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Period: to
Cold War
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Bombing of Hiroshima
The bombing of Hiroshima (and Nagasaki) at the end of World War II served as a major point of instigation for the Cold War. The use of atomic bombs created some serious tension between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R., and helped to push the nuclear arms race forward. -
Truman Doctrine Announced
THe Truman Doctrine was Truman's request to Congress that the U.S. supply military and economic aid to Greece and Turkey to protect themselves from the Communist threat of the Soviets. This doctrine show a stronger stance taken against the U.S.S.R. and the spread of Communism in Europe. -
28 Mordad Coup
The Iranian coup d'etat in 1953 saw the overthrowing Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh (who was accused of leaning towards Communism) in favor of Mohammad-Rezā Shāh Pahlavi and U.S. in Iran. This coup was among many others across the globe executed by the U.S. in order to maintain their superiority and external resources. -
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact was a defense treaty formed by several Communist countries in Europe in response to NATO's inclusion of West Germany. This treaty was created to promote peace in Europe, but it also worked to strengthen Communist presences in Europe. -
Hungarian Revolt
The Hungarian Revolution was a revolt against the U.S.S.R. and a Soviet-controlled Hungarian government. While the revolters we completely obliterated weeks later, this attempted revolution played a part in the Soviet Union's downfall at a much later date. -
Sputnik 1 Launch and Crisis
On October 4, 1957, the Soviets launch a low-orbit artificial satellite into Earth's orbite. This satellites launch gave the United States a fear of there being a technological gap between the two nations and resulted in the creation of NASA as well at the initiation of the Space Race. -
Fidel Castro Becomes Cuba's Prime Minister
Immediately following Fidel Castro's rise to the position of Prime Minister, a communist government was created. This added to U.S. anxiety as Communism spread to Latin America. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
The Bay of Pigs Invasion was a failed U.S.-backed coup against Fidel Castro in an attempt to overthrow his government and remove communism from Cuba. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a crisis for the United States and served as a moment of confrontation between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. over ballistic missiles deployed in Cuba. This was of major significance as it was the closest the Cold War came to turning into a full-scale war. -
China Conducts First Nuclear Test
China's first nuclear bomb test allowed it to join the group of nations with successful nuclear weapons testing, showing their ability to function independently of the Soviets following their withdrawal of assistance to China. -
United States Sends First Combat Support to South Vietnam
United States took up an interest in keeping Vietnam free of Communism when they sent their first round of combat troops to support South Vietnam. This led to the north eventually being backed by China and the Soviets. -
Defeat of South Vietnam
South Vietnamese forces, backed by the United States, surrendered to the Soviet-backed North Vietnamese at the end of the war in Vietnam. This resulted not only in a mass exodus of refugees and American civilians; South Vietnam's fall reunified Vietnam into a single communist nation. -
Mikhail Gorbachev Leads the Soviet Union
Mikhail Gorbachev's rise to General Secretary of the Soviet Union marked the beginning of the end of the Soviet Union. He called for opennes and restructuring from the Soviet Union, and his working with Ronald Reagan led to the breaking down of the Communist-Ruled U.S.S.R. -
Tiananmen Square Protests
The Tiananmen Square Protests (A.K.A. "The June 4 Incident") was a series of protests from Chinese students calling for less corruption from the Chinsese Communist government and democracy for all. This led to many student deaths at the hands of the military, and was condemned by a large population of Western governments. -
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
This day marked the end of the Soviet Union as well as the end of the Cold War.
