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The Cold War Years
The Cold War: A fight of ideologies, on paper. Because of the unique nature of the conflict itself, has no exact start date and no exact end date. It is more of a general time period after WWII where the super powers (US and USSR) flexed their muscles, trying to prove who was more powerful than the other.They did this through all means possible while trying to avoid the use of nuclear weapons.
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1881.html
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/coldwar.htm -
Berlin Divided After WWII
Following WWII, a conference was held between the "Big Three" leaders: Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin. In this meeting, they decided to divide Germany into 4 occupation zones. The city of Berlin, which in the USSRs zone, was also divided into 4 zones. The USSR was given control of East Berlin. The US, Britain, and France were given West Berlin. The division of Berlin would become incredibly symbolic to the Cold War.
http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/imperialism/notes/yalta.html -
The Berlin Airlift
Following WWII, Berlin was divided in two. West Berlin went to the US and East Berlin to the USSR. The joint occupation led the USSR to blockade off Berlin from the West to drive them out. The USSR did not want the US in W. Berlin; it threatened them. To avoid withdrawing from W.Berlin the US started the Berlin Airlift. The Airlift dropped 2.3 millions tons of supplies to West Berlin over 321 days.
www.history.com/topics/cold-war/berlin-blockade
www.history.com/topics/cold-war/berlin-airlift -
NATO is Created
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was a military agreement between 12 western nations including the US, esentially stating that if one of the nations was attacked, it would be considered and attack on all the nations in NATO. It escalated tension in the cold war because now the non-allied nations new that if they provoked a war, then they would be dealing with 11 other nations.
http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/formation-of-nato-and-warsaw-pact -
Soviet Union Tests Their First Atomic Bomb
The Soviets bomb test shocked the US for two reasons.
1. They were not expecting to see the USSR to get nuclear technology so quickly. This bomb was tested 4 years after the end of WWII.
2. Now that Russia had nuclear technology, the US felt rather unsafe.
The bomb testing led president Truman to order that more nuclear weaponry be made in order to stop the Soviets. It is here the conflict began escalating much quicker.
http://www.coldwar.org/articles/40s/soviet_atomic_bomb_test.asp -
The Korean War
The Korean war began in 1950, lasted for 3 years, and "ended" in when Truman signed a cease fire with Northern Korea. This was was significant because it was the first physical war that happened during the cold war. It started because Korea had divided in two. North Korea was supported by the Soviets, while South Korea was supported by the US. This war, Although a ceasefire was signed, the war has not been resolved to this day. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/korean-war-begins -
The Warsaw Pact is Formed
The Warsaw Pact was an alliance among the communist nations that carried out esentially the same function as NATO. When this pact was formed, it meant that both sides now had an incredible amount of allies. If war were to ever break out, it would have been WWIII.
http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/formation-of-nato-and-warsaw-pact -
The Space Race
The space race was another way that the two superpowers of the Cold War found to compete with each other. On Oct 4, 1957, The Soviets launched the first sattelite, Sputnik, into space. This launch opened up military possibilities for both sides. This potential both sides to compete with each other with such intensity. Neither wanted to give the other the upper hand. This race lead to the creation of NASA.
http://www.history.com/topics/space-race -
Explorer I Launched Into Space
Explorer I was launched into space, bringing the US and the Soviet Union back onto a level playing ground in terms of space exploration because they had both sent a satellite into space. This satellite eventually discovered magnetic radiation belts around the Earth.
http://www.coldwar.org/articles/50s/sputnik.asp -
The Election of John F Kennedy
Kennedy was elected as president after a hard fought campaign. He succeeded Eisenhower in office. Kennedy was a beloved public figure who while in office, had a lot on his plate. He had to fight the cold war on the national front, and help resolve the Civil Rights Movement on the home front.
http://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/john-f-kennedy#
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/john-f-kennedy-elected-president -
The Bay of Pigs
New president JFK was told of a plan that had been made in Eisenhower's time. It meant to overthrow the Cuban government, removing Castro from power. The plan involved the use of 1400 exiled Cubans trained in guerilla tactics to take out 2 Cuban bases. Unfortunately, Castro discovered the plan and crushed the attack before it started, killing some but capturing most. The Bay of Pigs was an absolute failure, by JFK.
http://www.jfklibrary.org/JFK/JFK-in-History/The-Bay-of-Pigs.aspx -
The Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall: a giant wall that spanned the border of E. and W. Germany. The wall's main purpose was to stop E. Germans from fleeing to W. Germany. It was very successful in this. The wall was 12ft high, and 4ft thick with a strip lining it called the "death strip." It was made of sand, tripwires attatched to guns, attack dogs, and shoot-on-sight-guards. The wall stood for about 28 years.
http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/berlin-wall -
The Cuban Missile Crisis
A spy plane saw a Soviet ballistic missile being assembled in Cuba. On the 22nd JFK told the Americans of the missiles and his plan to set up a naval blockade, preventing new USSR ships from entering Cuba. Tension was high worldwide. After 13 days, the crisis ended when the two leaders compromised: Khruschev would disassemble his Cuban missiles if JFK would remove his missiles from Turkey. Nuclear war was avoident once more.
http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/cuban-missile-crisis -
Assaination of JFK
On this day, Kennedy was headed to his speaking event in Dallas, Texas. His motorcade passed through the city, and a man named Lee Harvey Oswald assasinated him. Two of the shots fired and hit JFK in his head and neck. He was pronounced dead shortly after that.
http://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/john-f-kennedy# -
SALT 1 Begins
SALT is an acronym that stands for Strategic Arms Limitations Talks. This was the first of two SALT talks. These talks were held in an effort to slow down the nuclear arms race. Both parties agreed to not try as hard to defend themselves and blow up the other. It was a great start to diffusing the Cold War. Salt I was finally negotiated on and finalized In May of 1972.
http://www.coldwar.org/articles/70s/SALTIandII.asp
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/salt-i-negotiations-begin -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
The fall of the wall marked the end of oppresion. It marked the begining of the end of the cold war. When it fell, the people of E. Germany and W. Germany flooded to each other's sides and celebrated the falling of the wall.
http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/berlin-wall
