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1985 BCE
the USSR began to change its policies
disarmament treaty was signed so the USA and the USSR agreed to remove medium-range nuclear missiles from Europe within 3 years.
Gorbachev announced the immediate reduction of the weapons stockpile and the number of troops in the soviet armed forces. -
1975 BCE
US started training the South Vietnamese to fight the Vietcong.
US bombs killed a lot of civilians. A female demonstrator offers a flower to military police A female demonstrator offers a flower to military police (Dominio público) Vietcong guerrillas were very skilful soldiers. American troops were not used to fight in the jungle. North Vietnam had the support of China and the Soviet Union. American public opinion turned against the war. The Vietcong treated the South Vietnamese well and gained their support -
1972 BCE
The renewed conflict and the end of Cold War
In 1972, the USSR and the USA agreed to limit their nuclear weapons and they signed the strategic Arms Limitation Talks Agreement (SALT 1).
In 1980 Ronald Reagan was elected president of the USA and the period of détente ended. The USA developed nuclear missiles which could be launched from almost anywhere. They also developed the Strategic Defence Initiative (Star Wars) for using laser weapons to shoot down soviet missiles from space. The USSR could not afford the increasing militar spending -
1962 BCE
Cuban missile crisis 1962
which was only 100 miles away from the USA, had been ruled by a military dictator. He allowed American businessmen and the Mafia to make huge profits in a country where most people lived in poverty.A rebel named Fidel Castro attempted to overthrow the government, but was defeated and forced into exile.Castro began a guerrilla war and soon marched on Cuba´s capital, Havana, and overthrew the government. Castro shut down casinos and brothels. He nationalised American-owned sugar mills. -
1962 BCE
diplomatic relations with Cuba
The USA cut off diplomatic relations with Cuba. Castro began to cooperate with the USSR.In 1961, President Kennedy authorised an invasion of Cuba by rebels trained by the CIA. They landed in the Bay of Pigs, but they were defeated. -
1954 BCE
Vietnam War
Chinese support helped to establish a Communist government in North Vietnam. South East Asia had been controlled by France, but French forces were completely defeated by the North Vietnamese in 1954 (Dien Ben Phu). By the Geneva Agreement of 1954 France withdrew from Indochina, losing their Empire. -
1950 BCE
Korea 1950-1953
President Truman allowed General MacArthur (UN Commander) to invade North Korea. This worried China, because they were afraid of a Western invasion. China attacked the UN forces, capturing Seoul (the capital of South Korea). MacArthur wanted to attack China but Truman disagreed and MacArthur was dismissed. Truman looked for peace and a cease-fire was agreed on in 1953. Korea remained as it was before the war but more than two million people died. -
1949 BCE
Two new states
two new states were formed: the German Federal Republic (West Germany) and the German Democratic Republic. The frontier between Eastern and Western Europe had been drawn in Berlin. -
1949 BCE
Nato
The Western Powers formed NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) against the communist threat. The Eastern Bloc formed the Warsaw Pact -
1948 BCE
In 1948 the USSR and the West disagreed over Berlin
The Western allies (the USA, Britain and France) agreed to a single government in their zones.The Soviet Union was opposed to these moves.
