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Marshalls plan
This was a programme of economic aid offered by the United States to any European country. The plan was rejected outright by Stalin and any Eastern Bloc country considering accepting aid was reprimanded severely. Consequently the aid was only given to Western European Countries. -
Formation of West Germany
The French, USA and UK partitions of Germany were merged to form West Germany. -
Berlin Blockade
Russia’s response to the merger of the French, USA and UK partitions of Berlin was to cut all road and rail links to that sector. This meant that those living in Western Berlin had no access to food supplies and faced starvation. Food was brought to Western Berliners by US and UK airplanes, an exercise known as the Berlin Airlift. -
End of Berlin Blockade
Russia ended the blockade of Berlin. -
NATO formed
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation formed with member states Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States -
Korean War
The Korean war began when North Korea invaded South Korea. -
Death of Stalin
Joseph Stalin died at the age of 74. He was succeeded by Nikita Khrushchev. -
Korean War
The Korean war ended. North Korea remained affiliated with Russia while South Korea was affiliated with the USA. -
Geneva Accords
This set of documents ended the French war with the Vietminh and divided Vietnam into North and South states. The communist leader of North Vietnam was Ho Chi Minh while the US friendly south was led by Ngo Dinh Diem. -
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact was formed with member states East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Albania, Bulgaria, and the Soviet Union. -
Hungarian Revolution
gathered momentum and on 24th October Soviet tanks entered Budapest. The tanks withdrew on 28th October and a new government was formed which quickly moved to introduce democracy, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion. The Soviet tanks returned on 4th November encircling Budapest. The Prime Minister Imre Nagy made a World broadcast that Hungary was under attack from the Soviet Union and calling for aid. Hungary fell to Russia on 10th November 1956. -
Space Race
USSR Sputnik II carried Laika the dog, the first living creature to go into space. -
Space Race
Russian cosmonaut Yuri Alekseyvich Gagarin became the first human being in space. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
A force of Cuban exiles, trained by the CIA, aided by the US government attempted to invade Cuba and overthrow the Communist government of Fidel Castro. The attempt failed. -
Berlin Wall
Berlin wall built and borders sealed between East and West Germany. -
JFK Assassination
JF Kennedy was assassinated while on a visit to Dallas. Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested for the murder but there has always been speculation that he was not a lone killer and that there may have been communist or CIA complicity. -
USSR
Nikita Krushchev removed from office. He was replaced by Leonid Brezhnev. -
Vietnam War
150,000 US troops sent to Vietnam. -
Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia
Warsaw Pact forces entered Czechoslovakia in a bid to stop the reforms known as ‘Prague Spring’ instigated by Alexander Dubcek. When he refused to halt his programme of reforms Dubcek was arrested. -
Space Race
US launched Apollo 8 – first manned orbit of the Moon. -
Space Race
US Apollo 11 landed on the Moon and Neil Armstrong became the first man on the Moon. -
Vietnam War
President Richard Nixon ordered US troops to go to Cambodia. -
Four Power Agreement Berlin
The Four Power Agreement made between Russia, USA, Britain and France reconfirmed the rights and responsibilities of those countries with regard to Berlin. -
Vietnam
The Paris Peace Accords ended American involvement in Vietnam. -
Iranian hostage crisis
A group of Iranian students and militants stormed the American embassy and took 53 Americans hostage to show their support for the Iranian Revolution. -
Afghanistan
Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan -
Olympic Boycott by USA
A number of countries including the USA boycotted the summer Olympics held in Moscow in protest at the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Other countries including Great Britain participated under the Olympic flag rather than their national flag -
Iranian hostage crisis ended
The Iranian hostage crisis ended 444 days after it began -
Olympic boycott by Russia
Russia and 13 allied countries boycotted the summer Olympics held in Los Angeles in retaliation for the US boycott of 1980. -
Govbachov leader of USSR
Mikhail Gorbachev became leader of the Soviet Union -
Afghanistan
The last Soviet troops left Afghanistan -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
The berlin wall was torn down. -
Malta Summit
This meeting between Mikhail Gorbachov and George H W Bush reversed much of the provisions of the Yalta Conference 1945. It is seen by some as the beginning of the end of the cold war. -
Romanian Revolution
Riots broke out which culminated in the overthrow and execution of the leader Ceauşescu and his wife. -
German reunification
East and West Germany were reunited as one country. -
End of Cold War
There were pro liberalism because at this point they no longer have to choose between communism and capitalism -
START
The Strategic Arms Reduction treaty was signed between Russia and the USA