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NATO formed
NATO stood for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and was the first peacetime military alliance the United States entered into outside the western hemisphere. Its purpose was to secure peace in Europe, promote cooperation among its members, and guard their freedom. -
United Nations formed
The United Nations is an international organization founded in 1945 after the Second World War. It was created after China, France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, and by a majority of other signatories had ratified its Charter. The organization is committed to maintaining internal peace and security developing friendly relations among nations and promoting social progress, better living standards, and human rights. -
Truman Doctrine
With the Truman Doctrine, President Harry S. Truman established that the United States would provide political, military, and economic assistance to all democratic nations under threat from external or internal authoritarian forces. The new doctrine provided a legitimate basis for the United States' activism during the Cold War. -
Hollywood 10
A group of 10 film industry members refused to testify to an anti-communist committee hearing during the Second Red Scare era. Hollywood quickly established the so-called “blacklist,” a collection of names of Hollywood personalities suspected of having communist ties. -
Marshall Plan
A proposal: The United States would provide economic assistance to restore the economic infrastructure of postwar Europe. Specifically, the plan provided the United States markets for American goods, created reliable trading partners, and supported the development of stable democratic governments in Western Europe. -
Korean War
A conflict between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) in which at least 2.5 million people lost their lives. The most significant impact form this war was a new border between North and South Korea was drawn, which gave South Korea some additional territory and demilitarized the zone between the two nations. -
Sputnik
The first artificial satellite to orbit Earth. The Americans were afraid that their U.S. military had significantly fallen in comparison to Russian technology. Consequently, the launch of sputnik was pursued to intensify the race of technology and raise cold war tensions. -
Bay of Pigs
The Bay of Pigs invasion was a failed attack launched by the CIA during the Kennedy administration to push Cuban leader Fidel Castro from power. It strengthened the position of Castro's administration by accelerating Castro's ties with the Soviet Union. -
Berlin Wall goes up
A physical reminder of the IRON CURTAIN; stopped the loss of skilled and talented workers. The Berlin wall divided families who found themselves unable to visit each other. -
U.S. officially enters Vietnam War
On March 8, 1965, the first American combat troops--the 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade--waded ashore at Chine Beach north of Da Nang. During the Cold War, Americans were convinced the Soviet Union posed a grave threat to their country and the rest of the planet and that, as the leader of the free world, the United States had a responsibility to resist Soviet expansionism. -
Soviets invade Afghanistan
The Soviets organized a massive military airlift into Kabul, involving an estimated 280 transport aircraft and three divisions of almost 8,500 men each. The long-term impact of the invasion and subsequent war was profound. First, the Soviets never recovered from the public relations and financial losses, which significantly contributed to the fall of the Soviet empire in 1991. Secondly, the war created a breeding ground for terrorism and the rise of Osama bin Laden. -
Berlin Wall comes down
The fall of the Berline Wall was the first step towards German reunification. The political, economic and social impact of the fall of the Berlin Wall further weakened the already unstable East German government. Germany reunited on 3 October 1990, 11 months after the fall of the Berlin Wall.