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An iron curtain descends across Europe
After World War II, the Soviet Union sealed off itself and its dependent European allies from open contact with the West and other noncommunist areas. The Iron Curtain acted as an crucial role throughout the Cold War times. It wasn't only a wall of barbed wire, it was a symbol of the political division in Europe. -
Berlin Airlift occurs and Czechoslovakia becomes the last Eastern European country to become communist
After Berlin was split into four, the USSR blocked all the roads to West Berlin. To show the determination of protecting Berlin, the Western Allies sent planes carrying food and supplies to the people of on the West. Which successfully stopped the blockade. The Czech government showed interest in participating in the Marshall Plan. However, the communists organized strikes and protests. They also forced other parties out of the government to make Czechoslovakia become a single-party state. -
Creation of East and West Germany.
After World War II, since it was seriously damaged, the "Big Three", which was Joseph Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill, met at the Yalta conference to discuss Germany's future. The result of the meeting was to divide Germany into four zones. Together, the American, British, and French zones made up the western Germany, while the Soviet zone comprised the eastern. This split led to various events that contributed to starting the Cold War such as the Berlin blockade. -
North Korea invades South Korea.
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China comes to the aid of North Korea and forces UN troops to retreat.
The Chinese entered the Korean War for two reasons: to protect their northeastern provinces that made up Manchuria, and to solidify their relationship with North America. China also supported North Korea with lots of funds. During the Korean war, China's investment even accounted for more than 90 percent of North Korea's reported imports and exports. This aid escalated the conflict between the communism and the democracy, since China was having direct military conflict with the USA. -
The Korean War ends with a cease fire and Korea remains divided at the 38th parallel and Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union, dies.
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The French lose the Battle of Dien Bien Phu and decide to pull out of Indochina.
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Nikita Khrushchev becomes Soviet Premier and Austria reunifies under the condition they remain neutral in the Cold War.
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The built of Disney
In the early 1950s, Walt Disney began designing a huge amusement park near Los Angeles. He hoped Disneyland can turn into real life and entertain both adults and their children. In the summer of 1955, invitations were sent out for the opening of Disneyland on July 17. The build of Disney land also symbolized the USA's prosperity. The land's fame also help made the USA's image a country of innovation, freedom, and opportunities, which was a very good way to promote anti-communism. -
Soviets crush a revolt in Hungary while the West does nothing.
October 1956, thousands of Hungarian protesters took the streets, demanding for freedom from the Soviet Union. November 1956, Soviet tanks rolled into Budapest to crush the national uprising. At the same time, American radio broadcasts speeches by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, saying that the USA supports the liberation of people in communist nations. At that time, about 30,000 Hungarian refugees were allowed to enter the USA. The uprise emphasizes the two opposite sides in the Cold War. -
Sputnik I is launched.
On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched the world’s first artificial Earth satellite - Sputnik 1. Its 65° orbital inclination made its flight path cover virtually the entire inhabited Earth. This success was totally unexpected by the USA. It soon became a major threat, which led to the American Sputnik crisis and the occurrence of the Space Race. -
American U-2 spy plane is shot down by the Soviet Union.
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Construction begins on the Berlin Wall & the Bay of Pigs Invasion.
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Cuban Missile Crisis occurs.
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The Gulf of Tonkin Incident occurs and the United States Congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution and Leonid Brezhnev becomes the leader of the Soviet Union.
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President Lyndon B. Johnson sent the first 60,000 ground troops to Vietnam.
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Tet Offensive occurs.
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Detente begins
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The United States and North Vietnam agree to a cease fire.
A cease-fire in the Vietnam War goes into effect at 8 a.m., January 27, 1973. However, both sides violated it. Each side thought that military operations were reasonable by the other side’s violations of the cease-fire. The result of this was an almost endless chain of retaliations. The actual reason of the USA participating in the cease-fire was to prevent the spread of communism. -
The last combat troops leave South Vietnam and the nation falls to Communist North Vietnam.
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Soviet-Afghan War begins.
The War was an armed conflict which took place in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. On December 24, 1979, the Soviet Union invades Afghanistan, under the pretext of upholding the Soviet-Afghan Friendship Treaty of 1978. This war also marks the beginning of the 46-year-long Afghan conflict. As American and British also participated in the war ,Cold War was escalated, ending the short period of relaxed Soviet Union–United States relations. -
Josip Broz Tito, president of Yugoslavia, dies and Lech Walesa establishes the Solidarity Movement in Poland.
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Mikhail Gorbachev becomes the leader of the Soviet Union.
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The Soviet Union withdraws troops from Afghanistan, Romanian uprising oust Nicholas Ceausescu and his wife, and the U.S.S.R allows the dismantling of the Berlin Wall.
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Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania declare their independence and East and West
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Soviet republics of Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Belarus, Moldova, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan declare independence and Gorbachev resigns and Boris Yeltsin becomes the first president of Russia.
In 1991, Mr. Gorbachev, a leader who was highly regarded abroad but not at home, announced his resignation as the Soviet Union passed into history. "Free elections have become a reality. Free press, freedom of worship, representative legislatures and a multi-party system have all become a reality," he said.
The Soviet red flag was lowered over the Kremlin, replaced by the Russian Federation's flag. The collapse of the Soviet Union was interpreted as the evidence of the USA winning the Cold War -
Czechoslovakia becomes the Czech Republic and Slovakia
Czechoslovakia was created at the end of World War I containing two equal nations: Slovaks and Czechs. However, on December 31, 1992, both of the nations self-determined secession of the federal republic of Czechoslovakia into the independent countries of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The split of Czechoslovakia was due to the "Velvet Revolution", which was a anti-communist demonstrations. Before that, Czechoslovakia has been ruled by a communist government for nearly fifty years.