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Korean War
On June 25, 1950, the Korean War began when some 75,000 soldiers from the North Korean People’s Army poured across the 38th parallel, the boundary between the Soviet-backed Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to the north and the pro-Western Republic of Korea to the south. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
In 1959, Fidel Castro came to power in an armed revolt that overthrew Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista. The U.S. government distrusted Castro and was wary of his relationship with Nikita Khrushchev, the leader of the Soviet Union. -
Berlin Wall
Construction of the Berlin Wall began on August 13 1961 as a way of separating the three zones controlled by France, Britain and America from the zone controlled by the Soviet Union. -
The Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban missile crisis between the United States and the Soviet Union brought the world to the brink of nuclear war in October 1962. -
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was the prolonged struggle between nationalist forces attempting to unify the country of Vietnam under a communist government and the United States (with the aid of the South Vietnamese) attempting to prevent the spread of communism. -
End of the Cold War
President Reagan entered office in January 1981, determined to contain, if not “roll back,” Soviet expansionism in global trouble spots such as Afghanistan and Angola. The United States and its European allies found themselves in frequent disagreement over the western response to Soviet moves .
