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Yalta Conference
meeting of (Britain)Winston Churchill, (Soviet) Joseph Stalin, and (US)Franklin D. Roosevelt when WWII was winding down -
Communist coup in Czechoslovakia
President Eduard Benes allows a communist-dominated government to be organized. -
U.S. and other U.N. members fight North Korean forces.
North Korean troops unexpectedly attacked South Korea.The North was supported by communist Russia and the South was supported by America. -
West Germany joins NATO
West Germany formally joins the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) after WWII. -
Soviets launch first man‑made satellite.
Sputnik 1 was the first artificial Earth satellite. With the Sputnik, the Soviets had gained the upper hand in the arms race. -
Eisenhower
Eisenhower called for “joint action by the Congress and the Executive” in meeting the “increased danger from International Communism” in the Middle East. Specifically, he asked for authorization to begin new programs of economic and military cooperation with friendly nations -
Cuban Missile Crisis
Fidel Castro becomes premier of Cuba, installs Communist governmentFidel Castro becomes premier of Cuba, installs Communist government. U.S. and the Soviet Union engaged in a tense, 13-day political and military standoff . -
U2 INCIDENT
A United States U-2 spy plane was shot down from Soviet airspace. -
Sino‑Soviet Conflict begins/Cuban Missile Crisis.
seven-month undeclared military conflict between the Soviet Union and China . Installation of nuclear-armed Soviet missiles on Cuba, just 90 miles from U.S. shore -
Washington-Moscow Hot Line established
John F. Kennedy becomes the first U.S. president to have a direct phone line. The “hotline” was designed to communication between the president and Soviet premier. -
“Six-Day War” in Middle East
The Six-Day War between Israel and its Arab neighbors ends with a United Nations-brokered cease-fire. -
Détente
Détente (a French word meaning release from tension) is the name given to a period of improved relations between the United States and the Soviet Union -
South Vietnam falls to Communist forces.
The South Vietnamese forces had collapsed under the rapid advancement of the North Vietnamese. -
Death of Mao
Mao was one of the most significant communist figures of the Cold War. -
Carter administration
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U.S. troops sent to Lebanon
A Lebanese political crisis caused by political and religious tensions in the country that included a U.S. military intervention -
Mikhail Gorbachev becomes leader of the Soviet Union
Mikhail Gorbachev is selected as the new general secretary and leader of the Soviet Union, following the death of Konstantin Chernenko the day before. -
Berlin Wall is demolished.
when the head of the East German Communist Party announced that citizens of the GDR could cross the border whenever they pleased. That night, ecstatic crowds swarmed the wall. Some crossed freely into West Berlin, while others brought hammers and picks and began to chip away at the wall itself. -
Communist leaders elected in Poland and Hungary
