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ATOMIC BOMBING
During WWII, America deployed the worlds first atomic bomb over Japans factory city of Hiroshima. The resulting explosion killed 90% of the cities population immediately killing 80,000 civilians. Three days later another a-bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, another Japanese city, killing an estimated 40,000 more people. In the following days tens of thousands more would die due to radiation exposure. -
IRON CURTAIN
The iron curtain was a ideological and political barrier established by the Soviet Union following WWII to isolate itself and other communist nations from the West. This metaphorical barrier restricted and prohibited any news flow, imports or influences from Western nations into communist areas. -
NATO
NATO abbreviated for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, was established in 1949 uniting the United States and 11 other Western nations. This unity gave a sense of security and mildly eliminated the fear of Communist expansion. This pact established that if one of the nations were to be attacked it would be an attack to NATO. The NATO pact continued its existence beyond the Cold War. -
KOREAN WAR
The Korean War began in the summer of 1950 between the Democratic's People Republic of Korea, now North Korea, and the Republic of Korea, now South Korea. The Soviet Union created its involvement by supplying and advising North Korea. To oppose the USSR, the United States began to aid the South Korean side. After 2.5 million lives were taken, the war ended in July of 1953 leaving Korea split into two states. -
VIETNAM WAR
The Vietnam War, lasting from late 1955 to early 1975, followed the split into two states after they gained Independence from French rule. North Vietnam identified as a communist nation while the South identified as non-communistic. Both governments were pitted against each other, the North with a vantage point because of their allies, the Vietcong, in South Vietnam. The U.S provided support to the South and the U.S.S.R provided to the North. A withdrawal from the U.S. left the South to fall. -
U2 INCIDENT
As the Soviet Union began to have rapid technological advancements, the US began to grow anxious. In order gather information on the USSR, United States high altitude spy planes called U-2's were sent to fly over deep Russia. On May 1, 1960 an American U-2 spy plane was shot down by a Soviet missile. The pilot, Francis Gray Powers, was captured and the US was convicted of espionage leaving them to admit to several years of spy missions. This incident raised tensions between the two nations. -
BAY OF PIGS INVASION
Fidel Castro, a Cuban nationalist, drove a guerrilla army into Havana Cuba overthrowing the American enforced president in 1959. After two years of attempting to push Castro out of power, the CIA launched a full scale invasion of Cuba with 1,400 American trained Cubans. The invaders were outnumbered by Castro troops leaving the to surrender in less than 24 hours. -
BERLIN WALL
On the night of August 13, 1961, the communist East Germany began to construct a barbed wire and concrete wall blocking out "fascist" West Germany. With East Germany being run by the allies as well as a section of the capital Berlin and the West being run by the Soviet Union, the purpose of the wall was to eliminate any Western influence and immigration to the West. Those who tried to cross and escape to the West were killed resulting in 171 deaths. -
CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS
For 13 days, the leaders of the two superpowers engaged in a political and military standoff regarding the installment of Soviet missiles in Cuba. These nuclear armed missiles were placed only 90 miles from US shores. President Kennedy enacted a blockade around Cuba clearly conveying to the USSR that the US was prepared to use military force. This created a national fear of nuclear war. Fortunately, the leaders agreed to remove missiles from Cuba and Turkey. -
FALL OF BERLIN WALL
As the Cold War began to thaw, East Berlins Communist Party announced, on November 9, 1989, that at midnight all were free to the border separating the East from the West. That night people flocked to wall using hammers and picks to remove chunks of the wall. Almost a year later, on October 3, 1990, East and West Germany were reunified. The Berlin Wall remains as one of the most powerful symbols of WWII.
