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PotsDam Conference
From July 17 to August 2, 1945, Allied leaders met outside of Berlin.The Soviet Union gathered to demand the surrender of Japan and set up a framework for postwar Europe.Each leader was trying to get the strongest position and the most influence for his own country, but the countries fell into two camps. The Potsdam Conference set up a competition between capitalist Western powers (the United States and Great Britain) and the communist-controlled Soviet Union. This rivalry grew i -
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty)
The NATO was an alliance between the United States, Canada , and European countries. The NATO was established in the year 1949 as a defense against the Soviet Union and its alliances with European allies.In the earlier periods of the NATO, nations planned, financed, and built infrastructures. In the second period military strength was being created. The third phase of the NATO was “easing the tension" of the NATO. The fourth period of the NATO was the time of growing international tensions. -
Korean War
Wars between North Korea and South Korea from June 1950 until July 1953. On June 1950, North Korea attacked South Korea, which began the Korean War.When the War began United Nations Security Council withdrew North Korean troops out of South Korea. The second invasion happened on December 31 ,1950 by South Korea invading North. Peace was met on July 1995, but two years later on July 27, 1953 representatives from both North and South Korea signed an agreement on the split of North and South Korea. -
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact was established in the year 1955 by the Soviet Union wanting to create a stronger defense alliance against any threats concerning their military and economics from the West. It was also developed was to was to strengthen the Soviet Union's Europeans ties with the West. In November 1990 Warsaw Pact and NATO leaders declared that they were “no longer adversaries,” ending the Cold War.On March 31, 1991 the military structure of the Pact was disbanded. -
Vietnam War
It began in 1954 when North Vietnam and South Vietnam split. North Vietnam wanted communist ,while South Vietnam fought against this. .The United States supported Diem because U.S. leaders hated Communism. U.S. military advisers trained the South’s army. The United States continued to help South Vietnam. In 1976 they combined North and South Vietnam into one country, called Vietnam. They made Hanoi the capital. They renamed Saigon as Ho Chi Minh City in honor of Ho, who had died in 1969. -
Suez Crisis
International crisis in the Middle East, precipitated on July 26, 1956 .The Crisis was provoked because America and Britain did not finance Egypt's construction on the Aswan High dam. Britain and France secretly prepared military action to regain control of the canal . On October 29 1956 Egypt was invaded by 10 Israeli brigades routing Egyptian forces .Britain and France, less fortunate, lost most of their influence in the Middle East as a result of the episode. -
Sputnik/Space Race
On October 4, 1957 the Soviet Union launched the World’s first artificial satellite.The Soviet’s launched the Sputnik for defense, advances in technology, and spying on their enemies.The launch of the first Sputnik was soon followed by 2 more successful launches.The Sputniks had soon had additional funds and resources from President Dwight Eisenhower. The launch of the Sputnik provoked both the arms race and the space race, while raising Cold War tensions. -
Cuban Missle Crisis
Leaders of the United States and The Soviet Union engaged in a 13 day political and military standoff on October 1962 because of an installation of a nuclear armed Soviet Missile in Cuba. An American U2 spy plane was making a high-altitude pass over Cuba on October 14, 1962, a missile being assembled for installation. Khrushchev sent a message to Kennedy in which he offered to remove the Cuban missiles in exchange for a promise by U.S. leaders not to invade Cuba. -
Glasnost & Perestroika
The policy was instituted by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in the late 1980s and began the democratization of the Soviet Union. Glasnost was not the only reform essentially, democratizing it. Ultimately, fundamental changes to the political structure of the Soviet Union occurred: the power of the Communist Party was reduced, and multi-multi-candidate elections took place.
