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V.E. Day
The end of the war, also known as V.E. Day, was on May 8th and was the result of Germany surrendering the day before. V.E. stands for Victory in Europe. With the war against Germany finally done, the alliances no longer needed each other. That's when the U.S and the Soviet Union's opposing ideologies emerged, causing tension. This an example of a political act because Berlin was divided into Eastern and Western Berlin. The West was capitalist and the East was communist. A wall separated the two. -
Attack on Japan
The U.S came up with a project to create the first atomic bomb, which was called the Manhattan Project. It was used against Japan twice. The first one was dropped over the city of Hiroshima and then Nagasaki, resulting is mass casualties of innocent civilians. This is an example of militaristic action that was intended to intimidate the Soviet Union. Basically the U.S was trying to show that they have a destructive weapon that they're not afraid to use. -
The Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan is another name for the European Recovery Program. The premise of this program was the U.S generating about $13 billion to help European countries recover from the damages caused by WWII. It was a success, however the Soviet Union saw this as a threat. The U.S even offered to help communist nations, including the Soviet Union. They declined the offer even if they needed the help. This is an example of economic action. The U.S benefited greatly and proved to be resourceful. -
NATO and Warsaw Pact
The possibility of the spread of communism caused the U.S and 11 other Western nations to created an organization called NATO, which stands for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It was basically an alliance between capitalist countries. Then in 1955, the Soviet Union and other communist nations created an alliance and called it the Warsaw Pact. This an example of political policy. -
The Race to Space
The race to space began in 1955. Both the U.S and the USSR announced that they will be sending satellites into orbit. In 1957, Russia successfully launched the Sputnik I. On April 12, 1961, the Soviet Union was again the first to put a man in space. However, the Soviet's winning streak finally came to an end. On July, 14, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon, which was a huge win for the U.S. This is an example of scientific and technological advancement over the USSR. -
Olympic Sports
Sports played a huge role in the Cold War. The United States and the Soviet Union were very competitive, especially in the Olympics. By winning, it shows that they're nation is superior over the other. It was the perfect platform to showcase their skills and how developed they are. This is an example of cultural action because the media promoted events between capitalist and communist athletes. It was made it a really big deal to see who would come out on top. -
The Berlin Wall is Toppled
As the Cold War came to an end, Eastern and Western Berlin were finally reunited. The fall of the Berlin Wall symbolized the fall of the Soviet Union. This event is an example of both political and cultural because it was end of the Cold War and was a huge deal especially for Germans. For 28 years, Western and Eastern Germany had two completely different goverments, capitalist and communist. The fall of the Berlin Wall was a huge culture change, especially for the Germans stuck in the East.
