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Cold War Begins
The United States dropped atomic bombs on both Nagasaki and Hiroshima that ended the war with Japan and started the Cold War with the Soviet Union. The United States showed that they had the capability of developing nuclear weapons and started an arms race between super powers. -
Winston Churchill Iron Curtain Speech
Churchill gave a speech in which he defined the spread of communism as a threat to the “West”. It was the first high profile description of a power struggle with communism. -
Berlin Blockade and Airlift
As the Soviet Union tried to cut off Berlin from the west America used planes and airlifted supplies to the people of Berlin. The US stood up to Stalin and finally got him to back down. -
NATO treaty signed
America along with mostly European countries signed a treaty in order to prevent the spread of communism in Europe. It served to bring Europe and America together in there effort to contain the Soviet Union. -
Korean War
The United States supported South Korea in a conflict vs. North Korea and communist China to stop the spread of communism and maintain South Korea as a democratic state. -
Rosenberg Trial
The Rosenberg’s were convicted of spying for the Soviet Union and passing them classified information and atomic bomb secrets. This defined the struggle between the super powers for military superiority. -
Warsaw Pact
This was an agreement between the Soviet Union and their Eastern European allies to counter NATO and American presence in Europe. It was a military pact that supported the Soviet agenda. -
Vietnam War
This was another war about restricting the expansion of communism. America supported South Vietnam against the North Vietnamese and their communist allies of China and the Soviet Union. -
Sputnik Launched into Space
This was a Soviet launch of a satellite into space. It was meaningful because it signified their technological superiority. It was the start of a space race between the 2 nations. -
Bay of Pigs
This was an American disaster where the CIA tried to stop the spread of communism from the western hemisphere and failed. Fidel Castro succeeded in staving off the American Invasion and gained power in Cuba. -
Construction of the Berlin Wall
The Soviet Union decided to build a barrier separating East and West Berlin. They needed to do this in order to stop people from defecting from East Berlin. The wall was built to stop the brain drain and keep people from leaving communism for a better life of capitalism. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
President John F Kennedy used military force to persuade the Soviets from putting nuclear warheads on Cuban soil. He used a Naval blockade and show of force that was sufficient to deter both Castro and the Soviets. -
Apollo
America put a man on the moon, taking the lead in the space race. It was a statement of our capabilities and technological prowess. -
SALT treaty
The US and Soviets agreed and signed a treaty to limit their nuclear weapons making the world a safer place. -
Olympic Boycott
The US boycotted the Soviet Olympics in order to protest their invasion of Afghanistan, Which was an attempt to slow the expansion of the Soviet borders and spread of communism. -
Strategic Defense Initiative
President Ronald Reagan started a program set up to examine a defense system against foreign ballistic missiles. The idea was to have an air defense system in the sky capable of destroying oncoming missiles in the sky. This high tech dream never became a reality. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
The re unification of Germany was an indication that communism was failing. The Soviet Union could no longer control the countries in the Warsaw Pact. -
End of the Soviet Union
The threat of communism was over and Russia was born. Capitalism had persevered and won. The Soviets were no longer a super power and China would rise to challenge America.
