-
Korea is Split
At the end of WWII, Korea was split on the 38th Parallel, a line separating the North and the South. The South was decided to be occupied by the United States while the north would be occupied by the USSR. When this happens, the South is declared democratic while the North is declared communist. This split was supposed to be temporary, but as we see today, it wasn't. -
Yalta Conference
On February 4, 1945 world leaders Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Joseph Stalin met to talk about postwar strategies from World War II. Here it was decided that Germany would be split up and their armies would be taken away. They also discussed future war plans as well. Stalin would join the effort against Japan in this meeting, and Poland's leadership would be discussed as well. It was finally decided that Poland could have elections while also being controlled under Stalin. -
Roosevelt Dies
On this Day, President Roosevelt dies and Vice President Truman takes office. He was very overwhelmed as he took office, but finally found his way and helped America through the transition. -
United Nations is Formed
On this day, nearly 50 nations met to create a super nation that would keep peace around the world and have the power to intervene on countries. It was much stronger than the League of Nations, and is still around today. The United Nations even made a security council and made a united military force from the countries involved. -
Soviets make an Atomic Bomb
On September 3, 1949 the Soviets had tested their first atomic bomb. The United States panicked. The citizens and the American government started to anticipate a nuclear war. Schools and businesses started to make drills of what to do if an atomic bomb should hit. The American government then added to military spending and started working on the hydrogen bomb. -
China is now Communist
China had entered its second civil war, led by a communist party and a leader by the name of Mao Zedong. They fought the nationalists led by Chaing Kai Shek. Sadly, Mao had one and China joined the communist countries. The nationalists, saddened by defeat, run to Taiwan in exile. The rest of the world watched in disbelief as the color red grew stronger. -
North Korea invades South Korea
Advised by the USSR, North Korea had invaded South Korea with brutal force. The South fought back with weapons supplied by both the United States and the United Nations. This horrible event began a depressing war called the Korean War.China had also joined North Korea and the fighting only grew. This invasion sparked a war lasting just over three years long. -
Inchon Landing
100 miles south of the 38th parallel, the United States sent a troop of U.S. marines to fight at Inchon Harbor on the west side. The United Nations had advised Douglas MacArthur against it, but he sent the troops anyways. The battle was won by the United States and the U.N. at Seol and changed the soldier's attitude towards the war. They were more optimistic and ready to win. -
Ceasefire Negotiations Bein
The Korean War had started with a wild war, where the sides would fight along the 38th Parallel between North Korea and South Korea. As months passed in the war, the two sides became smarter and carefully chose where to fight. As this happened the troops from North Korea and the troops from South Korea began to negotiate a ceasefire. -
MacArthur is Fired
A disagreement between President Truman and General MacArthur had started at the beginning of the Korean War. MacArthur had kept the U.S. and U.N. troops in South Korea, but he wanted to expand the war into China when the Chinese joined the North Korean armies. He had even wanted to bomb the chinese with help from Taiwan. President Truman felt that this was very wrong and had decided to fire General MacArthur and tell the public what happened. -
Joseph Stalin Dies
Stalin had suffered a stroke after being warned for nearly a year to take better care of himself. However, with the end of Stalin with a stroke, the Korean War turned. With the death of Joseph Stalin, countries were now more open to signing and armistice. -
Armistice is Formed
Delegates from the U.S., USSR, Korea, and the U.N., with delegates from any other country involved in the war, met to come to a conclusion to the end of Korean War. With years in the making, the armistice had finally withdrawn troops from the Koreas, suspended hostilities, formed the Military Armistice Commission, and most importantly created the Demilitarized Zone. This new zone is what now separates North Korea from South Korea. This new zone is the buffer separating communists from democrats. -
NATO Accepts Germany
Germany was finally starting to become calmer and more reliable to the other European Nations and the U.S. So on May 9, 1955 NATO decided to allow Germany to join NATO and remilitarize. The Soviets were hurt by this action and wanted to retaliate. -
Warsaw Pact is Formed
The Soviet Union and European Countries met in a response to Germany joining NATO and decided to make the Warsaw Pact. This pact was a united form of defense against outside powers. If someone should invade, members of the treaty would send forces to aid the country getting invaded or attacked. -
