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World War II ends in Europe.
Germany surrenders to the Western Allies. The Soviet Union is formed. -
Period: to
The Cold War
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Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was an international relations policy set forth by President Truman in a speech. It stated that the United States would support Greece and Turkey with economic and military aid to prevent them from falling into the Soviet sphere. -
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
The North Atalantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was created by the United States, Canada, and Western European nations to provide collective security against the Soviet Union. -
RDS-1
Soviet Union explodes its first atomic bomb in Semipalatinsk Kasakh SSR. After the successful launch, the Soviet Union became the second nation to detonate a nuclear device. -
Hungaran Revolution
An impulsive nationwide revolt against the government of the Huangarian People's republic and the Soviet-imposed policies. It was the first major threat to Soviet control since the Soviet's force drove out the Nazis at the end of World War II. -
Sputnik I
The Soviet Union launched the first man-made satellite. The launch of Sputnik I triggered the Space Race against the Soviet Union and the United States. -
Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro becomes the prime minister of Cuba. Castro immediately established the first Communist government in Cuba. -
The Berlin Wall
The Berlin wall was built by East Germany in order to keep Wastern "facists" from entering East Germany and undermining the socialist state. For 30 years it was the defining symbol of the Cold War. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a thirteen-day political and military standoff over the installation of nuclear-armed Soviet missiles in Cuba, just 90 miles from the United States shores. -
1973 Chilean coup d'etat
Socialist president Salvador Allende of Cuba was overthrown by armed forces and the national police. The military abolished the civilian government and established a junta government which was supported by the United States government. -
Cuban intervention in Angola
Soviet Union and Cuban forces contribute to the instllation of a Communist government in Angola. -
Operation Urgent Fury
The United States invaded Grenada, a Caribbean island nation located north of Venezulea, which resulted in a United States victory within a matter of weeks. The invasion resulted in the restoration of a constitutional government. -
Perestroika and Glasnost
Mikhail Gorbachev became leader of the Soviet Union and declared glasnost and perestroika. Perestroika refers to the reconstruction of the political and economic system established by the Communist Party. Glasnost means "openness" and was the name for the social and political reforms to bestow more rights and freedoms upon the Soviet people. -
The Berlin Wall is demolished
The process of demolishing the Berlin Wall began. People came with sledgehammers and chisels to chip off souvenirs from the wall. There was television coveage around the world featuring the demolition. -
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
The Soviet Union is abolished. Mikhali Gorbachev gives into the inevitable and resigns as president of the Soviet Union. He annouces the extinction of the Soviet Union and hands over the presidency to Boris Yeltsin.
