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The creation of the "Iron Curtain"
"Iron Curtain" is a term used to describe the boundary that separated the Warsaw Pact countries from the NATO countries from about 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. The Iron Curtain was both a physical and an ideological division that represented the way Europe was viewed after World War II. To the east of the Iron Curtain were the countries that were connected to or influenced by the former Soviet Union. This included part of Germany Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania. -
The Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan (officially the European Recovery Program, ERP) was the American program to aid Europe where the United States gave monetary support to help rebuild European economies after the end of World War II in order to prevent the spread of Soviet Communism. The plan was in operation for four years beginning in April 1948. The goals of the United States were to rebuild a war-devastated region, remove trade barriers, modernize industry, and make Europe prosperous again. -
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Major Events of the Cold War
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Korean War
This outbreak was one of the most important in terms of containment policy . The communist North Korea attempted to take capitalist South korea . The Soviet Union backed North Korea and NATO was forced to develop a military structure. In the end, the two nations came to an agreement AFTER Stalin's death. -
Stalin Dies
The death of the USSR's powerful leader was a huge blow to the USSR. Having lost their innfluential leader, it became more difficult for the USSR to influence countries' actions. -
Vietnam War
A war between communist North Vietnam and capitalist South Vietnam . The United States backed and actively fought with South Vietnam against the communist threat. The war offically ended when North Vietnam captured the Vietnam City of Saigon. This war took a huge toll on the US, since thousands of US soldiers died during this war. -
Sputnik
The Sputnik crisis was the American reaction to the success of the Sputnik program. It was a key Cold War event that began on October 4, 1957 when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial Earth satellite. President Dwight D. Eisenhower referred to it as the “Sputnik Crisis”. Although Sputnik was itself harmless, its orbiting scared the people of the US -
Space Race 1961-1975
After launch of the Soviet satellite Sputnik in 1957, the United States felt threatened by the increasing power of the Sovient Union. In order to combat this, the two nations "fought" to be the first to accomplish unthinkable feats in space. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
The Kennedy Administration attempted to assassinate the leader of Communust Cuba, Fidel Castro, through the use of refugees. This operation was unsuccessful and lead to increased tension between the US and the USSR. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
A confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union. tje Soviet Union was moving missiles into the communist nation of Cuba. Recognizing the threat of this missiles, The US retailiated by setting up a blockade around Cuba. In the end, the soviet Union withdrew the missiles in Cuba and the United States promised to not invade Cuba. -
JFK Assassination
President John F. Kennedy is shot by Lee Harvey Oswald. This event caused great confusionas the entire nation wondered wheater this was a Soviet attack or not. The shock of this event rippled worldwide, as million wept over the loss of their great leader. -
SALT I/II - 1969/1979
The SALT talks, otherwise known as the Stategic Armament Limitation Talks, were meetings between the US and USSR on the issue of arnament control. It is through these talks that the two nations were able to reach middle ground and work towards to end the war. -
The Soviet War
The Soviet war in Afghanistan lasted nine years from December 1979 to February 1989. It was fought between Soviet-led Afghan forces against multi-national rebel groups called the mujahideens. The Soviets led the Afghans because they were communist and had good resources. -
Perestroika/Glasnost
Two Russians polocies that moved the USSR away from wae with the US. Perestroika and Glasnost gave the freedom of information for all activities in the USSR, thus eliminatig the sececy that resided in the USSR earlier. -
Berlin Wall Demolished
The Berlin Wall is torn down, ending the seperation of East Germany from West Germany and markinng the end of the Cold War between the USSR and US. -
NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY
The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, commonly known as the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT, is an international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and to further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament.
