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NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was signed in 1949. NATO was formed to protect western Europe from the Soviet union taking over there country's. Most western country's joined NATO right away to fight communism. NATO showed the Soviet union that western Europe and the United states would not go down without a fight. -
The Korean war
The Korean war started in 1950 when 75,000 soldiers from north Korea crossed the 38th parallel. The 38th parallel separated north Korea which was communist and the soviets, to the south which was democratic and the USA's. After this America and China joined the war. Casualties were rising. In July 1953 the Korean war ended in an stalemate. Five million people died in the war. The 38th parallel still divides Korea today. -
Sputnik
On October 4th 1957, the Soviet Union released the very first satellite. It was the size of a beach ball. It weighted 184 pounds. It took about 98 minutes to orbit earth. This launched was a success for the Soviet Union and made the US want to work even harder to get on the moon. On January 31, 1958 the United states released its first satellite, Explorer 1. -
U-2 spy incident
In May a crisis broke out when the soviets shot down an American spy plane that was in soviet air territory. They also captured the pilot, Francis Gary Powers.The result of this incident forced the president Eisenhower to admit that the US had been flying planes over the Soviet Union for years. And Powers was sentences ten years to prison in the Soviet union, but after serving two year he was released for a trade.The soviets got back a spy that they lost. This raised tension. -
The Berlin Wall
On August 13, the communist government started building a barbed wire and concrete wall which is know as the Berlin wall. This wall separated east and west Berlin. This wall prevented the eastern Germans escaping.More than 5,000 people made it over the Berlin wall. 171 people were killed trying to escape. The Berlin wall fell on November 9, 1989. Letting eastern Germans cross into the west. -
The Cuban Missile Crisis
on October 14, 1962 an American spy plane flew over Cuba. A missile was spotted that belonged to the soviet union. This made America very worried because the missile was only 90 miles away from Florida. On October 22, 1962 Kenny let the people know about the missile. People were very worried to see what would happen. In the end Kennedy agreed with the Soviets to remove the missile in exchange the US to not invade Cuba. Kennedy also secretly removed the missile in Turkey. -
JFK assassination
The 35th president, JFK was assassinated in 1963. JFK and his wife drove though the streets of Dallas, Texas. They waved at the crowd as they drove by. As the car passed the Texas School Book Depository Building Lee Oswald shot JFK three times. The governor of Texas was also in the car and he was injured. JFK was rushed to the hospital but he was fatally injured. He was pronounced dead 30 minutes later. -
The Vietnam war
The Vietnam war was fought against North Vietnam against south Vietnam and the south's ally the USA. More than three million people died in the Vietnam war. This war divided the American people. Many people protested the war and this resulted in many Americans turning against the government. This war was a symbol of the civil rights movement. The Vietnam war ended in 1973 when North Vietnam and the USA signed a peace agreement. -
The Space race 1957-1975
The space race was between two countries, USA and the soviets. Both countries competed against each other to see who would get to the moon first. On October 4, 1957 the soviets released the first satellite in space, Sputnik. The US responded with explorer 1. Then Russia sent a man named Yuri Gagarin into space, the first man to orbit earth. US then sent John Gleen to orbit earth. Finally the US was the first people to reach the moon Neil Armstrong walked the moon and the US won the space race. -
The end of the Cold War
The cold war ended in 1991. The soviet union had many economic problems during the end of the cold war. In 1989 many country's that were under communism changed to an non communist country. Also in 1989 the Berlin wall fell this was a symbol of the soviet union falling also. The iron curtain was lifted and the cold war was over.
