Cold War (It is called the cold war because there was no actual fighting between the Soviets and the Americans)
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Formation of the Eastern Block
At the beginning of WW2 the Soviet Union created the Eastern Bloc by invading and then annexing countries as Soviet Socialist Republics with Nazi Germany. Eastern bloc countries made a “sphere of influence” of the Soviet Union, which maintained oversight and multiple degrees of direct and indirect control over bloc members. During the Eastern Bloc’s existence, its member countries traded with the Soviet Union and aligned their military and foreign policies with those of the Soviet Union. -
Postwar Division of Germany
In the division of Germany after the war, Germany was split into 4 different parts. America, France, and Great Britain controlled the West while the Soviets controlled the East. Each side was run differently with the east being communist and the west being a democracy. -
Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War took place from 1946 to 1949. The conflict, which happened shortly after the end of WW2. It was fought between a communist-dominated uprising against the established government of the Kingdom of Greece. At the end of the war, with the support of the United Kingdom and the U.S., the Greek government forces ultimately won. -
Berlin Blockade and Airlift
The leader of the Soviet Union, Stalin, decided to make a Berlin Blockade. During the blockade, he cut off all land and river transit between East and West Germany. The Western Allies responded with a massive airlift to come to West Berlin's aid. -
Enactment of Marshall Plan
In the Enactment of the Marshall Plan, President Harry Truman sent Congress a message that followed Marshall's ideas to provide economic aid to Europe. He wanted to enable this to help rebuild the postwar British economy and minimize trade barriers. Congress overwhelmingly passed the Economic Cooperation Act of 1948 and Truman signed the act that became known as the Marshall Plan. -
Chinese Communist Revolution
In the Chinese Communist Revolution, Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong declared the creation of the People’s Republic of China. This announcement ended the Civil war between the CCP and the KMT, which broke out after WW2. The fall of mainland China to communism in 1949 led the United States to suspend ties with the PRC for decades. -
Korean War
The Korean War was fought between North and South Korea from 1950 to 1953. It started when North Korea invaded the South and ceased after an armistice on July 27th, 1953. North Korea supported China and the Soviets, while South Korea Supported the U.S. and the United Nations forces. -
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution was a Military and political effort to overthrow the Cuban government throughout 1953-1959. The Cuban Revolution had powerful repercussions like the relations between the U.S. and Cuba. Right after the revolution, Castro's government began a program of nationalization, centralization of the press, and political consolidation that transformed Cuba's economy and civil society -
Overthrown of the Guatemalan Government
In the overthrow of the Guatemalan Government, the democratically elected President Arbenz marked the end of the Guatemalan Revolution. They installed the military dictatorship of Carlos Armas, which was the first in a series of U.S. authoritarian rulers in Guatemala. This overthrow went from June 18th to June 27th of 1954. -
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from November 1st, 1955 to April 30th, 1975. The war was fought between North and South Vietnam with the North Supporting the Soviets and China, while the South supported the Americans and other non-communist states. At the end of the War, the North was victorious and millions of people were killed during the war. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
The Bay of Pigs Invasion was a failed military landing operation on the southwestern coast of Cuba in 1961. Cuban exiles who went against Castro's Revolution were financed and directed by the U.S. government. The operation took place at the height of the Cold War, and its failure influenced relations between Cuba, the United States, and the Soviet Union. The Cubans were considered winners in the Bay of Pigs Invasion. -
Building of the Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was built as early as August 13th, 1961. The purpose of the wall was to divide the Communist East from the Democratic West and prevent people from going from side to side. However, the Wall primarily served the objective of stemming mass defections from East to West. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 was a confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union. This was the moment when the U.S. and the Soviets came very close to nuclear War. This Crisis was different because there were many direct and secret communications and miscommunications between the two sides, which could've ended in war between the powers. -
Rise of Palestine Liberation Organization
The Palestine Liberation Organization was founded in 1964 and initially tried to establish an Arab state over the entire territory of the former Mandatory Palestine. They were also advocating for the elimination of the State of Israel. However, in 1993, they recognized Israeli rule with the Oslo I Accord, and now only seek Arab statehood in the Palestinian territories like the Gaza Strip. -
Prague Spring
The Prague Spring was a period of political liberalization and mass protest in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. The Prague Spring reforms were an attempt by the first secretary Dubcek to grant additional rights to the citizens of Czechoslovakia in an act of partial decentralization of the economy. After the invasion, Czechoslovakia entered a period known as normalization, in which new leaders attempted to restore political and economic values. -
Soviet War in Afghanistan
The Soviet war in Afghanistan was a major conflict of the Cold War as it saw extensive fighting between the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan and the Soviets. The Soviet Union and allied paramilitary groups against the Afghan mujahideen and their allied foreign fighters. In the end, the Soviets withdrew due to backlash from the people of the soviet union and the Afghans won. -
Tiananmen Square Massacre
The Tiananmen Square protests, known as the June Fourth Incident, were student-led demonstrations held in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China, lasting from 15 April to 4 June 1989. After weeks of attempts between the demonstrators and the government to find a peaceful resolution, the Chinese government declared martial law on the night of 3 June. The government deployed troops on the square and that's where the Tiananmen Square Massacre gets its name. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall fell on November 9th, 1989 during a peaceful revolution. With the wall falling people from East Germany could transit over to West Germany without any worry of soldiers shooting them. This marked the falling of the "iron curtain" that descended on Europe. -
Fall of the Soviet Union
The Soviet Union collapsed after the declaration of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. This declaration made the Soviet Union a sovereign state and subject to international law. The Soviet Union was broken up into 15 Conservative Republics and 11 were commonwealth states. -
9/11 Attacks
The September 11 attacks were four coordinated Islamist suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States. They had 4 planes, 2 going to the Twin Towers in NYC, 1 going into the Pentagon, and 1 that was assumed to be heading toward the white house but was brought down by the passengers on the plane. This would cause America to declare war on the terrorists starting the War on Terror.