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Germany surrenders
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The United States drops its first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan
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A second atomic bomb is dropped on Nagasaki, Japan
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Japan surrenders, ending World War II
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Greece descends into civil war after the British restore a royalist government
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Churchill declares that Europe is divided by an "iron curtain" separating the Communist camp from the Western camp
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The Marshall Plan is put forward to help rebuild Europe and contain the spread of communism
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The Soviets support a coup d'état in Czechoslovakia, bringing the country fully into the Eastern bloc
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Period: to
The Soviets impose a blockade on West Berlin, which is countered by a Western airlift
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NATO is formed as a military alliance between Western countries
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The USSR successfully tests its first atomic bomb
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Period: to
The Korean War takes place, ending in ceasefire and the continued division of Korea
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A ceasefire is signed in Korea, and demilitarized zone becomes the new border between the two Korea
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The Suez Canal is nationlized by Egypt, leading to a military intervention by the UK, France and Israel, which is ultimately called off due to pressure from the US and USSR
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The USSR launches the first satellite into space
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China begins bombing islands controlled by Taiwan, leading to US intervention
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The Cuban Missile Crisis brings the US and USSR to the brink of nuclear war, but is ultimately resolved through negotiations
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Period: to
The US massively bombs North Vietnam and deploys troops, escalating its involvement in the Vietnam War
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The US formalizes its disengagement from Vietnam
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A military coup in Chile overthrows the socialist government of Salvador Allende
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North Vietnamese forces invade South Vietnam, leading to the reunification of the country under communist rule
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Gorbachev comes to power in the USSR and pursues a policy of international appeasement
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The Berlin Wall is torn down
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The USSR is dissolved
