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The Cold War
Era in which the Soviet Union and the United States were under huge amounts of tension. Their non-violent competition lasted around 20 years. -
United Nations Founded
After World War II, an international peacekeeping organization to which most nations in the world belong, was founded to promote world peace, security, and economic development. -
The Cold War Starts *
The state of hostility, without direct military conflict, that developed between the Soviet Union and the United States after World War II. When it started in 1945, the world became attached to the idea that each and every country had nuclear weapons armed for war. Until it ended in 1963, it controlled foreign policy, world trade and affairs, and the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union. The Cold War ended when the Soviet Union broke apart. -
Churchill's Iron Curtain Speech *
Winston Churchill gave a speech in Europe that explained the division between eastern and western Europe. He coined "iron curtain" in his speech by claiming, “From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the continent” (www.history.com). Ultimately, this was seen by many different eyes of many different continents as the official announcement of the start of the Cold War. His speech remains one of the most famous speeches in history today. -
Marshall Plan *
The Marshall Plan was an American foreign policy that enabled the financial aid of Europe to help contain Communism. By funding Eastern Europe, the United States hoped that the rising poor population would turn against Communism because they didn't want to lose their inheritance from the U.S. Enacted by President Truman during the beginning of the Cold War, it maintained active for four years. It was one effective tactic in helping contain Communism in the East. -
Berlin Blockade *
Prior to the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Blockade was the blockage of the German capital by Soviet leaders during the Cold War. Initially, the Soviets hoped to keep Germany divided so they remained weak. However, the United Nations believed that Germany would be more productive if they were unified again, so they moved to re-combine the country. In reaction, the USSR held the capitalistic, western side of Berlin hostage to see if the United Nations would retreat. -
Berlin Airlift
A 327-day operation in which US and British planes flew food ad supplies into West Berlin after the Soviets blockaded the city -
NATO was Founded *
On April 4, 1949, ten European countries (Belgium, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, and Portugal) joined the United States and Canada to form a military alliance. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization promised that an "attack on one was an attack on all", also promising to respond with military assistance if necessary. Ultimately, NATO ended US isolationism for the rest of the Cold War. It was created due to the fear of Soviet aggression -
China Falls to Communism *
To end the Chinese civil war between the Nationalistic Party and the Communist party, Mao Zedong (leader of China at the time) created the People's Republic of China (PRC). At this time, China officially fell to Communism, ending all ties with the United States for years. Since 1911, China had been involved in a civil war that was between capitalistic followers and communist believers, causing havoc with the government and politics. Until the 70's, the United States didn't associate with China -
Korean War Starts
On June 25, 1950, the Korean War began when North Korea invaded South Korea. To maintain the policy of containment, the United States responded by sending troops to South Korea, hoping to protect the people from falling to Communism. -
Hydrogen Bomb Exploded in the Pacific *
On November 1, 1952, the United States tested the first atomic bomb (after bombing Japan) over the Pacific Ocean. This gave the US a small advantage over the Soviet Union for a short amount of time. Supposedly, this weapon was about 1,000 times more powerful than the average nuclear weapon. With this test, the US had more knowledge of the damages and production of these new weapons. -
Khrushchev Becomes Soviet Premier
In February of 1956, Khrushchev criticized Stalin for committing crimes against the Soviet citizens. When Stalin died, the country remembered Khrushchev and made him their leader. -
Geneva Conference *
The heads of the world powers met at a conference in 1955 to resolve the military conflicts between French and Vietnamese nationalists in Indochina. This caused the increase in US involvement within Vietnam. At this conference, the head powers also decided that Vietnam would be split at the 17th parallel until the country was cooperative again. And, to prevent further conflict, no foreign countries were allowed to enter Vietnam during their time of reconstruction. -
Rebellion in Hungary
During 1956, Hungary entered a revolution regarding the leader's Soviet ideals. The nationwide movement was a huge threat to the USSR because it demonstrated a lack of power. -
NASA Created *
Dwight D. Eisenhower, president of the US at the time, passed an act that created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), prompting a huge scientific advancement for the future of the US. NASA was initially called the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), but was soon funded by Eisenhower's successors, Nixon and Kennedy, and became a larger production. Since then, the US has made huge discoveries in rocket launching and space details. -
Sputnik Launched
On this day in October, the Soviet Union launched their first artificial satellite, called the Sputnik. This induced a fear within the US government about the Soviet Union spying on the country. -
Cuban Revolution
Led by Fidel Castro, the Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt against Cuban leader, President Fulgencio Batista. The revolution began in July of 1959 and was finished by New Year's Day. -
U-2 Incident
In May of 1960, the USSR shot down an American U-2 spy plane, violating their "open skies" policy. This caused a huge controversy among the two countries because not only did the USSR shoot down the plane, Eisenhower admitted to flying secret spy missions over the USSR for years prior. -
Bay of Pigs
In 1960, United State's president, Eisenhower, gave the CIA permission to train Cuban refugees for an invasion of Cuba. In the hopes that the exiles would successfully invade, Eisenhower also hoped that those exiles would continue to invade, eventually overthrowing Castro's government (ending Communist influence in Cuba). As 1,400 exiles arrived on the shores of Cuba, they were met with huge amounts of force from Cuban infantry and air forces, ending with the capturing and killing of hundreds. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
In October of 1962, the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union entered a 13 day political standoff over nuclear weapons being placed in Cuba. Huge threats to enter nuclear war were spouted, creating tension among the countries. -
Kennedy Assassinated
In this late day of November, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, shortly after noon, as he rode through Dealey Plaza in Texas.
