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Formation of the Eastern Bloc
The Eastern Bloc was made up of formerly communist countries in Central and Eastern Europe. This included the Soviet Union, East Germany, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Albania, and Yugoslavia. This was a "buffer zone" for loyal communist countries. -
Postwar Occupation & Division of Germany
Following World War II, Germany was occupied entirely by foreign countries. France occupied in the southwest, the United States in the south, Britain in the northwest, and the Soviet Union in the east. This was decided at the Potsdam Conference in 1945. -
Greek Civil War
This was a conflict between the Greek government army and the Democratic Army of Greece. The Communist Party took control and created the National Liberation Front. America joined the conflict, fighting communism. -
Berlin Blockade and Airlift
The Soviet Union attempted to prevent Western Allied Powers from getting to their sectors of Berlin. They blocked railways, roads, and canals. The Soviet Union was unsuccessful, however, as the Allies carried out an airlift in order to get supplies to Berlin. -
Marshall Plan Enactment
President Truman came up with the Marshall Plan as an aid program following the the war. It was intended to help provide other countries with food and economic recovery. Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and western Germany all received assistance through the Marshall Plan. -
Chinese Communist Revolution
From 1945 to 1949, a Civil War was fought in China between Nationalist Kuomintang and Chinese Communist Party over control of the country. On October 1, 1949, The People's Republic was established, ending the war. China had fallen to communism. -
Korean War
On the 25th of June, North Korean soldiers crossed the 38th Parallel, invading South Korea. North of the 38th Parallel was Soviet-backed Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and South of it was the pro-Western Republic of Korea. This was the first military act of the cold war. The Korean War ended in 1953, but Korea is still split. -
Cuban Revolution
This was an uprising led by Fidel Castro against Fulgencio Batista. Fulgencio Batista was the dictator of Cuba from 1952-1959. On January 1, 1959, Cuba became a socialist state under Fidel Castro. -
Vietnam War
This was a war between communist Northern Vietnam and Southern Vietnam and their allies (the U.S.) In the United States, this created conflict because many back home were opposed to the war. The communists seized control of South Vietnam in 1975 and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam was formed -
Building the Berlin Wall
In the Cold War, West Berlin was democratic and East Berlin was communist. Many East Germans had been fleeing to West Berlin. In order to prevent this, a wall was constructed, confining people to communist East Berlin -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
Upon Fidel Castro’s rise to power, the CIA attempted to invade Cuba. The invasion was failed, Cuban troops largely outnumbering the U.S. invaders. It didn’t even take a full 24 hours of fighting for the U.S. to surrender. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
This was a 13-day standoff between the Soviet Union and the United States. The U.S. was notified of Soviet missiles in Cuba and prepared to take action. The world feared nuclear war. Conflict was avoided by the U.S. agreeing not to invade Cuba and to remove missiles from Turkey. -
Soviet War in Afghanistan
Soviet troops entered Afghanistan, taking military and political control in large parts of the country. This was an intervention in Afghanistan's civil war. Many Afghans fled the country during this time. -
Tiananmen Square Massacre
During pro-democracy protests, Chinese troops stormed Beijing, killing many civilians. Protestors were trying to prevent military advancement into Tiananmen Square. Several hundred were killed. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
November 9, 1989, East German government official Günter Schabowski said, "Permanent relocations can be done through all border checkpoints between the GDR into the FRG or West Berlin." People were astonished to think the borders were really open. There was celebration and destruction of the wall with hammers and chisels. East and West Germany would soon again be united. -
Fall of the Soviet Union
Mikhail Gorbachev resigned on December 25th, 1991, leaving Boris Yeltsin in power. Republics of the Soviet Union had seceded. The dissolution marked the end of the Cold War, establishing victory for the West and capitalism's superiority over communism.
