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Potsdam Conference
From July 17 to August 2, 1945, Allied leaders met outside of Berlin. President Harry Truman of the United States gathered to demand the surrender of Japan and set up a framework for postwar Europe. Each leader was trying to get the strongest position and the most influence for his own country, but the countries fell into two camps. The Potsdam Conference set up a competition between capitalist Western, and the communist-controlled Soviet Union. This rivalry grew into the Cold War. -
Korean War
June 1950 to July 1953 North and south Korea fought. The Soviet Union took over North Korea and the United States took over south Korea. The United Nation wanted to quickly put the country back together but the Soviets refused. Soviet Union boycotted security council meeting. On June 25, 1950, North Koreans, supported by the Soviets, attacked across the 38th parallel begining began the Korean War. The Korean War took the lives of many south and north Korean lives and over 37,000 Americans. -
NATO/Warsaw Pact
On May 14, 1955 the treaty was signed by the Soviet Union, and others. In 1955 the soviet Union wanted to establish a strong defense alliance against any potential military or economic threats from the west. The integrated military force alarmed the Soviet Union, which responded by creating the Warsaw Pact a security alliance made up of the Soviet Satellites in eastern Europe. The governments of several Warsaw Pact countries seonfell or recognized along non-communist principles. -
Vietnam War
In 1955 the Vietnam War began. North Vietnam wanted to reunite the country under communism, it’s political and economic system. South Vietnam fought to keep this from happening. The U.S tried helping South Vietnam. The people from the U.S Soviet Union also participated in what happened to Vietnam. In 1975 North Vietnam won reuniting the two. Over 1.3 million soldiers about 58,000 U.S troops were killed. More than 2 million civilians also died. -
Suez Crisis
On July 26, 1956 Gamel Abdel Nasser, nationalized the Suez canal. Egypt had declared martial law on the canal zone, and sized the control of Suez control company. This all happened because the Suez Crisis was provoked by an American and British decision not to finance Egypt's construction, as they had promised, in response to Egypt's growing ties with communist Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union. The effect is that Israel did not win their freedom but regained shipping rights. -
Sputnik/Space Race
On October 4, 1957 the Soviet Union successfully launched earth's first artificial satellite, Sputnik-1. The launched served to intensify the arms race and raise cold war tensions. The Cold Wars starting, and Sputnik fearful of Soviet military control of space. The Americans quickly ready their rocket. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
In October 1962, the Soviet Union secretly stationed nuclear weapons on the island of Cuba and as soon as the U.S found they declared withdrawal. Nothing had happened (no war) due to the last second of it being resolved. There was no effect because of these. -
Glasnost/Perestroika
When Mikhail S. Gorbachev stepped onto the world stage in March 1985 as new leader of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), it was immediately clear that he was different from his predecessors. He wanted to basically rebuild the the Soviet Union to make them equal and up to speed like Japan, Germany and the United States.
