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Cold War Begins
Cold War BeginsThe Yalta conference was held on February 4th-11th in the year 1945. The "big" three met there to decide what they were going to do about this war. The United States was represented by Franklin D. Roosevelt, Great Britain was represented by Winston Churchill, and Josef Stalin was there on the Soviet Union’s behalf. The goal of this conference was to discuss many aspects of the time. -
Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War was fought from 1944 to 1949 between a government backed by British and American support and Greek Communists. American intervention resulted in the Truman Doctrine, the U.S. policy of aiding nations defending themselves against Communist forces. During German occupation of Greece, much of the resistance consisted of the Communist National Liberation Front (EAM) and its military. The Germans left Greece in September 1944 and Great Britain brought the former government. -
NATO and Warsaw Pact
NATO was established April 4th, 1949 and and that same day they signed the North American Treaty agreement. The western Euorpean powers relied on america for the nuclear power against the solviet ground invasion. Eventually NATO rendered the power of the Soviets ground forces irrelvent. -
Berlin Blockade
After World War II, Germany was divided into four occupation zones administered by four nations: the United States, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union. Furthermore, Berlin, located in the Soviet occupation zone which was to become East Germany, was itself similarly divided into four sectors. Communism was instituted in the area controlled by the U.S.S.R. while the governments in the three remaining areas were modeled after the political systems of the West. -
Vietnam
The Vietnam War was the first televised war on earth, had South Vietnam and the United States against the Communists of North Vietnam. This led to South East Asians nation of communism as well, which led to the "Domino Effect". It was feared that extensive military involvement would lead to Chinese and Soviet intervention, resulting in a nuclear World War III. And the antiwar movement defined a generation of Americans. -
Berlin Border Closed
After World War II, Germany was divided into four occupation zones administered by four nations: the United States, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union. Furthermore, Berlin, located in the Soviet occupation zone which was to become East Germany, was itself similarly divided into four sectors. Communism was instituted in the area controlled by the U.S.S.R. while the governments in the three remaining areas were modeled after the political systems of the West. -
Korean War Ends
For quite some time Korea has been taken advantage of by other nations. In 1910 the country was annexed by Japan, and was heavily exploited for its agricultural and mineral wealth. When Japan decided to invade China, the Japanese forced Koreans to work in labor camps to supply the Japanese with war goods. By the end of World War II, 4 million Koreans had been forced into labor. -
KGB
The KGB was the security agency of the Soviet Union government which was involved in nearly all aspects of life in the Soviet Union since March 1954. Yet its roots stretch back to the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 when the newly-formed Communist government organized Cheka, a Russian acronym for "All-Russian Extraordinary Commission for Combating Counter-Revolution and Sabotage." After many alterations, the Soviet Union arranged its security agency. -
The Space Race
Both the United States and the Soviet Union endeavored to demonstrate their power. The space race served as an opportunity for the two nations to showcase their scientific and technological capabilities. Germany attacked Great Britain from across the English Channel using V-2 rockets developed by their brilliant rocket scientists and engineers. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
During the 1960s, relations between Cuba and the United States were not as amicable as they could have been. The United States felt threatened because Cuba was the only country in the Western hemisphere to adopt the ideas of communism. At first the Americans welcomed the Cuban revolution which brought Fidel Castro to power on December 31, 1958. However, Castro began to link himself with the other superpower, the Soviet Union. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
Missile CrisisIn July of 1962, Raul Castro, the brother of Fidel made a trip to Moscow. Shortly afterwards, the Soviet Union began to send weapons and military personnel to Cuba. A year earlier, Cuban exiles had been vanquished by Castro’s regime in the now infamous Bay of Pigs Invasion. The Soviets justified their exports by claiming that they were to be used as defensive mechanisms from future American attacks. However, the government in the United States was becoming increasingly concerned. -
Vietnam
The Vietnam War, the first televised war, pitted South Vietnam and the United States against Communist North Vietnam. It was feared that the fall of South Vietnam would lead to the fall of other South East Asian nations to Communism as well, in what was known as the "Domino Effect." Yet, at the same time, it was feared that extensive military involvement would lead to Chinese and Soviet intervention, resulting in a nuclear World War III. -
Preident Nixon extends Vietnam War
President NixonThe 1956 elections for a unified Vietnam government were never carried out because of fears by Diem and the Eisenhower administration that Ho Chi Minh would win. China, fearing another Korean War, did not object as did the Soviet Union, which was busy with problems in East Europe. From 1956 through 1963, when Diem was killed in a military coup in November, the United States increased its military assistance and antigovernment guerrilla operations rose. -
North Vietnam defeats South Vietnam
At a time when up to 500,000 U.S. troops were stationed in Vietnam at a time, North Vietnam gained supporters by stressing nationalism over Communism. North Vietnam leaders also had their confidence strengthened by the growing antiwar movement in the United States. From January through February of 1968, the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong attacked towns and cities in the Tet Offensive. -
End of the Cold War
The fall of the Soviet Union began to happen when Mikhail Gorbachev came to power. It happened shortly before midnight on March 11, 1985. The Central Committee announced that Mikhail Gorbachev would succeed Konstantin Chernenko, who had been dead for four hours. Gorbachev quickly moved to set him apart from potential rivals, he created a platform.
