-
Germany Divided
After the Potsdam conference, Germany was divided into four occupied zones: Great Britain in the northwest, France in the southwest, the United States in the south and the Soviet Union in the east. Berlin, the capital city situated in Soviet territory, was also divided into four occupied zones. -
United Nations (UN) formed
The United Nations is an international organization founded in 1945 after the Second World War by 51 countries committed to maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations and promoting social progress, better living standards and human rights. -
Truman Doctrine
President Truman’s foreign policy of financially supporting Greece and Turkey to help them fight Soviet communist threats -
Period: to
Cold War
The state of hostility, without actual warfare, that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union from the end of World War II until the collapse of the Soviet Union -
Marshall Plan
U.S. gave over $13 billion ($140 in current dollar) in economic assistance to help rebuild Western Europe after WWII -
Berlin Airlift
The supply of West Berlin in Germany by American and British planes during a Soviet blockade -
NATO formed
A defensive military alliance with the West European nations and the US. (opposite was Warsaw Pact) -
Chinese forces cross Yalu River and enter Korean War - the border with China
MacArthur swiftly ordered his troops to advance across the 38th parallel toward the North Korean capital of Pynongyang, where the 1st Cavalry Division arrived on October 19. Meanwhile, South Korean forces, on the general’s orders, streamed toward the city of Unsan on the way to the Yalu River, which separated China from North Korea. -
Kim il-Sung invades South Korea
Hoping to reunify Korea by force, Kim launched an invasion of South Korea in 1950, thereby igniting the Korean War. His attempt to extend his rule there was repelled by U.S. troops and other UN forces, however, and it was only through massive Chinese support that he was able to repel a subsequent invasion of North Korea by UN forces. The Korean War ended in a stalemate in 1953. -
Period: to
Korean War
1950 to 1953 war between North Korea (with the support of China and the Soviet Union) and South Korea (with the support of the U.S.) -
Ethel and Julius Rosenberg Execution
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were the only spies executed during the Cold War and some question whether their sentence was fair. -
Warsaw Pact Formed
Warsaw Pact, formally Warsaw Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance, (May 14, 1955–July 1, 1991) treaty establishing a mutual-defense organization (Warsaw Treaty Organization) composed originally of the Soviet Union and Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Romania. -
Sputnik 1
Created by Soviet Union, first satellite to orbit the Earth launched in 1957 causing the “space race”
