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Korean Conflict (part one)
Korea Korea was split in two by rival forces, like East and West Germany. After WWII, Korea was divided temporarily along the 38th parallel. In the summer of 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea and captures most up until an area around the city of Pusan. In the Fall of 1950South Korea force back, and advance to the Yalu River. In 1951, Chinese and North Korea forces push back to the 37th parallel, and in January, UN forces push back to the -
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Korean Conflict (part two)
...38th parallel. A ceasefire in June !953 ends a long stalemate. After the war, South Korea slowly rebuilt its economy, and changes led to a democracy in the nation. North Korea stuck with hard'line communism. -
NATO
The United States, Canada, and ten other countries formed a military alliance called the North American Treaty Organization. They agreed to help one another if any one was attacked. -
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Nuclear Arms Race (part 2)
...sides met at disarmament talks. They were filled with distrust, but the rivals did reach some agreements. They began the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) which limited the number of nuclear weapons each side held. They signed agreements in 1972 and 1979 setting these limits. In 1979, they signed the SALT II Treaty, and in 1991 they signed the START treaty. -
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Nuclear Arms Race (part 1)
Nuclear Bomb After World War II, the United States was the only nuclear power. By 1949, the Soviet Union had also developed nuclear weapons, and by 1953, both sides had developed hydrogen bombs. Both realized that a nuclear war would destroy both sides. Yet each side wanted to be able to stop the other from launching its nuclear weapons. They engaged in a race to match the other's weapons. To reduce the threat, the two sid -
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Eastern European Independence (part one)
Walesa As the Soviet Union was crumbling, Eastern Europeans finally got their independence from soviet domination. Revolts erupted all over in the 50's and 60's, people were demanding change. Hungary and Poland both reformed and pulled away, using Gorbachev's calls for change. In late 1989, a large democracy movement was spreading around the region. One by one, communist government s fell. Most changes came peacefully, and for the -
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Eastern European Independence (part two)
...first time since 1939, Eastern European countries were free. In 1989, some Slovaks in Czechoslovakia called for independence. In 1992, Czechoslovakia was divided into the new nations of Slovakia and the Czech Republic. -
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Communist Cuba
Castro In the 1950's, Fidel Castro organized a rebellion against the dictator who then ruled Cuba. By 1959, his army had been victorious, and he bagan transforming the country. This was known as the Cuban Revolution. Castro sought the support of the Soviet Union, and he adopted their communistic ways. The United States attempted to bring this down. -
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Vietnam Conflict (part one)
Minh In Vietnam, communists led by Ho Chi Minh controlled the North, and a noncommunist group supported by the US ruled the South. When communist rebels tried to overthrow the South's government, the US sent supplies, and later sent thousands of troops. Eventually, more than 500,000 American troops were sent over to aid, and both the Soviets and China sent aid, but no troops, to help the North. In an attack in 1968 on New Years -
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Korean Conflict (part two)
Day, the communists lost many of their best troops. As the war continued, the nation became deeply divided over the struggle. In the end, American leaders decided they had to get out of Vietnam. The fighting was stopped in January 1973 with signing of the Paris Peace Accord. Two years after the US troops had left, the North conquered the South. -
Warsaw Pact
The Soviet Union responded by forming its own pact, including the Soviet Union and seven other satellites in Eastern Europe. This pact was more created to keep the satellites in order though. This deepened the division into "eastern" and "western" alliances. -
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Soviet Union Falls (part one)
Under Stalin's successor Nikita Kruschev, Soviets had a few more freedoms, but many were still not happy.In 1956, when the Hungarians tried to break free from Soviet control, and in 1968, when the Czechs did the same, tanks were sent in to enforce obedience. The Soviet union tried to rebeuild its industries, but its economy was in deep trouble. There was huge amounts of inefficiency and waste, and little incentive for workers. Also trying to keep up in the nuclear arms race with the US, the -
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Soviet Union Falls (part two)
Kruschev...the economy just could not hold itself. Even further, the war in Afghanistan had huge costs also. In 1985, a new leader Gorbachev, tried to restructure the government and economy, but this ended in economic turmoil. Many of the Eastern European countries broke out of the Soviet's hold. At the end of 1991, the Soviet republics seperated into 12 independent nations, and the Soviet Union ceased to exist. -
Berlin Wall
A key focus of Cold War tension was Berlin. It was split into democratic West Berlin and communist East Berlin. In the 1950's, West Berlin was prospering while East Berling was filld with East Germans unhappy with communism. Many decided to flee to West Berlin To stop the people from all leaving, East Germany built the Berlin Wall. It was a massive concrete barrier, topped with barbed wire and patrolled by guards. -
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Cuban Missile Crisis
In 1961, John F. Kennedy had supported the Bay of Pigs Invasion, known for the bay where the invaders came ashore in Cuba, but it was quickly ended when Castro's forces captured the invaders. In 1962, the Soviet Union sent nuclear missiles to Cuba. President Kennedy then imposed a naval blockade that prevented more Soviet shipments. He demanded the missiles be removed. Many thought this could be the start of a nuclear war, but Soviet Premier Krushchev finally agreed to remove the missiles. -
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Detente
The American and Soviet agreements led to an era of detente, or relaxation of tensions. The Americans tried to restrain the Soviets through agreements rather than through the military. This ended in 1979, when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. -
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Soviets in Vietnam
<ahref='http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Mujahideen_village.JPEG' >Mujahedin</a> In 1979, a Soviet supported-Afghan government had tried to modernize the nation. Afghan landlords and Muslim conservatives became angry when they felt this threatened Islamic tradition. When the warlords prepared to attakc the government, Soviet trops moved in. This fighting proved as diffucult for the Soviets. In the mid-80's the US smuggled weapons in, and the Soviets eventually moved out.
