# data[].attributes.headline
USSR Dissolved- 15 Republics Gain Independence, Including Russia- August 1991

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USSR Dissolved- 15 Republics Gain Independence, Including Russia- August 1991

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The Soviet Union was already in a precarious state with their economy crumbling, but with the new policies of perestroika and glasnost, people began to see the cracks in the government as well. For example, people saw how much the government was downplaying the disaster at Chornobyl and it created a sense of distrust in the Government. Perestroika also let people get a sense of political freedom and they craved more. The Soviet Union was poor because of their occupation in Afghanistan and the people didn't like being under communism with poverty. Soon the dominoes would fall with uprisings in Poland, Romania, and more causing the USSR to withdraw from many places and lose power. This loss of power led to the fall of the USSR creating 15 independent republics, including Russia.

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This was a big day for Germany as it was reinstated Germany as a single, sovereign country. Berlin was also reinstated as the capital. On October 3, half a million Germans met at the Parliament and celebrated the occasion. Germany was no longer split up into separate zones, but they were together as one country this day.

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Boris Yeltsin Elected as President of Russia- May 1980

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Boris Yeltsin Elected as President of Russia- May 1980

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Yeltsin's political career had been rising under Gorbachev where Yeltsin continued to win elections in a landslide. He would soon renounce his membership from the Communist Party and call for Gorbachev's resignation. Yeltsin ran for presidency and won with a 59% vote, beating out his closest competitor. The Soviet Union dissolved and Yeltsin became president and gave much more personal freedom to his people than they had previously had.

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The Cold War was thawing across Eastern Europe, and the spokesman for East Berlin's Communist Party said that members of the German Democratic Republic were free to cross the border. People from both sides, East and West flocked to the wall and partied with champagne, then at midnight people flooded across the border. More than 2 million people crossed the border and it was like a great street party had broken out. Families were reunited, and people began to take pickaxes to the wall to tear it down completely. The re-unification of East and West Germany was a symbol that the war was finally over.

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Students took to Tienanmen square to protest for more rapid change in the Chinese government. These students were spurred by the death of a leading politician, Hu Yaobang, who had initially brought change to the government in the first place. These students had also been to other places and seen the freedoms others had. At first, the government did nothing, then as the crowds grew soldiers were sent in, crushing and arresting protesters. No one knows how many people were killed because the Chinese government censors much of what is put out about it. Some estimate hundreds, others estimate thousands.

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Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, and Romania Oust Communist Governments- 1989

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Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, and Romania Oust Communist Governments- 1989

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After being under the control of communist governments and being allied with the Soviet Union many countries began to oust their communist governments. The Soviet Union had drawn their forces out of many communist countries which gave more freedom for coups to pop up and change in power to occur. In place of communism came democratically elected leaders in many Eastern Bloc countries. After one country changed, the dominoes cascaded in a like and almost all began to follow suit.

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Soviet Troops Withdraw from Afghanistan- January 1989

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Soviet Troops Withdraw from Afghanistan- January 1989

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After entering the conflict 10 years prior to protect the communist government, the Soviets found that the intervention proved more costly than they had thought. Some believe that 15,000 troops died in Afghanistan and the cost for an already struggling Soviet economy was reaching the billions. The Soviets began to withdraw because they saw the intervention as a drain on the Soviet economy. The Russian people were also growing tired of a war and this was sometimes referred to as "Russia's Vietnam."

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Gorbachev Begins "Glasnost" and "Perestroika" in Efforts to Reform the USSR- 1985

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Gorbachev Begins "Glasnost" and "Perestroika" in Efforts to Reform the USSR- 1985

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When Mikael Gorbachev became head of the Communist Party he believed that a few, small changes needed to be made to his struggling country. He launched "glasnost" (restructuring) to bring the Soviet Union up to par economically with the West. He realized that deeper structural changes needed to be made and was left with a semi-free market economy which sent the USSR into economic chaos. The other part of his changes was "perestroika" (openness) which basically began democratizing the government. Gorbachev believed that the path to economic and social recovery required the inclusion of people in the political process. These reforms however did not work at helping the USSR out of its troubles and the USSR would soon fall.

