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Victory in Europe (VE) Day
The German army formally surrenders to the Allied powers, signifying an end to the fighting in Europe. With the surrender of the Nazi army, the common enemy that was holding the US and USSR together as allies is no longer existent. -
Potsdam Conference
With the defeat of Nazi Germany, the Ally powers wanted to remain in Germany to ensure its reconstruction and also make sure that no Nazi powers remained. However, both the western Allies and Soviet Union wanted a part in this, so the powers decided to separate the country into 4 zones, one for France, Britain, America, and the USSR. Each country had domain over its zones people, and to pass through a zone required a pass and going through a checkpoint. -
Moscow Conference
At this conference, between the US and USSR, the two superpowers agreed to split the Korean peninsula, which was under Japanese control and newly liberated, into two halves, one that each country had influence over. The goal was help the country of Korea towards independence, however each country instilled its form of government and economics in either side, leading to the still current division of Korea. -
Airlift of Berlin
Joseph Stalin had decided he wanted Berlin to himself and the Soviet Union, so he decided to close all land routes into Berlin fo East Germany, meaning that no vehicles could supply people and troops in West Berlin. In response, Western Allies dropped supplies via an airlift. This is one of the first "conflicts" between the Soviet Union and Western Allies. -
Soviet Union detonates nuclear bomb
For 4 years, the United States knew that they were the only country in the world that possessed the ability to destroy entire cities by the way of a nuclear bomb. That changed in August of 1949, when the Soviet Union announced they had successfully detonated a nuclear bomb. This resonated greatly with the American people, because this greatly incereased fear of the Soviet Union. -
Beginning of Korean War
The first proxy war between the US and the Soviet Union fought in Korea. The war begins when the North Korean Army invades South Korea, and almost completely succeeds if not for American intervention. After pushing the North Korean army back to its northern border, the communist Chinese army (using Soviet equipment) joined the war with the North Koreans, bringing the war to a stalemate at the 38th parallel. Although an armistice was signed on July 27, 1953, the two countries are still fighting -
The Warsaw Pact
Feeling threatened by the combined power of Western Europe and North America through NATO, the Soviet Union develops its own version of NATO, called The Warsaw Pact. This group of countries is a military equivalent of NATO, and includes East Germany, Romania, Poland, Hungary, and the Soviet Union. -
Beginning of Vietnam War
What would become the longest actual war of the Cold War, this war lasted nearly 20 years, with the fighting taking place in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia in southeast Asia. This was largely a war of attrition, both sides rarely moving positions, just fighting to keep their place. The North Vietnamese Army, backed by the Soviet Union, fought the South Vietnamese Army, backed by the US. The war ended in 1975 with the withdrawal of US forces, and the annexation of South Vietnam by North Vietnam. -
Launch of Sputnik I
The beginning of the Space Race between the US and USSR, the first victory was made by the Soviet Union with the success of Sputnik I, the first artificial object in space. Although this satellite was only capable of projecting radio emissions, it meant that the Soviet Union was that much closer to putting larger objects in space, most feared nuclear missiles. -
Sino-Soviet split
During the month of June, the Chinese people had began to officially break apart from being a dependant of the Soviet Union, believing its form of communism different, and superior. The Chinese began to work towards being their own superpower, rivaling the US and USSR. -
Construction of Berlin Wall
The Soviet Union builds a wall dividing East and West Berlin, due to a lack of progress in talks regarding the future of Germany. This wall would become a symbol for the Cold War, and how it caused a great division between two parts of the world. -
The Cuban Missile Crisis
Perhaps the most tense and scary moment of the Cold War, this is where the world stood its closest to nuclear war. After discovering Soviet nuclear weapons in Cuba, 90 miles from Florida, America demanded that the weapons be removed. After tense negotiations, the Societ Union and America eventually came to a peaceful resolution that involved removing the missiles from Cuba, as well as American missiles from Turkey. -
China tests atomic bomb
The Chinese now have a succesful nuclear weapon, adding to the validity of their status of a superpower. The nation now has a weapon on par with with the US and USSR, in addition to its already incredibly large military. -
Neil Armstrong Walks on the Moon
What is seen by many as an American victory of the space race, man has now landed on the moon. Neil Armstong becomes a symbol for American streangth, tenacity, innovation, and success. The US would continue to send people to the moon to bring home samples for scientific study. -
Death of Mao Zedong
The death of Mao Zedong, the founder of Communist China and Chairman of the People's Republic of China, was a huge hit to the people of China. Approximately one million Chinese citizens attended a funeral to pay their respects. Mao changed China and helped lead it to the superpower it has become. -
American boycott of the Moscow Olympics
Partially due to the conflict in Afghanistan, but largely just due to the tension between the two, the US decides to not attend the Summer Olympics taking place in Moscow. America's influence led aohter major countries to boycott as well, including Canada, West Germany, Argentina, and Saudi Arabia. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
This was the beginning of the end for the Soviet Union. The fall of the Berlin Wall meant that Germany was beginning to be reunified, and that the Soviet Union no longer had the resources to keep the border enforced. Less than a year later, Germany was officially reunified into one country. -
Soviet Union Dissolves
Essentially the end to the Cold War, the Council of Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR officially decides that the Soviet Union is over and that it no longer will function. This was preceded by Mikhail Gorbachev resigning as President the previous day. The United States has outlasted the Soviet Union, in essence winning the Cold War.
