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1947 - The Cold War begins
The Cold War was of time of fear all over the globe, when countries feared a nuclear war and the spread of communism. -
April 3, 1948 - The Marshall Plan
President Truman launches the Marshall Plan to help restore the economies that were shattered by war. Because of this, America sent billions of dollars, food, and economic assistance to Europe. -
1950 - 1975 Japan’s Economic Miracle
Starting in 1950, Japan’s economy miraculously prospered, even better than Germany’s. It’s success was built on the production of export goods such as manufactured textiles, steel, and machinery. -
June 25, 1950 - July 27, 1953 The Korean War
The forces of communist North Korea collided into South Korea, starting The Korean War. The United States, fearing the spread of communism, defended South Korea and fought a frustrating war for the next three years. -
1953 - The Hydrogen bomb
By 1953, both the United States and the Soviet Union had developed the hydrogen bomb, which was and is the most destructive military technology. This factor shaped the Cold War in a major way as more and more countries started developing them. -
May 14, 1955 - The Warsaw Pact
At this time the United states, Canada, and ten other countries formed a military alliance called the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. In response to this, the Soviet Union formed a different military alliance called the Warsaw Pact. The alliance included the Soviet Union and seven Satellites in Eastern Europe. -
November 1, 1955 - The start of the Vietnam War
The North Vietnamese government and the Viet Cong were fighting to reunite Vietnam. The French tried to take back their colony but they were defeated and the United States, believing in a domino effect, stepped in by sending in supplies so that communism wouldn’t spread into Southeast Asia. -
1956 - Martin Luther King Jr.
In 1956, Martin Luther King Jr. had become known as leader of the Civil Rights Movement. He gave many speeches speaking out against the injustices of discrimination and segregation. It was in 1963, that King gave his speech, “I have a Dream.” -
1958 - 1960 the Great Leap Forward
In China, Mao promoted a policy called the Great Leap Forward in order to increase farm and industrial output. However, the Great Leap Forward turned out to be a horrible failure, slowed food output and bad weather led to a terrible famine and it is thought that as many as 55 million people starved to death. -
1959 - Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution occurred during the 1950’s, lead by Fidel Castro. By 1959, he led his querilla army to victory against the dictator, who ruled Cuba, and turned the country into a communist state. -
August 13, 1961 - The Berlin Wall
To keep low-paid, Germans of communist East Berlin from escaping in to West Berlin, The East Berlin government built the Berlin wall. This wall showed the people that they had to be forcibly kept from escaping. -
1962 - A missile Crisis in Cuba
Castro, the leader of Cuba, let the Soviet Union build nuclear missile bases in Cuba because he wanted to get closer ties with them. The United States feared having the Soviet Union in their backyard so they demanded that they remove the nuclear bases, which they agreed to, after three long days. -
1963 - The Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
By this time a fear of the destruction of the world had taken place. Just about every country had several nuclear weapons and they wanted to be sure no one would use them. So they passed the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks, in 1969. -
1966 - The Cultural Revolution
China’s leader, Mao Zedong, launched the cultural revolution in order to reassert his power. During this time period, teenagers came together to form a group called the Red Guards and attacked anyone they considered bourgeois. -
1967 - An Era of Détente
Détente was a time of easing the tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union from 1967 to 1979. This period brought an increase of trade and cooperation and the signing of the SALT treaties. However the relations cooled again with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. -
January 30 - Sept 23, 1968 The Tet Offensive
The U.S. get involved in the Vietnam War in late January. Then during the lunar new year (Tet), North Vietnamese and communist Viet Cong launch a coordinated attack on a number of targets in South Vietnam. -
1972 - President visits China for the First Time
In 1972, President Nixon visits Mao in Beijing after China won admission to the United Nations. This visit opened the door to improve relations and eventually led to formal diplomatic relations, which came in 1979. -
1975 - The reuniting of Vietnam
After American troops withdrew, North Vietnam captured the capital city of South Vietnam, reuniting the country. Going from there Korea was in poverty for some time until the 1990 when it introduces free market reforms. -
1985 - The Reform of the Soviet Union
In 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev took lead of the Soviet Union and wanted to end the tensions. For this reason he called for glasnost and promoted perestroika. Because of these reforms the Soviet Union fell apart and eventually led to the Soviet Republic. -
1989 - Poland becomes a democracy
Starting in the late 1980’s, Poland began to introduce radical reforms, like the Soviet Union did. It started to transition from socialism to a free market, with Lech Walesa as president. -
1990 - The Tearing Down of the Berlin Wall
After about 30 years, the Berlin Wall was finally torn down and Germany was reunited because of the Soviet Union’s decrease in power. From there they went to face the challenges of transitioning East Germany into a free market. -
1991 - The Cold War Ends
At last, in 1991, the cold war ends because of the reforms that the Soviet Union, which caused the nation to break apart. -
July 31, 1991 - START was signed
On July 31, 1991, the United States and Russia signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, which reestablishes the Nuclear Test Ban Theory from the late 1960’s. It is because of this treaty that the world is what it is today. -
1993 - The European Union
In 1993, the European community was renamed the European Union and since then it has expanded to 28 nations. It set up a common currency and promotes a regional trade and peace by replacing competition. -
1970 - The Economic Downfall
Political crisis in the Middle East led to a global oil shortage and high oil prices. The oil crisis brought about periods of recession and people began to realize how much they relied on oil.
