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Truman Doctrine
President Truman promised to help any country facing a Communist takeover -
Marshall Plan
This was a programme of economic aid offered by the United States to any European country. The aid was only given to Western European Countries. -
Launch of Soviet Satellite
Soviet Union launches a satellite called Spudnick. -
Formation of West Germany
The French, USA and UK partitions of Germany were merged to form West Germany -
Berlin Blockade
Soviet Union's response for the partitions of the members of West Germany was to cut all road and rail links to that sector. -
Formation of NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation formed with member states Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States -
End of Berlin Blockade
Russia ended the blockade of Berlin -
Start of the Korean War
The Korean war began when North Korea invaded South Korea. -
Death of Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin died at the age of 74. He was succeeded by Nikita Khrushchev. -
End of the Korean War
The Korean war ended with an appeasement. North Korea remained affiliated with Russia while South Korea was affiliated with the USA. -
Geneva Accords
This set of documents ended the French war with the Vietminh and divided Vietnam into North and South states. The communist leader of North Vietnam was Ho Chi Minh while the US friendly south was led by Ngo Dinh Diem. -
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact was formed with member states East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Albania, Bulgaria, and the Soviet Union. -
Hungarian Revolution
This began as a Hungarian protest against Communist rule in Budapest. It quickly gathered momentum and on 24th October Soviet tanks entered Budapest. The tanks withdrew on 28th October and a new government was formed which quickly moved to introduce democracy. The Soviet tanks returned on 4th November surrounding Budapest. The Prime Minister Imre Nagy made a World broadcast that Hungary was under attack from the Soviet Union and calling for aid. Hungary fell to Russia on 10th November 1956. -
Space Race
USSR Sputnik II carried Laika the dog, the first living creature to go into space. -
Space Race
Russian cosmonaut Yuri Alekseyvich Gagarin became the first human being in space. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
A force of Cuban exiles, trained by the CIA, aided by the US government attempted to invade Cuba and overthrow the Communist government of Fidel Castro. The attempt failed. -
Berlin Wall
Berlin wall built and borders sealed between East and West Germany. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
A US spy plane reported sighting the construction of a Soviet nuclear missile base in Cuba. President Kennedy set up a naval blockade and demanded the removal of the missiles. War was averted when the Russians agreed on 28th October to remove the weapons. The United States agreed not to invade Cuba. -
JFK Assassination
JF Kennedy was assassinated.Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested for the murder. -
USSR leader replacement
Nikita Krushchev removed from office. He was replaced by Leonid Brezhnev. -
US aid on Vietnam War
President Lyndon B. Johnson sends 150,000 US troops to Vietnam. -
Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia
Warsaw Pact forces entered Czechoslovakia in a bid to stop the reforms known as ‘Prague Spring’ instigated by Alexander Dubcek. When he refused to halt his programme of reforms Dubcek was arrested. -
US orbit of the Moon
US launched Apollo 8 – first manned orbit of the Moon. -
First Man to step in the Moon
US Apollo 11 landed on the Moon and Neil Armstrong became the first man on the Moon. -
SALT
Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty signed between the US and USSR. -
Stop of American involvement in Vietnam
The Paris Peace Accords ended American involvement in Vietnam. -
Communist Vietnam
North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam. The capture of Saigon by the North Vietnamese led to the whole country becoming Communist -
End of Space Race
Joint space venture between USA and USSR heralded as an end to the ‘Space Race’ -
Afghanistan invasion
Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan -
Soviet Union new leader
Mikhail Gorbachev became leader of the Soviet Union -
Chernobyl Disaster
An explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Ukraine remains the worst nuclear disaster in history -
Soiet Union leaves Afghanistan
The last Soviet troops left Afghanistan -
Poland becomes democratic
Tadeusz Mazowiecki elected leader of the Polish government – the first eastern bloc country to become a democracy -
Hungary Republic
Hungary proclaimed itself a republic -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
The Berlin wall was torn down -
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution, also known as the Gentle Revolution, was a series of peaceful protests in Czechoslovakia that led to the overthrow of the Communist government. -
German reunification
East and West Germany were reunited as one country. -
End of Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact which allied Communist countries was ended -
Gorbachev resigned
Mikhail Gorbachev resigned. The hammer and sickle flag on the Kremlin was lowered -
End of the Soviet Union
Russia formally recognised the end of the Soviet Union