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Eastern Bloc Boycotts LA Summer Olympics- July-August 1984

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Eastern Bloc Boycotts LA Summer Olympics- July-August 1984

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The Soviet Union withdraws from the 1984 Summer Olympics in LA saying that they do not think their athletes would be safe from protests and possible physical attacks. Though they said this, it was known that it was in direct response to the U.S. boycott of the Olympics 4 years prior in Moscow. 13 other communist nations would soon follow suit. The Soviet Union would soon also claim that America was only hosting for political reasons. This was another instance of a proxy conflict where they weren't actually fighting on the battlefield but fighting all the same.

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U.S. Troops Invade and Overthrow Regime in Grenada- October 1983

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U.S. Troops Invade and Overthrow Regime in Grenada- October 1983

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There were communist forces backed by Cuba in Grenada, a small touristy island in the Caribbean, who overthrew the president and the non-communist government. It seemed that they were trying to make Grenada a full-scale military base because the Cubans brought an abundance of weapons with them. The U.S. intervened to reinstate the non-communist government and drive out the Cuban Forces. This was a quick "war" and Cuban forces were overthrown within the day.

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Reagan Proposes SDI or "Star Wars"- 1983

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Reagan Proposes SDI or "Star Wars"- 1983

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This is a shield that's used to protect the United States from ICBMs and know where they are and when they are launched so this could shoot them down. trillions of dollars were spent researching this protective umbrella, but it didn't work for everything. It only worked about 70% of the time. This paved the way for smaller-scale defense systems, but nothing as broad as the Strategic Defense Initiative.

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U.S. Boycotts Summer Olympics in Moscow- June-August 1980

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U.S. Boycotts Summer Olympics in Moscow- June-August 1980

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The United States led a boycott of the Summer Olympic games in Moscow to protest the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. In total, 65 nations refused to participate in the games while 80 countries sent athletes to participate. Calls for boycotts of the Olympics were not uncommon, and this particular one had a lot of American support. This boycott was supposed to pressure Soviets to pull their armies out of the conflict, however, the conflict lasted for many years after. The boycotts were just one manifestation of the tense relations between the United States and the Soviet Union.

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US Hockey Defeats USSR at Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, NY- February 22, 1980

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US Hockey Defeats USSR at Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, NY- February 22, 1980

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This game was one of the biggest upsets in sports history, now dubbed the "miracle on ice." The United States won the game 4-3 despite being crushed in their exhibition match 10-3. This win for the U.S. drummed up nationalism in the American public because of the intense rivalry between the Soviet Union and the U.S. due to the Cold War. This is an example of a proxy war in the Cold War, not really fighting a war, but competing in smaller ways.

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Soviet Forces Invade Afghanistan- December 1979

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Soviet Forces Invade Afghanistan- December 1979

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Soviet forces began to be wary that the leader of Afghanistan, Mohammed Daoud Khan, who wanted to undermine communism would eventually align with western countries. Soviets and communists in Afghanistan took over, but some still fought almost taking the government back. Because Soviets were scared that the government would no longer be communist, they sent 100,000 red army soldiers to stabilize the communist government. Many countries in the west saw this action as aggressive and imperialist on the part of the USSR.

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Shah of Iran Overthrown; Iran Hostage Crisis Begins- November 1979

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Shah of Iran Overthrown; Iran Hostage Crisis Begins- November 1979

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The Shah was very unpopular in Iran and as opposition grew, he left on "vacation" not to return. A new religious leader was instated and his leaders had no love for the United States, protesting outside the embassy. The Shah soon came to America to receive cancer treatment and that angered Iranian revolutionaries so much that they attacked the U.S. embassy in Tehran and took 66 hostages. 14 hostages were released, but the rest of the hostages were kept for over 400 days. This made the U.S. look terrible and ruined Carter's chances at re-election. Iranians and U.S. renegotiate to release the hostages if the U.S. lifts an embargo that they had put on Iran and they agreed. This left a sour taste in relations between Iran and America that lingers today.

