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Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine gave immidiate aid of $400 million to Turkey and Greece to prevent communism and soviet expansion. (Not to be confused with the Marshall Plan which offered aid to all European Nations). President Harry S. Truman gave a speech and succussfully convinced the congress to support his theory, marking the beginning of the cold war between the two superpowers, the US and the USSR. -
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan offered aid to all Eurpoean countrys (not to be confused with the Truman Doctrine which only offered aid to Turkey and Greece). 16 of the western countrys accepted the offer. Secretary of State George C. Marshall's goal was to adopt a democracy and market economy. Congress passed the Economic Cooperation Act funding over $12 billion in rebuilding Western Europe. -
Berlin Airlift begins
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Berlin Airlift
Two days earlier the USSR cut off all road and rail travel to and from West Berlin in response to the United States refusal in allowing the USSR more say in Germany's economic future. Instead of using military force, President Harry S. Truman chose to airlift supplies to West Berlin ( ultamately preventing WW3). The United Stated provided clothes, food, water and medicine to the 2 million citizens of West Berlin for almost a year. -
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO for short) is established by 12 Western nations: the United States, Great Britain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Iceland, Canada, and Portugal. NATO is a military alliance, which provided for a collective self-defense against Soviet aggression. NATO greatly increased American influence in Europe causing Greece, Turkey, and West , Germany to joined later buton France withdrew. -
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact was a political and millitary alliance between the soviet union and 7 other eastern countrys. The pact combined the military forces as a response to the forming of NATO. After being viewed as ineffective the Warsaw Pact began to split. West Germany and East Germany unified and became part of NATO. Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Poland resigned. The Warsaw Pact officially disbanded after the USSR dissolved. -
Sputnik
The successful launch of Sputnik, a satellite about the size of a basketball, created by the Soviet Union puts them in the lead of the arms race and creates the space race between the two superpoewrs. President Dwight D. Eisenhower responds by speeding up the United States space program and soon comes out with the Explorer I. Many americans began to worry if the USSR could launch a satalite, they could possibly launch a missile, too. -
Berlin Wall
The communist gonvernment of East Germany began to build a concrete wall lined with barbed wire between East and West Berlin. The pourpose of the wall was to keep Western fascists from entering East Germany. After its stand for about 30 years East German Communist Party announced that citizens could cross the border whenever they like. That night, crowds of people swarmed the wall some crossing freely, others doing damage by hammering and chipping away the wall. -
Apollo 11
Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldwin become the first humans to ever land on the moon ultamately ending the spacerace between the Soviet Union and the US. Neil Armstrong was the first man to physically walk on the moon. After taking his first step he says " That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Which also entitles this event as the giant leap for mankind. -
USSR Dissolves
13 months after the Berlin Wall falls, Gorbachv resign causing the USSR to demolish, ending the cold war. A few days prior to his resignation, state representitives from 11 (out of the 12) soviet union states met and anounced their independence from the USSR.Three states have already previously announced their independince only leaving only one country left, Georgia.
