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Formation of the Eastern Bloc
The countries left over from Stalin's reign in Europe were know as the Eastern Bloc. These countries include the Soviet Union and the countries involved in the Warsaw Pact. Churchill refers to them as being behind an "iron curtain" of control from Moscow. -
Postwar occupation and division of Germany
Germany surrendered and was split into 4 parts. One part for The Soviets, French, US, and Great Britain. Berlin was also split the same way even though it was in the middle of Soviet controlled Germany. -
Greek Civil War
The Greek communist party tried to seize control over Greece. This was occurring while ever other country from WWII was still trying to recover. The war also occurred because Britain could not afford to protect it post WWII -
Enactment of Marshall Plan
The Marshall plan was a plan put in place by the U.S. Government to bring aid to the war torn countries of the world. The U.S. spent 13 Billion Dollars in 1948. The countries helped include: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and western Germany. -
Berlin Blockade and Airlift
The Soviets attempted to force the US and Great Britain out of their part of Berlin by blocking the land routes inside the city. However both countries started taking goods into the people by plane instead until the Soviets gave up. Planes were coming in and out so fast that planes was landing every 30 seconds. -
Chinese Communist Revolution
The revolution was the second part of the Chinese Civil War. The communist party was led by Mao Zedong. He declared the creation of the People's Republic of China and overthrew the government. -
Korean War
The Korean War was a battle between communist North Korea and democratic South Korea. The North Koreans had support from the Soviets and the Chinese while the South Koreans had support from the U.S. The U.S. failed to push into North Korea and an armistice was signed creating North and South Korea. -
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution was a revolution against the authoritarian government of Cuba. The revolution was led by Fidel Castro who convinced people to over throw and replace the government with a socialist state. Later on it became a communist state with Castro retaining power. -
Vietnam War
The U.S. sided with South Vietnam who was attempting to push back the Soviet supported Communist North Vietnam. The U.S. ultimately failed to push them back and retreated out of Vietnam. 58,220 U.S service men died before it was called off. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
Cuban exiles trained by the U.S. government attempted to seize control of the Cuban government from Fidel Castro. The plan was put in place by the C.I.A. and the rebels were trained in camps and given weapons. The attack was a complete failure and Cuba remained a communist state. -
Building the Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier put up by the Soviet Union in an effort to keep the people of East Berlin from getting out. The wall was the symbol of the differences between the Communist and the Capitalist. The wall separated families and loved ones from each other and trapped the people inside. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a standoff between the U.S. and the Soviet Union over nuclear weapons. The Soviet attempted to place nuclear missiles in Cuba miles from the coast of the U.S. This was however short lived because of a U.S. blockade. This event was the closest the U.S. and the Soviets ever came to complete annihilation and was resolved at the last second. -
Soviet War in Afghanistan
The communist Afghan government was under threat of being eliminated by the Afghan rebels. The Soviet Union stepped in to help defend against the rebels that were armed with almost antique weapons from earlier wars. Using Guerrilla warfare the rebels defeated the Soviets and humiliated them into leaving Afghanistan. -
Tiananmen Square Massacre
Chinese troops gunned down and killed pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square. The death toll ranged from several hundred to thousands. After this incident China's reputation was demolished and had shocked allies and enemies alike. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was finally opened after almost 30 years of being closed off. The destruction of the wall symbolized the start of the new age and the fall of communism. After its destruction east and west Germany combined back into one country. -
Fall of the Soviet Union
The Soviet Union was one of the most powerful countries in the world up until their fall. Their fall was mostly due to economic problems that come with communism like producing too much of something and not enough of another. The former Soviet Union became known as Russia and adopted a democracy into their system.
