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Period: to
Proxy Wars
Key Proxy Wars during the Cold War -
The Greek Civil War
Victory to the monarchists supported by the USA -
The Arab-Israeli Conflict
UN approved division of Palestine in 1947 into 2 territories, Muslim Arab Palestine and Jewish Israel. G.B. mandate ends and a series of wars follows: First Arab-Israeli War (1948-49), Six-Day War (1967), 1964 PLO established and 1987 First Intifada Began. Conflict remains unresolved today. -
The Berlin Blockade and the Berlin Wall
The Blockade and the subsequent building of the wall in 1961 to stop people escaping to the West. -
The Korean War
Communist North Korea, supported by the USSR and China, invaded South Korea, supported by the USA. Conflict ended in 1953 with an armistace but a peace treaty has never been signed. -
The Vietnam War
Influenced by the domino theory the USA believed South Vietnam could not be allowed to become communist and thus supported the South Vietnamese government, sending troops and bombing the Vietcong, they were unable to defeat them. In 1969 US troops were withdrawn but support continued until 1973 when a peace treaty was signed. In 1975 North Vietnam took control of the south. Laos and Cambodia also became communist states. This had profound political and social consequences. -
The Suez Crisis
Abdel Nasser, President, declared the Suez Canal belonged to Egypt, G.B. and France send troops but not supported by USA and troops withdrawn. -
The Cuban Missile Crisis
A coup established a dictatorship in Cuba in 1952 ending the USA's dominance, the failed invasion (Bay of Pigs) to remove Castro in 1961 led Cuba to form an alliance with the USSR. In 1962 nuclear weapons were sent to Cuba which almost led to military conflict between the USA and the USSR.