Cold War (A period of political tension between the United States and the Soviet Union, fighting for ideologies without direct confrontation.)
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Formation of the Eastern Bloc
The Eastern bloc was made up of communist countries that were aligned with the Soviet Union. This created a sphere of influence. They aligned their military and foreign policies and received economic aid from the Soviet Union. -
Greek Civil War
This civil war had two stages. In the first stage, German occupation was resisted by Greek forces. There were many conflicts between the Greek government and communism forces. The country was split into two strongly opposing sides. Each side was fueled by strong political ideologies. The government forces prevailed and led to the elimination of communism in Greece. -
Postwar Occupation and Division of Germany
Germany was divided into four zones. The fate of Germany was decided at the Potsdam Conference. The Berlin Blockade split Germany. West Germany became a Western capitalist country. East Germany fell to communist rule. -
Chinese Communist Revolution
China was engaged in a civil war between the Communists and the nationalists. Mao Zedong, who was the Communist leader, created a new socialist nation called The People's Republic of China. The nationalists moved to Taiwan and set up the rival Republic of China. The Communists gained control of China and proclaimed the People's Republic of China. -
Enactment of Marshall Plan
President Truman's Economic Recovery Act of 1948 was known as the Marshall Plan. It was named after Secretary of State George Marshall. It provided markets for American goods, supported the development of stable democratic governments, and created reliable trading partners. It provided foreign aid, while also showing the global power of the US. This restored prosperity to Western Europe by providing $13 billion. -
Berlin Blockade and Airlift
Berlin was also divided into occupation zones. Alliances turned violent and control of the city was uncertain. This led to the first crisis in Berlin of the Cold War. The Soviets blocked all access to Allied-controlled areas to Berlin. The US and United Kingdom responded by airlifting supplies. This ended when the Soviets lifted the blockade on May 12, 1949. -
Korean War
The Korean War was between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea. North Korea's goal was to conquer South Korea and unite all of Korea under the Communist regime. The war ended in a stalemate after 3 years of fighting. The border remained at nearly the same spot as it was when the war started. -
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution was a political and military movement to overthrow the Cuban government. The uprising was led by Fidel Castro. It started with an assault on military barracks that failed. The dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista came to an end and he was forced to flee. -
Vietnam War
Vietnam was separated into North and South Vietnam. The North wanted to reunite the country under Communism. The United States fought with South Vietnam. The US withdrew soldiers due to the growth of the war and casualties. South Vietnam fell to the North after a full-scale invasion. -
Hungarian Uprising
Soviet troops moved into cities in Hungary and destroyed rebellions. It was a country-wide revolution against the Hungarian People's Republic government and its subjection to the Soviet Union. The USSR was originally willing to negotiate the withdrawl of its Army in Hungary, but decided to fight the revolutinaries. The Soviets won, killing thousands and sending hundreds of thousands to other countries for refuge. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
When Fidel Castro came into power, the United States was worried of him and his relationship with Khrushchev. 1,400 Cuban exiles arrived at the beaches of the Bay of Pigs. The US government financed and directed the invasion. The invasion was a failure. In response President Eisenhower placed an embargo on all exports to Cuba except for food and medicine. He then broke diplomatic ties with Cuba. -
Building of the Berlin Wall
The Berlin Blockade led to major tensions. Fear of Communism drove East Germans into West Germany. The East faced major economic problems. The GDR decided to build a wall to keep Soviet-controlled East Germans from leaving. The wall was covered in barbed wire. The wall separated the two contrasting ideologies. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Soviet Union started shipping missiles into Cuba and planting them. When the United States found out, President John Kennedy ordered the blockade of Cuba and demanded the removal of the missiles. The Soviet Union and the United States were on the brink of nuclear war. The Soviet Union backed out and signed a test ban treaty with the US. -
Prague Spring
This was an attempt to give rights to Czechoslovakian citizens to form a democracy. It was economically and politically liberalized. Czechoslovakia was freed from Soviet rule and gained freedom of speech. -
Overthrow of the Allende Government in Chile
This was a military overthrow of democratic socialist president of Chile, Salvador Allende. A group of military officers seized power in a coup. The country was put under military control. The Popular Unity government overthrew Allende. He dies of suicide and General Augusto Pinochet took over. -
Soviet War in Afghanistan
Internal fighting along with coups in the government between the People's and Banner's Party led to the Soviet invasion.The Soviet Union wanted to take control of Afghanistan. Afghanistan's government was overthrown and split into two political groups. The new government has large purges to destroy opppostion. The Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan but the Afghan Civil War continued. -
Tiananmen Square Massacre
The Tiananmen Square Massacre was a series of protests in China. These demonstrations were led by students. They wanted political liberalization and more respect for human rights. After weeks of unsuccessful attempts to find a peaceful resolution, the government declared martial law and deployed troops to the square. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
The beginning of the destruction of the wall was during the Peaceful Revolution. Misinformation spreading from a press conference led to the wall falling. Germany was reunified about a year later. -
Fall of the Soviet Union
The Soviet Union began to decline due to many flaws in its system. Gorbachev came to power determined to bring about reforms. His reforms led to unrest and soaring prices. People rioted and the Berlin Wall fell. Gorbachev failed to make constitutional arrangements and soon after leaves office. The Soviet Union also falls soon after. The Soviet Union was broken up into 15 republics. -
9/11 Attacks
9/11 is the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil. It was a series of attacks and airline hijackings. The attack was carried out by Islamis extremist group al-Qaeda. This led to a large US effort to combat terrorism. Al-Qaeda aimed to spread fear and severely weaken the United States.