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Japan Surrenders -- end of World War II
Japan surremded on August 14, 1945. This brought the hostilities of World War II to an end. -
Marshall Plan is Announced
The Marshall plan was a nickname for the European Recovery Programme. This was set up because the economy of Europe had been ruined by the Second World War -
Berlin Blockade by USSR Begins
The Berlin Blockade was the first major international event of the Cold War. The Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway, road and canal access to parts of Berlin that were under Ally control -
NATO ratified as a military organization
NATO is short for North Atlantic Treaty Organization. This organization constitutes a system of safe collective defenses. -
USSR explodes its first atomic bomb
The USSR's first attempt to make an atomic bomb was code named First Lightning. After the success of this this attempt the Soviet Union was the second nation to develop nuclear weapons -
KGB Soviet Secret Police esstablished
The KGB was the Committee for State Security in Russia. It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and provided most of the internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time -
Warsaw Pact Formed
This was a mutual defense treaty that was formed between 8 communist states. This treaty was estabished under the initiative of the Soviet Union. -
USSR launches Sputnik into Earths orbit
Sputnik was a Soviet union artificial satellite. It was the first artificial satellite to be launched into earth's orbit. -
Construction of Berlin Wall begins
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic. This wall cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin. -
Cuban Missile Crisis (nuclear war nearly averted)
The Cuban Misisile Crisis was a 13 day confrontation beween the USSR, Cuba and the US. The stategic placement of Cuba allowed the Soviets to effectively target almost the entire continental United States with nuclear weapons. -
Gulf of Tonkin incident -- Start of Vietnam war
The Tonkin incident was the USS Maddox was performing signal intelligence partol and engaged three North Vietnamese Navy torpedo boats. A sea battle resulted, which started the Vietnam war. -
US lands first man on the moon
The United States's Apollo 11 was the first manned mission to land on the Moon. -
SALT I nuclear treaty signed
SALT was short for The Strategic Arms Limitation. SALT froze the number of strategic ballistic missile launchers at existing levels -
SALT II nuclear treaty signed
SALT II was a continuation of SALT I. SALT II was many controversial experiment of negotiations between Jimmy Carter and Leonid Brezhnev. -
Ronald Reagan elected President
Ronald Reagan was eleced president in 1980. This was important because he ended up having part in ending the Cold War. -
Reagan reveals Strategic Defense Initiatiave, "Star Wars"
This was a U.S. program that Reagan made. It was a space-based system to defend the nation from attack by strategic ballistic missiles. -
Reagan and Gorbachev resolve to remove all intermediate nuclear missiles from Europe
There was a treaty signed between United States of America and the Soviet Union. This treaty requires destruction of the Parties' ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of between 500 and 5,500 kilometers. -
Berlin Wall falls
East German official Gunter Schabowski stated that thravel through the border to West Germany was open. This brought celebration to the Berlin wall because people felt more free. -
Warsaw Pact ends
Soviet military commanders relinquished their control of Warsaw Pact forces. The pact's Political Consultative Committee met and formally ended the Warsaw Pact. -
USSR dissolved, Cold War ends
This left all Soviet Union leaders to run their own states. The ending of the world's largest communist state also marked an end to the Cold War.