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In this conflict, China launched a full scale attack against Vietnam. China was upset about the USSR's and Vietnam's mutual defense treaty and they wanted to oust Vietnam from Cambodia. China's army was no match for Vietnam's and did not accomplish their goal while Vietnam was successful in holding their ground. This war deepened hostilities between Vietnam and China and they would be engaged in smaller battles for years to come.

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U.S. and China Officially Establish Diplomatic Relations and Trade & Panda Diplomacy- January 1979

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U.S. and China Officially Establish Diplomatic Relations and Trade & Panda Diplomacy- January 1979

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After Nixon's visit to China, diplomatic relations opened up tremendously. In 1979, the United States recognized the People's Republic of China as the sole legal government of China furthering their relations. Panda diplomacy is a goodwill gesture between China and who loan their pandas. The U.S. was gifted a set of Pandas as a gesture of goodwill and friendship after they established their relations.

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Soviet and Cuban Forces Help to Install Communist Government in Angola- February 1976

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Soviet and Cuban Forces Help to Install Communist Government in Angola- February 1976

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Intervention began when Cuba sent troops in support of communist-aligned People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola. This came after the Angolan civil war which was soon a proxy war between the Soviet Union and the United States. Cuba sent tens of thousands of troops to fight on the side of communism and the MPLA ended up taking power. This was a major loss for America as they failed to contain the spread of communism.

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South Vietnam Falls to Communist North Vietnam- April 17, 1975

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South Vietnam Falls to Communist North Vietnam- April 17, 1975

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American forces had been effectively withdrawn from Vietnam and South Vietnam was virtually on their own. This emboldened North Vietnam to launch an aggressively offensive campaign to take the capitol of South Vietnam, Saigon. Though the U.S. The government said that they would provide aid to prevent Saigon from communist takeovers, they did nothing and Saigon fell. This effectively ended the Vietnam war in favor of North Vietnam and communism.

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Egypt and Syria Attack Israel; Egypt Requests Soviet Aid- October 1973

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Egypt and Syria Attack Israel; Egypt Requests Soviet Aid- October 1973

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Syria and Egypt attacked Israel simultaneously on Yom Kippur, a Jewish holiday which also gives the name "Yom Kippur War" to this conflict. Both forces captured some land, while Israeli forces suffered mass casualties in the first days. Israeli forces would soon find their footing and begin to successfully fight off their opponents. The United States soon joined the conflict with a military airlift of supplies and equipment to Israel in operation nickel grass. World leaders were pressuring the involved parties to stop fighting, and the conflict came to a resolution with United Nations Resolution 340, calling for a cease-fire.

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U.S. Supported Coup Overthrows Chilean Government- September 1973

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U.S. Supported Coup Overthrows Chilean Government- September 1973

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The United States disliked the leader of Chile at the time, Salvador Allende because of his communist sympathy. The American government believed that Allende was a great threat to democracy in Chile and Latin America. To end Allende's rule the CIA backed a military coup that would end up killing Allende. Taking his place was a dictator Augusto Pinochet who cruelly ruled with an iron fist, but was backed by the U.S. government.

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Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev and U.S. President Richard Nixon met in Moscow to sign the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks. This treaty would limit the amount of anti-ballistic missile sites each country could have and other stocks of missiles were frozen. This was monumental that the Soviet Union and the United States agreed on this and were working together diplomatically. This was also an enormous first step in limiting the arms between the two countries and was considered a major achievement.

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President Nixon Visits China- February 1972

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President Nixon Visits China- February 1972

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To strengthen diplomatic relations with China, President Nixon announces that he is going to make a trip to China. This shocked so many people because how could a stark anti-communist meet with communists during the height of the Cold War. Nevertheless, Nixon visited China and during his time there, negotiated policies that would benefit both countries. This paved the way for mutual respect and diplomacy for the countries for years to come.

