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World War II ends in Europe
Importance: The beginning of The Cold War. -
U.S drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan
Importance: The instant devastation on Hiroshima shocked the world in disbelief and despair. -
Truman Doctrine announced
Importance: It was the beginning of the containment policy to stop Soviet expansion. -
North Atlantic Treaty announced.
Importance: NATO shows a role of peacekeeping and crisis management. It is a military alliance against Soviet aggression. -
Warsaw Pact formed
Importance: It provided stablity between both conflicting forces and was a form of non-nuclear confrontation between the allied Soviet and the United States. -
Soviets launch first man-made satellite
Importance: Sputnik ignited the Space Race regarding the Cold War. -
Germany builds Berlin Wall
Importance: It was a wall that divided East Germany and West Germany. -
Cuban Missile Crisis began
Importance: it proved the Soviets were not afraid to risk a nuclear exchange. -
China explodes its first atomic bomb
Importance: China is the fifth member of this exclusive club, joining the United States, the Soviet Union, Great Britain, and France. -
President Nixon goes to China
Importance: It was the step to form a relationship between the United States and the People's Republic of China. -
United States & China establish diplomatic relations
Importance: It created ties with China as putting greater pressure on the Soviet Union and enhancing American power in East Asia. -
U.S invades Grenada
Importance: It was first major U.S. military operation since the end of the Vietnam War. -
Mikhail Gorbachev is leader of the Soviet Union
Importance: He believed that a better Soviet economy depended on better relationships with the rest of the world, especially the United States. -
The Berlin Wall is destroyed
Importance: It was a symbol of increasing freedom. -
The Soviet Union is abolished
Importance: It ended Russia's march to democracy.