Poznan Rioters Attacked
Workers in Poznan, Poland were experiencing hard working conditions and pay. They wanted to address the government by silently walking out of the factories and then progressively getting louder with chants. The Soviet Union and their government then sent tanks and aircraft to deal with the rioters. The tanks shot at the rioters and had many casualties. -
Suez Crisis
After Egypt controlled the Suez Canal to control oil prices in Europe, Israel attacked in hopes to control the oil prices. The British and French had joined the Israeli forces, but the Soviet Union aided Egypt. Egypt and the Soviet Union eventually won and showed the United States once again that the Soviet Union is a foe, not a friend. This resulted in the British and French losing world power and the United States and Soviet Union gaining world power. -
Fidel Castro Takes Cuba
On January 1st, 1959 Fidel Castro had finally won his revolution in Batista where he finally became the Prime Minister of Cuba. He had finally gone to Havana a week later to take his role as leader. From then on he and the United States had a difficult relationship. -
Berlin Wall is Built
After World War II had ended, the United States, Britain, and France controlled East Germany to promote democracy while the Soviet Union occupied West Germany to promote communism. When the United States, Britain, and France had started to push for democracy in the West, the Soviet Union built a wall as a buffer to the Democratic East. It demonstrated a literal interpretation of the Cold War as it fell at the end of the war. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The United States had learned that the Soviet Union and Cuba were close allies years before this crisis. When the United States had learned that the Soviet Union had nuclear missiles around Cuba, the United States ordered a naval blockade to surround the island. President Kennedy knew he had to inform the public, and when he did he made it very clear that the United States would act with strong forces. -
USS Maddox Attacked and the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
In August of 1964, the USS Maddox was attacked Vietnamese torpedo boats. This led President Johnson to order air strikes on Vietnamese bases and officially enter the United States in the Vietnam War. In the air strike attack the United States lose two planes and one pilot is taken prisoner. Congress then passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution to protect the United States against oncoming threats. -
Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty Signed
The talks of this treaty had begun in May of 1972, and eventually led to the signing of the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty in August of 1972. This treaty made it so the United States and the Soviet Union could not produce nuclear missiles. This treaty was the slow decline of the Cold War and the anger the United States had towards the Soviet Union. -
South Vietnam Becomes Communist
The Vietnam War was a long and sad war. The north was fighting for communism and the south was fighting for democracy like the Korean War. This war ended sadly though. The North had finally caused the South to surrender in Saigon on April 17, 1975. -
Angola Becomes Communist
Fidel Castro had wanted to expand communist intervention over to Africa. Since Angola was going through a civil war he helped them by giving the weapons and technical advisors.The Soviet Union had also sent aid to the Angolan people to hopefully become another communist party. The United States saw this as an immense threat to democracy and grew very upset with the fact that Angola was now a communist country with help from Cuba and the Soviet Union. -
Soviets Invade Afghanistan
The Soviet Union had a treaty with the Afghanistan people and invaded to uphold it. However the treaty was for the Afghans who wanted a communist country. As the Soviet Union invaded there were only a few brief resistances from the Afghans. So the Soviet Union had an easy invasion and enlisted a Communist Dictator for afghanistan. With a new leader, Soviet troops were ordered to enter Afghanistan through the north three days later. -
Revolutions in Eastern Europe and the End of the Cold War
The year 1989 was full of Anti-Communism and freedom. The Cold War finally came to an end when the Soviet Union Fell. First, the Soviet Union withdrew its troops from Afghanistan, then Poland and Hungary fought for independence from the empire. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, and Rumania are finally free of Communism and the Soviet Union. With the Soviet Union losing so much power and ultimately demolished, the United States essentially won the Cold War. -
Berlin Wall Falls
In November of 1989, the Berlin Wall falls in response to communism failing in Western Germany. Peaceful revolutions were fought across Europe and Germany noticed it was time to reunite. With that they demolished the Berlin Wall and allowed migration back into Eastern and Western Germany.
