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NATO
A new military allliance was formed by 10 countries, the United States, Canada and ten other countries. All of the countries made an agreement to help one another if any one of them were attacked. -
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Nuclear Arms Race I
Hydrogen BombThe United States was the first nuclear power, but by 1949 the Soviet Union also developed some nuclear weapons. Four years later, both sides develped a bomb more destructive than the atomic bomb, the hydrogen bomb. Each side wanted to have a more powerful bomb to scare the other. People were in constant fear. In 1969, the United States and the Soviet Union began the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks to limit the number of nuclear weapons. -
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Nuclear Arms Race II
Anti-Ballstic MissleThe United States and Soviet Union agreed to limit anti-ballistic missiles, missiles that could destroy other misslies. The United States president, Ronald Reagan launced a new program to build a "Star Wars" missile defense against nuclear attack. Some people believed that this violated the ABM agreement. By the 1960's Britain, France, and China also developed nuclear weapons. To stop the arms race from spreading, many nations signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. -
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Chinese Civil War I
Moa ZedongCommunist forces led by Moa Zedong fought a civil war against the Nationalists. Moa's forces took control and set up the People's Republic of China. He quickly won support of China's peasant population. After the communist victory, the Nationalists fled to Taiwan. Moa built a Communist one-party totalitarian state in the People's Republic of China and eventually called for collectivization. He also led the Great Leap Forward Program in effort to increase farm and industrial output. -
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Chinese Civil War II
Red GuardsThe Great Leap Forward ended up being a failure. Then in 1966, Moa launched he Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. Its goal was to purge China of "bourgeois" tendencies. In response, bands of Red Guards were formed. Red Guards attacked the people considered bourgeious, like skilled workers and teachers. They were forced to leave there jobs so school and factories closed. Moa had the army restore order. -
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Communist Cuba
Fidel CastroFidel Castro organized an armed rebellion against the powerful Cuban dictator. By 1959, Castro had led his guerrilla army to transform the country. This was called the Cuban Revolution. He put most land under government control, nationalized businesses and restricted Cubans' political freedom.The United States tried to stop the commmunism by invading Cuba, The attempt was unsuccessful, but the U.S. and Cuba have imposed a trade embargo. -
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Eastern European Independence II
Fall of the Berlin WallHowever, East German people could see the level of freedom on the other side of the Berlin Wall, causing them to demand change. By the late 80's, the Berlin Wall was opened, Czechoslovakia elected a president and communist governments began to fall. In 1992, Czechoslovakia seperated into 2 nations, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. -
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Eastern European Independence I
Polish SolidarityMany European countries resented Russian domination and communism. In 1968, Hungary was allowed to develope econmic reforms because it maintained communist control. Hungary expanded its economy and became more critical of communism. In 1989, public pressure forced the communist to allow more freedom in Hungary. In Poland, an independent labor union, Solidarity was formed to bring about political change. East Germany resisted any change in their communist government. -
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Korean Conflict I
38th ParallelAfter Japan's defeat in World War II, the Soviet Union and U.S. agreed to divide Korea among the 38th parallel of latitude. North Korea was controlled by a communist ally of the Soviet Union. In South Korea, the United States backed the noncommunist leader. North Korea attacked in 1950 and overran most of the South. The U.S. organized a United Nations force to help South Korea. The North Korean troops continued to advance until United Nations forces stopped them along the Pusan Perimeter. -
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Korean Conflict II
Korean WarThe United States-led troops captured Korea's north-south rail lines and cut off North Korean troops from their ammunition and food supply. The North Korean forces in the south surrendered. Moa Zedong sent Chinese troops to help North Korea. The Korean War turned into a stalemate. The war ended in 1953 when both sides signed an armistice. -
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Vietnam Conflict I
ProtestingWestern and communist powers agreed to a temporary division of Vietnam. The communist leader, Ho Chi Minh controlled North Vietnam and the noncommunist government controlled the South. By the 1960's communist guerrilla fighters had appeared in the jungles of South Vietnam. The U.S. sent only supplies and military advisors to South Vietnam at first, then it sent thousands of troops turning it to a major Cold War conflict. -
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Vietnam Conflict II
Vietnam WarThere were many raids and attacks throughout the years, and even with the help of American support, South Vietnam was unable to defeat the communist guerrillas and the North Vietnamese. In 1968, guerrilla forces came out of the jungles and attacked American and South Vietnamese forces. As the war continued more Americans opposed it. The United States finally withdrew from the war. Two years after American troops left, the North Vietnamese conquered South Vietnam. -
Warsaw Pact
The Soviet Union and seven satellites in Eastern Europe created their own military alliance, the Warsaw Pact. The Warsaw Pact was different then NATO. It was sometimes invoked by the Soviets to keep the satellites in check. It also divided Europe into eastern and western divisions. The East had Soviet-dominated countries and the West contained the Western democracies. -
Berlin Wall
The Berlin wall was a symbol of the defeat. Many of the low-paid East Germans fled to the West side. To stop the flight there was a wall built that sealed off West Berlin. This wall split the communist East Berlin and democratic West Berlin. When the wall was completed, it was a massive concrete barrier, topped with barbed wire and surrounded by guards. -
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Missle Crisis
Cuban Missle CrisisThe Soviet Union started shipping nuclear missiles to Cuba, right of the coast of Florida. President Kennedy demanded the Soviet Union to remove the missles. He imposed a naval blockade that prevented Soviet shipments. The world was at the brink of nuclear war, but finally, the Nikita Khrushchev agreed to remove the Soviet missles. -
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Detente
DetenteThe American and Soviet arms control agreements led to an era of dentente. Dentente is the relaxation of tensions. The Americans wanted to restrain the Soviet Union through diplomatic agreements rather then by full out war. The detente ended when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. -
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Soviets in Afganistan
Soviets Invade AfghanistanThe war involved the Soviet forces and the mujahedin, the Muslim religious warriors. The Soviets supported the government while the rebels found support from a variety of sources including the United States. The conflict was a proxy war between the two superpowers, who never met in dirrect confrontation. The United States smuggled modern weaponry to the mujahedin. The Soviets had years of casualities and high costs. This war was like the soviets having their own Vietnam in Afghanistan.
