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Berlin Airlift
This one one of the first major international crises of the Cold War. The USSR blocked Western railways, roadways, and canal accesses. They offered to remove the blockade if the West withdrew the Deutsche Mark. In order to get supplies, the West had an airlift carry supplies over. -
Creation of NATO
The US, Canada, and other Western European countries created a collective security against the USSR. -
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Korean War
This was when North Korea (the communist side) invaded South Korea (the democratic side). The UN and the US helped South Korea, while Chinna and the USSR helped North Korea. This war led to the signing of an armistice. They are still technically at war today. -
Creation of Warsaw Pact
The Communist counteraction of NATO. This was a militaristic threat that showed communist dominance. This was a definite opponent to US capitalism. -
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Vietnam War
The USSR and China supported the Communist part of Vietnam while the US, South Korea, Australia, and Thailand supported the Democratic part. This war introduced guerrilla warfare; democracy versus communism. This caused Vietnam to split in half. -
Sputnik
The Soviet Union launched the first artificial Earth satellite. It set into a low Earth elliptical orbit. -
Construction of Berlin Wall
The wall was created along the borders of West Germany and East Germany. It was used as a barrier to separate the communist side from the democratic side. It physically and ideologically divided Berlin and the governments. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
This is also known as the October Crisis, Caribbean Crisis, and the Missile Scare. This was a 13-day confrontation between the US and the USSR. The US set off a ballistic missile in Italy and Turkey, while the USSR set off one in Cuba. -
Moon Landing
This was the first manned spacecraft to get to the moon. The US launched Apollo II to the moon on June 20th of 1969. -
Destruction of Berlin Wall
When it was announced that the Berlin Wall would be destroyed, euphoric people and souvenir hunters chipped off pieces of the wall. It was then demolished on November 9th of 1989.