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Publication of the Pentagon Papers- 1971

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Publication of the Pentagon Papers- 1971

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The Pentagon Papers were a top-secret history of the Vietnam War and caused much controversy. They revealed that the United States had expanded the war with the bombings of Cambodia and Laos, coastal raids on North Vietnam, and Marine Corps attacks. The media had reported none of these events. This coming after years of dissent over the moral and legal justification for the escalation of the war in Vietnam caused many internal ethical dilemmas among the American people. Many of the documents were also still incomplete and weren't fully released until 2011.

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Apollo 11 Lands on the Moon- July 20, 1969

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Apollo 11 Lands on the Moon- July 20, 1969

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After a rigorous space race between the United States and the USSR, the United States becomes the first country to send a manned spacecraft that lands humans on the moon. With 530 million people watching on television, Neil Armstrong steps foot on the moon. This mission soon brought back much moon rock and soil back to Earth and paved the way for many more moon landings and greatly advanced lunar science. This landing also united the country with a sense of nationalism and effectively won the Space Race for America.

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Red Army Crushes Czechoslovakian Revolt- August 1968

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Red Army Crushes Czechoslovakian Revolt- August 1968

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Alexander Dubcek came to power in Czechoslovakia and attempted to instate a more free government. His first initiative was to end censorship, which allowed people to speak their minds, many criticizing Communist governments and calling for a multi-party Democratic Government. A sense of hope came to the Czech people, but that was soon squashed as the USSR felt threatened by their new freedom. The USSR contained their newfound freedoms, reinstated censorship, and Dubcek was taken from his position.

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B-52's Bomb North Vietnam in Operation Rolling Thunder- 1966

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B-52's Bomb North Vietnam in Operation Rolling Thunder- 1966

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In aid to non-communist South Vietnam, the United States launched their biggest military deployment in a decade. Operation Rolling Thunder soon came about which was a code name for an American bombing campaign on North Vietnam. The United States was now bombing North Vietnam's homeland, which President Johnson thought was justified. These bombings would last years, and set the stage for the continuation of the Vietnam War.

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US Announcement to Dispatch 200,000 US Troops to Vietnam- July 1965

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US Announcement to Dispatch 200,000 US Troops to Vietnam- July 1965

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President Lyndon B. Johnson orders additional troops to be sent to Vietnam to meet the manpower needs. This also increased the monthly draft calls from 17,000 to 35,000. Johnson then affirmed his goal to seek an end to the war, asking the United Nations for help with this goal. There was an immediate reaction to this escalation with communist leaders criticizing Johnson. It was also seen as a major turning point where it basically guaranteed military leaders anything they wanted or needed to pursue the war.

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US Marines Sent to Dominican Republic to Fight Communism- April 1965

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US Marines Sent to Dominican Republic to Fight Communism- April 1965

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In the Dominican Republic, after their strong, anti-communist leader, Trujillo was assassinated, a reformist government led by Juan Bosch began. Americans became scared that "another Cuba" was in the making and the united states government took action. Lyndon B. Johnson sent over 20,000 troops to the Dominican Republic to squash the uprising, and was successful in replacing it with a conservative, non-military government. Many Latin countries condemned the U.S. for their aggressive policy, however America succeeded in containing Communism.

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Gulf of Tonkin Incident and Resolution- August 1964

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Gulf of Tonkin Incident and Resolution- August 1964

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During the height of the Vietnam War, Lyndon B Johnson wanted a reason to escalate the fighting in Vietnam, but he knew he couldn't send help unprovoked. LBJ began looking for any reason he could to escalate the war. Soon, the USS Maddox, located in the Gulf of Tonkin was fired at by Japanese torpedo boats unprovoked though the ship wasn't harmed. Congress then approved the Gulf of Tonkin resolution that basically said that LBJ could do whatever he wanted in the war. This became very unpopular as the war dragged on and after about 10 years the Gulf of Tonkin resolution was repealed.

