After the failed CIA backed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba, Fidel Castro made an alliance with the communists and the Soviets began to install nuclear missiles in Cuba. The United States refused this and, after thirteen tense days of negotiations, the Soviet Union agreed to remove the missiles and a nuclear war was avoided. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
In 1987, when the Soviet control began to fail, the U.S.President, Ronald Reagan gave a speech in Berlin where he asked the leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, to "Tear down this Wall!" Also at that time the Soviet Union was beginning to collapse and protests were happening in East Germany.The wall soon began to be torn down. The borders were then open and people could freely move between Eastern and Western Germany -
Collapse of the Soviet Union
The collapse of the Soviet Union was the end of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States. It was one of the most dangerous periods in history and brought the world close to nuclear war. The Collapse was due to the economic crisis in the USSR which led to serious shortages. Once Mikhail Gorbachev was forced to resign as president, the Soviet Union collapsed and he broke up into 15 independent states.
