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Hiroshima & Nagasaki bombs
sent an indirect message to the USSR stating "we have nuclear weapons and will use them" -
Truman Doctrine
Its aim was to stop the spread of Communism -
Berlin Blockade/Airlift
It exposed the deep ideological differences separating East and West. -
USSR develops a nuclear weapon
It conducted its first successful weapon test -
Korean War
The first time that the two superpowers, the USA & Soviet Union had fought a "proxy war" in a third country. -
Vietnam War
It resulted in nearly 60,000 American deaths and an estimated 2 million Vietnamese deaths. -
Suez Crisis
was arguably one of the most significant episodes in post-1945 British history -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The closest we ever came to a nuclear war -
Russians invade Afghanistan
The US supported Afghanistan, providing weapons, then leaving when the Soviets gave up. The US leaving without helping Afghanistan rebuild the devastation led to much resentment towards the US and eventually the rise of the Taliban. -
Collapse of the Soviet Union
1988-1991 it marks the end of the Cold War