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Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Ratified- July 1963

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Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Ratified- July 1963

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After the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and many other Nuclear tests, radioactive deposits were found in wheat and milk, causing people and scientists to become highly aware of the dangers of radioactive fallout. JFK fully supported a nuclear test ban and encouraged his fellow countries to ratify a treaty. The Soviet Union and the United States soon came to a diplomatic agreement and signed a treaty in Moscow to limit nuclear testing. This treaty banned testing nuclear weapons in the atmosphere, in space, and underwater.

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The United States and the Soviet Union both held nuclear weapons that could destroy each other and tensions had never been higher after the failed Bay of Pigs invasion. Cuba sought help from the Soviet Union for the protection of Cuba and to counteract U.S. missile locations, nuclear weapons were placed in Cuba. Though military specialists called for an invasion of Cuba, President Kennedy tries a naval "quarantine" instead. Though Cuba claimed the missiles were only protective, tensions were higher than ever and it seemed that the start of a nuclear war was imminent. Finally, a Diplomatic outcome was reached where the U.S. promised to remove their missiles from Turkey and Italy and said that they would not invade Cuba if the USSR would take their missiles out of Cuba. This was the closest that the world had ever come to nuclear war.

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Construction of the Berlin Wall Begins- August 17, 1961

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Construction of the Berlin Wall Begins- August 17, 1961

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At this point, people had been freely moving between East and West Berlin and could compare the conditions on both sides. This caused problems for the German Democratic Republic because they could not effectively control the people in West Germany and many people began the move to the East, placing them on the brink of social and economic collapse. The GDR soon announced that border control would be set up to ease the tension between the sides which soon turned into concrete slabs and barbed wire that would be the Berlin Wall. The creation if this wall separated East and West Germany and served as a symbol of the divide between countries at the time.

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Previously, Cuba was a non-communist ally to the United States, but the non-communist dictatorship was taken over by communist Fidel Castro. America does not like this, so they take many Cuban exiles, give them guns, and train them to be soldiers in Nicaragua. They are then dropped back off at the Bay of Pigs to attempt to overthrow the Cuban Government, but Castro knew about it and was waiting for them. They were all captured, tried, and the plan went public humiliating America and souring relations with Cuba for a long time.

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U2 Spy Plane Shot Down Over the USSR- May 1960

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U2 Spy Plane Shot Down Over the USSR- May 1960

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The U2 was a super advanced spy plane that was said to fly higher than missiles. They were used to take pictures of USSR military bases, and while flying, Gary Powers was shot down. He was taken prisoner in the Soviet Union and publicly convicted of espionage. To get him back, the United States arranged a spy trade where they traded one of the USSR's spies that were in U.S. custody for Gary Powers.

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Fidel Castro Takes Power in Cuba- January 1959

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Fidel Castro Takes Power in Cuba- January 1959

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After the overthrow of the previous leader of Cuba, Fidel Castro assumed military and political power. Upon Castro's leadership, he makes Cuba the first Communist state in the Western Hemisphere. America disliked this very much and on many occasions attempted to remove him unsuccessfully. They attempted assassination, economic embargo, and a counter-revolution, but all failed. Castro also aligned with the Soviet Union which further deepened America's dislike of Castro and threatened America's national security by the proximity of Cuba.

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Sputnik Launched into Orbit- October 4, 1957

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Sputnik Launched into Orbit- October 4, 1957

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The Soviet Union became the first to kick off the space age with the launch of Sputnik, the first artificial satellite to orbit the earth. This launch also kick-started the US-USSR space race to prove who had better technology, arms, etc. Americans began to fear that this satellite meant that the USSR was gaining the upper hand in both the arms and the space race when Sputnik was launched. Though it was just a satellite, America was embarrassed by their lack of comparable technology and worked even harder to be better than the USSR.

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During the heat of an arms race between the U.S. and the USSR, the USSR announces that they have successfully tested an ICBM that can be launched to any part of the world. This concerns Americans about the size and power of the Soviet arsenal. A debate was soon launched about the "missile gap" between the U.S. and the USSR and what should be done to close that gap. Though some Americans had doubts about whether they were telling the truth about the missile or not, they still felt scared and unsafe at the notion that the USSR could launch a missile on any part of the U.S. at any time.

