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Formation of the Eastern Bloc
The Eastern Bloc was a group of countries with aligned views. It was the coalition of communist states of Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America that were aligned with the Soviet Union and existed during the Cold War. Countries in the Eastern Bloc supported each other against the democratic countries of the Western Bloc. -
Postwar occupation and division of Germany
Following World War two Germany was occupied by the victorious countries and divided. The sections of Germany belonging to France, Britain, and the United States merged into West Germany. East Germany was controlled by the Soviet Union and had a communist government. Berlin was also split into East and West with West Berlin being under Soviet communist rule. A wall was constructed to separate East Berlin and West Berlin. -
Enactment of the Marshall plan
After the end of the war Europe lay in ruins. 50 nations including the United States signed Marshall plan which proposed that these nations would provide assistance economically to help restore European countries. This was in the best interest of democratic countries because speeding up their recovery helped to prevent communism from spreading. If the countries were not in as much of a weakened state then communism would be less likely take hold. -
Berlin Blockade and Airlift
On June 24, 1948 Soviet forces blockaded all access to West Berlin which was controlled by allied forces. The Soviet Union hoped that the allied forces would give u and abandon West Berlin. Instead, the United States and United Kingdom began airlifting food and fuel into West Berlin. This continued for nearly a year until the Soviet Union lifted the blockade in May of 1949. -
Chinese Communist Revolution
The Chinese Communist Revolution was a social and political revolution. On October 1, 1949, the People's Republic of China was proclaimed. The People's Republic began aiding communism in other countries. Their successful revolution opened people's eyes to the spread of communism. -
Korean War
North Korea invaded South Korea on June 25, 1950. North Korea was supported by the Soviet Union and China. South Korea was supported by the United States. The United States sent troops to support South Korea. The war was fought between 1950 and 1953 and ended when the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed. -
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution was an attempt to overthrow the government of Cuba starting in 1953. Rebels led by Fidel Castro organized an armed attack on Cuban military barracks. On January 1, 1959 the rebels successfully toppled the government and took over. -
Overthrow of the Guatemalan Government
There was a coup in Guatemala that overthrew the democratically elected Guatemalan President Jacobo Árbenz. The country was taken over by military dictator of Carlos Castillo Armas. The coup was supported by the US and was the first in a series of U.S.-backed authoritarian rulers in Guatemala. -
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a conflict fought between North Vietnam and South Vietnam. The North was fighting for communism and was supported by the Soviet Union and China. The South was opposed to communism and was supported by the United States. The war lasted for nearly twenty years and neither side won definitively. -
Hungarian Uprising
The Hungarian Uprising was an attempted revolution against the government of the Hungarian People's Republic. The uprising was fueled by the unpopular policies caused by the government's subordination to the Soviet Union. The revolution was crushed on November 4, 1956 by Soviet forces. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
At the Bay of Pigs a group of US supported Cuban exiles attempted to over throw Fidel Castro's communist government. The Cuban exiles used repainted American planes to bomb a Cuban airfield. The exile forces were crushed by Castro's 20,000 man counterattack. -
Building of the Berlin Wall
The Berlin wall was built by Soviet controlled East Germany to prevent residents of East Berlin from escaping into West Berlin. West Berlin was democratic and controlled by the UK, the US, and France. Civilians were not allowed to pass through the heavily guarded wall. It became a symbol of the Cold War. -
Cuban missile crisis
The Cuban missile crisis was a conflict between the Soviet Union and the United States. The Soviet Union planted missiles in Cuba in order to have weapons closes to the US. After US intelligence discovered this the conflict ensued. After being pressured by the US the Soviet Union removed their missiles. -
Rise of Palestine Liberation Organization
The Palestine Liberation Organization was established in 1964 in an effort to control Palestinian nationalism. Although it was supposed to represent the Palestinians, the PLO largely represented the views of President Nasser of Egypt. It was founded with the purpose of the liberating Palestine through armed struggle, with much of its violence aimed at Israeli civilians. -
Soviet War in Afghanistan
A group of anti-communists attempted to overthrow the communist Afghani government. The Soviet Union intervened to support the Afghani government. Soviet troops were sent to Afghanistan but were not prepared for the guerrilla warfare tactics employed by their enemies. Ultimately the Soviets failed and had to pull out of Afghanistan. -
Tiananmen square masacre
On June 4, 1989 in Chia there were pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square. The Chinese government sent tanks into the square. Hundreds were killed including many university students and more were injured. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
In November of 1989 East German officials decided to loosen restrictions on the crossings at the Berlin Wall. Half a million Germans flocked to the wall. The German people began taking sledgehammers and other instruments to the wall. They tore down portions of the wall, the wall was opened for travel and completely dismantled shortly after. -
Fall of the Soviet Union
The leader of the Soviet Union at the time, Gorbachev, was attempting to institute reforms. Communists that were against these reforms planned a coup but it failed. This coup caused political turmoil and caused the government to lse some of its power and influence. Soviet Republic states began declaring there independence and the Soviet Union crumbled. -
Prague Spring
The Prague Spring was a period of political liberalization and mass protest in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. It began when Alexander Dubcek was elected first secretary. Dubcek attempted to grant the citizens more rights. It ended on August 21, 1968, when the Soviet Union and most Warsaw Pact members invaded the country to suppress the reforms. -
9-11 attacks
On September 11, 2001 a group of al-Queda terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes. One plane crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Shortly after a second plane crashed into the South Tower. The third plane crashed into the Pentagon and the fourth was overtaken by passengers and crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. 2,996 people were killed.