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Rebellion Put Down in Hungary- November 1956

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Rebellion Put Down in Hungary- November 1956

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An uprising began in Hungary where thousands of protesters took to the streets to demand a more democratic political system. They were tired of Soviet oppression and wanted to be free from their control. Only a few days after the uprising, tanks from the Red Army were sent in to crush the rebellion and thousands were killed or wounded. Even more, almost 200,000 fled as refugees as the Soviets took back control. Many Hungarians were angry at the United States for not interfering, but all the government did was send their statements of sympathy for what the people were going through.

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Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, California

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This was a feud between the USSR and America for the naming of elements. Labs at UC Berkeley and Dubna both "discovered" elements past 100 by making them in their labs. Once the Berkeley lab would "discover" a new element, the Dubna lab would rush to confirm or deny their findings and vice versa, but due to the way in which each lab would confirm this and the nature of atoms, the results were difficult to replicate. This caused turmoil between the labs and the countries. The feud continued on for a while to gain prestige for their country and prove who had the upper hand, America or the USSR.

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Presidential Palace, Warsaw, Krakowskie Przedmieście, Warsaw, Poland

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This pact was formed in direct response to NATO being formed. They viewed NATO as a threat and wanted to rival them with a similar alliance. It was a treaty between the Soviet Union and seven other Soviet states to create a mutual defense.

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CIA Helps Overthrow Unfriendly Governments in Iran and Guatemala- March 1954

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CIA Helps Overthrow Unfriendly Governments in Iran and Guatemala- March 1954

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The CIA sponsors coups in both Guatemala and Iran because of issues with their governments. Though Guatemala had a democratically elected president, a coup was established to protect the United Fruit Company. For Iran, their prime minister refused to trade oil with Britain and enlisted America's help. Both instances cause casualties and laid a foundation for rocky relationships between the countries.

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The KGB was established by the Soviet Union to act as their primary security and intelligence agency. Some KGB agents also worked as spies and brought back intelligence to the Soviet Union about their enemies plans. Another one of their roles was to be a sort of "secret police" and eliminated anyone outwardly against the government. It was said that the KGB was to be the "sword and shield of the Communist party."

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H-bomb Tested by USA on Bikini Atoll- March 1, 1954

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H-bomb Tested by USA on Bikini Atoll- March 1, 1954

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After many test bombs were dropped on Bikini Atoll, this one was newer and more powerful with the new innovation of hydrogen bombs. This test wielded almost 15 megatons, giving America the upper hand in the arms race. This successful test indicated that hydrogen bombs were important airborne nuclear weapons. Their nuclear arsenal then grew to accommodate many of these as weapons throughout the arms race.

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Korea begins a civil war with the North fighting for Communism backed by the Soviet Union and the South being non-communist backed by America. The 38th parallel split these two sides and despite America being nearly driven out of the South, they fought back and a stalemate began. Peace talks began with Eisenhower wanting peace and Stalin wanting to continue fighting, but when Stalin died an armistice came soon after. The 38th parallel still stands today and the Korean War was a prime example of the Truman Doctrine in action.

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McCarthyism and the Red Scare Takes Hold in the U.S.- February, 1950

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McCarthyism and the Red Scare Takes Hold in the U.S.- February, 1950

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As the Red Scare began to take hold, accusations began flying about who was suspected of being a communist. The face of this was Joseph McCarthy who threw out accusations in many cases with fabricated or no evidence at all. He supposedly had a "list" of suspected communists that no one could see and can be comparable to a witch hunt. These people could be jailed if they did not comply and be totally blacklisted. McCarthyism fueled the red scare and the feat of domestic communism.

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Mao Zedong Wins Chinese Civil War and Creates the People's Republic of China- October 1, 1949

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Mao Zedong Wins Chinese Civil War and Creates the People's Republic of China- October 1, 1949

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China was involved in a civil war before WWII, but when Japan invaded they set aside their problems against a common enemy. After Japan surrendered the fighting continued between a non-communist faction and a communist faction led by Mao Zedong. Despite the non-communist side getting aid, Mao wins and subjected millions overnight to Communism. America becomes very upset at this outcome because they believe that they are losing and that the containment is failing. The non-communist faction flees to Taiwan and continues to receive American aid today. The Truman Doctrine failed in mainland China through this civil war which forced America to turn its efforts to protect Taiwan.

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Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site, Kazakhstan

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Russia Tests its First Atomic Bomb- August 20, 1949

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Russia Tests its First Atomic Bomb- August 20, 1949

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After many months of trial and error, the Soviet Union drops their first nuclear test bomb. This bomb was called RSD-1 or code-name "First Lightning." The bomb yielded 20 kilotons and was about the same size as the U.S. Trinity Test.This was the beginning of the Soviet Union displaying efforts to grow their nuclear arsenal.

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The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was formed by The United States, Canada, and several other Western European countries. The foundations were laid down by the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty, also known as the Washington treaty. Its purpose was to secure peace against the looming threat of the Soviet Union. This was the first peacetime military alliance the United States entered into outside of the Western Hemisphere.

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Berlin Blockade and Airlift Begins- June 1948

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Berlin Blockade and Airlift Begins- June 1948

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Soviets blocked all rail, road, and canal access to the western zones of Berlin which were controlled by The United States, Great Britain, and France. This left millions of citizens without food, medicine, electricity, or necessary supplies. To remedy this Western powers began an airlift that lasted nearly a year that was meant to provide relief to the citizens of West Berlin. This act is seen as one of the first international crises of the Cold War.

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Harvard University, Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA

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Marshall Plan is Announced to Rebuild Europe- June 1947

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Marshall Plan is Announced to Rebuild Europe- June 1947

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Coming after the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall plan was another containment policy to keep Communism at bay. Marshall believed that since Europe was in ruins, it would make a perfect climate for Communism to rise. America set aside billions of dollars and sent it to European countries at no cost. Once the economy was rebuilt, there would be no reason that anyone would turn to Communism. Not only did this plan prevent Communism but with all of the money circulating, it helped boot the American economy as well as business began to boom.

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Truman Doctrine Applied in the Greek Civil War- March 12, 1947

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Truman Doctrine Applied in the Greek Civil War- March 12, 1947

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During the Greek civil war, non-communists and a communist uprising were fighting. Fearing that Greece would fall to communism, the Truman Doctrine was put into play. This doctrine was all about containment and allied America with non-communists and provided them with arms and money. Giving "guns and butter" to the non-communist side of the Greek civil war was helpful to America because it gave the non-communists the help they needed to keep Communism at bay which was America's ultimate goal.

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Winston Churchill's Iron Curtain Speech- March 5, 1946

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Winston Churchill's Iron Curtain Speech- March 5, 1946

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The Iron Curtain speech was given by the Prime Minister of England, Winston Churchill, and was given in Missouri where President Truman was from. He did this as an attempt to connect with all Americans. The message of the speech was that an iron curtain descended upon Europe and all territories occupied by the Soviet Union had no freedom and were subject to puppet governments. Churchill emphasized that the Soviet Union and communism is the enemy and though they couldn't do much about what territories were already under Soviet control, the people could do their best to avoid the spread of communism. This speech defined the Cold War

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Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki- August 1945

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Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki- August 1945

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The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were the first uses of the atomic bomb in war. Created by the Manhattan Project, the atomic bombs fat man and little boy were authorized to drop by Harry S. Truman and caused mass casualties in their respective cities. Immediately after the bombings Japan surrendered to the U.S. This continues to be the only use of nuclear weapons in battle.

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Winston Churchill, Josef Stalin, and Franklin Roosevelt meet at a beach resort in Yalta after the second world war. This meeting's purpose was to split up territories after the war to prevent further fighting. This conference would result in Germany being split into separate occupational zones run by different countries. This also put into priority the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany.