cold war map by JULIA WILLINGHAM

Yalta Conference - February 1945

jwillingham25 — 2024-03-27 13:56:35 UTC

Franklin D Roosevelt (United States), Winston Churchill (Britain), and Joseph Stalin (Soviet Union), also known as "The Big Three", met on the coast of the Black Sea in Yalta to discuss the fate of Germany and the future of Europe following the hopefully soon end of World War II. Also discussed was the possible entry of the Soviet Union into the conflicts within the Pacific involving Japan, and the formation of the United Nations.

Bombing of Hiroshima + Nagasaki - August 1945

jwillingham25 — 2024-04-08 13:25:24 UTC

After the tragic attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. was now invested in World War II. Just 5 years prior, in 1940 as fascism was rising, the U.S. had invested in the Manhattan Project, basically conducting research on and developing new atomic weapons. Not knowing the true and lasting power of the atomic bomb, President Truman approved the bombing of Hiroshima that would claim the lives of roughly 80,000 people. This, however, was not enough to gain an immediate surrender from Japan so, Three days later, a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, claiming the lives of nearly 40,000 people. After the second attack, the Japanese Emperor, Hirohito, declared Japan's surrender.

Winston Churchill delivers Iron Curtain Speech - March 5, 1946

jwillingham25 — 2024-04-08 13:31:08 UTC

Churchill was invited to deliver his speech (originally titled, The Sinews of Peace) at Westminster College in Missouri by President Harry S. Truman. This speech served as a call to action and the importance of the United Nations working together to create peace among different countries. Specifically, they needed to be more effective than the League of Nations. Churchill spoke of the division between nations, stating, "From Stettin in the Baltic, to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the continent". Some say this speech is what allowed the west to "Win" the cold war.

Truman Doctrine + Greek Civil War - March 12, 1947

jwillingham25 — 2024-04-08 13:52:39 UTC

The Truman Doctrine was an indirect attempt to slow/stop the spread of communism. The term "Guns + Butter" was often used to describe the practices of the Truman Doctrine. This basically backs the idea of providing non-communists with weapons/military aid when engulfed in a civil war. This was first applied in Greece + Turkey when spread of communism caused tensions within these countries. This practice ultimately helped to stop the spread of communism in Greece and was considered a prelude to the Marshall Plan.

Announcement of Marshall Plan - June 1947

jwillingham25 — 2024-04-08 13:54:14 UTC

Whereas the Truman Doctrine fulfilled the "guns" portion of "Guns + Butter", the Marshall Plan was the "butter". Named after George C. Marshall, a former US General in World War 2. Now that many countries are in poor economic condition, the soil has been perfectly fertilized for the growth of communism. Marshall claims that the best way to stop the spread of communism is to rebuild Europe. Basically, communism was considered a disease and the Truman Doctrine was an antibiotic, kind of a way to get rid of it once the spread had started. The Marshall Plan was the vaccine, a way to prevent countries from ever adapting communist practices. The way Marshall planned to rebuild Europe was to provide countries with funds without the expectation of being payed back. The only catch, however, was that these countries would now have to purchase all items from the US. Trucks, Ford; Tractors, John Deer. The USSR didn't trust this plan and banned the Ukraine from implementing it.

Berlin Blockade + Airlift Begins - June 1948

jwillingham25 — 2024-04-08 13:55:45 UTC

At this point in time, Berlin was split into Eastern and Western sectors. Allied forces controlled the West while the Soviets controlled the East. As relationships between the two forces became more strained, the Soviets decided to cut off the West from railways, roads, and water. This would cut off food sources as well as other necessities. This act became known as the Blockade and occurred on June 24, 1948. In response to this, the Allied powers began Airlifting supplies such as food, water, and fuel into the Western sector of Berlin. Finally, on May 12, 1949, the Soviets agreed to lift the Blockade.

NATO Alliance Formed - April 4, 1949

jwillingham25 — 2024-04-10 13:50:31 UTC

NATO = North Atlantic Treaty Organization. This organization was created by North American countries and Western European countries as a form of defense against the Soviet Union. After seeing the devastating results of WW II, Western nations were determined to be prepared for anything. Having just rebuilt with the Marshall Plan added a sense of urgency towards the need for security. The United States were seen as a financial powerhouse, therefore they were an essential team member in the organization.

Russia Tests Their 1st Atomic Bomb - August 20, 1949

jwillingham25 — 2024-04-10 13:51:36 UTC

after the enraging loss to the "Allies" during the Berlin blockade, Stalin decided it was time to test his own atomic bomb to no longer be so far behind the United States. This caused great fear that, if the two superpowers ever went to war, death and destruction would be unimaginable. Despite this grim prediction, Stalin claimed that war between Russia and the United States would be inevitable. This caused a lot of tension between the two superpowers as both were open about their possession of nuclear weapons and their willingness to utilize them.

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

jwillingham25 — 2024-04-10 13:53:31 UTC

Since 1927, China had been in the midst of a brutal civil war in which the country had split into two parts; the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China. In leading the People's Liberation Army, Mao Zedong was able to defeat the Republic of China, causing them to flee to Taipei, Taiwan. China is now communist and signed a mutual defense treaty with the Soviet Union, causing fear in the western countries.

McCarthyism + Red Scare - February 1950

jwillingham25 — 2024-04-10 13:54:23 UTC

Goal is to contain and stop the spread of communism by following the truman doctrine + marshall plan in case of civil wars
- Support noncommunists
Communism begins to spread through asia, leading to panic
- Americans become super paranoid about communist spies
  - Some were fair, but they quickly got out of control
McCarthyism = darkest most paranoid part of red scare
- Joseph McCarthy is a senator (also a nobody with no morals)
- Claims to have been a tailgunner (wasn’t)
  - “Tailgunner joe”
- Walks into senate claiming to have a list of communist spies who are EVERYWHERE
  - If you vote for him, he will get rid of these spies
  - No one can see said list
    - Probably doesn’t have any real names on it
- Eventually discredited
- After the end of the red scare he becomes an alcoholic and commits suicide
- McCarthyism is reminiscent of the reign of terror in france or the salem witch trials

Korean War - 1950-1953

jwillingham25 — 2024-04-10 13:56:22 UTC

Korea is occupied by Japan during WW2 but is kicked out and surrender (1945)
- South is surrendered to US
  - Put democratic gov in place
- North is surrendered to soviet union
  - Kim family is put in place of communist gov
North Korea launches surprise attack on south Korea
- Only a small portion left
  - “Pusan perimeter”
- United Nations join war
  - General McArthur launches D-Day similar attack on Korea (amphibious)
  - Cut off North Korean forces and liberate south Korea
  - Now go and take North Korea, nearly reaching the boarder of China
    - Communist China feels like their independence is threatened and fight the united nations and forces them down the peninsula
      - China takes south korea, UN takes it back
- Cease fire is signed and boarder between North and South is demilitarized (DMZ)
North + South still at war today, just still obeying ceasefire
Harry Truman fires general Mcarthur because he keeps threatening china with nuclear weapons and bombs
- “I’m trying to prevent ww3 not start it”
Nicknamed “the forgotten war”

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

jwillingham25 — 2024-04-10 13:57:09 UTC

Hydrogen bombs are more powerful than atomic bombs
- Hydrogen - fission bombs
- Atomic - fusion bombs
Hydrogen bombs have never been used outside of testing
Kind of begins an arms race which still happens today
2 years later russia detonates their own H-bomb

KGB Established - March 1954

jwillingham25 — 2024-04-10 13:59:06 UTC

After Stalin's death, the new leader, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev established the KGB, similar to the Department of Homeland Security. The KGB was known as the "Secret Police" and would carry out work both within the Soviet Union and in other nations. Their job was to crush anti-government ideals within the Soviet Union. While ensuring power to the Premier, the KGB also served for general national security. In an attempt to remain secure, the KGB desperately tried to gain intelligence in the United States by sending over spies. The Red Scare, however, hindered any possibility of success due to increased survailance and investigations.

CIA Helps Overthrow Governments in Iran + Guatemala - March 1954

jwillingham25 — 2024-04-11 13:01:15 UTC

IRAN (August 19, 1953)- US government assisted the Iranian military in overthrowing the premier Mohammad Mosaddeq and his government. Mosaddeq was known for his nationalist views and the US suspected that he was "dabbling" or interested in communism. This sparked fears that he would form an alliance between Iran and the Soviet Union. So, the CIA partnered up with the Shah and staged a coup, ultimately making the Shah the leader of Iran until the late 1970's.

GUATEMALA (June 1954)- This is known as "Operation PBSuccess" in which the CIA partnered with former military officer, Carlos Castillo Armas, to stir up anti-communist government ideals. With the help of the CIA, Armas was able to put together an army and ultimately defeated the Guatemalan President, Jacobo Árbenz.

Warsaw Pact Formed - May 1955

jwillingham25 — 2024-04-11 13:01:44 UTC

The Warsaw Pact was a treaty of friendship between several Eastern European countries and the Soviet Union. The primary cause for the formation of this agreement was the Paris Treaty signed between the western powers. This allowed West Germany to join NATO and staged a threat to the Soviet Union's power. The Warsaw Pact would give the Soviet Union a stronger hold on their possessed countries by allowing increased military presence within the territories of participating states, therefore making it much harder for western powers to try and invade them.

Transfermium Wars - 1955

jwillingham25 — 2024-04-11 13:12:17 UTC

Scientific race between US + Russia
- Find new elements first + name them
  - All of these are considered transfermium elements
- Create new weapons/war applications with new elements
Basically the space race of chemistry stuff

Rebellion in Hungary Defeated - November 4, 1956

jwillingham25 — 2024-04-11 13:32:06 UTC

After being sent to Hungary to crush the October uprisings, formerly dismissed as premier for his distaste of the Stalinist ideas, Imre Nagy ended up pushing back the Soviet forces and fed into the revolt of the Hungarians. The reason behind this sudden revolution is that citizens wanted to be liberated from communist control and adapt a more democratic-styled government. To help work towards this goal, Nagy abolished the "one party rule" and announced the withdrawal of Hungary from the Warsaw Pact. On November 4, 12 days after its beginning, the Hungarian revolt was quickly extinguished as the Soviet Union barreled through Budapest in their tanks. Nagy was captured and would be executed two years later because of his treasonous crimes.

USSR launches first ICBM - August 1957

jwillingham25 — 2024-04-24 13:14:43 UTC

ICBM = Intercontinental Ballistic Missile. With tensions rising between the United States and Soviet Union, the two had entered into an arms race. Each nation was testing nuclear weapons and flaunting their threatening power to the other. After newfound success in Atomic and Hydrogen bombs, the Soviet Union had now produced the R-7, a nuclear missile capable of traveling roughly 3,700 miles. This was obviously disconcerting for the US and lead to even higher tensions that would later be known as The Cuban Missile Crisis.

Sputnik Launched Into Orbit - October 4, 1957

jwillingham25 — 2024-04-24 13:16:24 UTC

The Sputnik was 185 lb, and only stayed in earth’s orbit for a few months. While it did not last long, the launching of the Sputnik marked the beginning of the Space Age and the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union. The launch of the Sputnik took the U.S by surprise, leaving American scientists scrambling to catch up. The government then created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA, to plan U.S missions to space. Ultimately, the launching of Sputnik 1 catalyzed the space race and was a major stepping stone for the Soviet Union considering they sent animals and people into space following the Sputnik.

Fidel Castro Takes Power in Cuba - January 1959

jwillingham25 — 2024-04-24 13:17:21 UTC

The Cuban Revolution was staged by Fidel Castro in order to overthrow the harsh dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. Batista took power in 1933 following a revolt but would later lose his re-election in 1952. Batista did not take that loss well and staged a coup in which he overthrew the government and canceled the election. At this time, Fidel Castro was a young lawyer who had been running for congress. After an arrest for going against previous government figures, Castro became the image of revolution in Cuba. In 1956, Castro's group began a guerrilla campaign against Batista's government. After causing Batista to flee to the Dominican Republic in 1959, Castro was sworn in as the prime minister.

U2 Spy Plane Shot Down Over the USSR - May 1960

jwillingham25 — 2024-04-24 13:18:54 UTC

Gary Powers is the pilot of this plane
U2 is a spy plane still used today
- Flies in stratosphere so that it is too high for missiles to shoot it down
- Takes high-resolution pictures from stratosphere
  - Takes pics of military stuff
Russians carried oxygen with the missile so it can reach the U2 and shoot it down
- Gary Powers free falls from the altitude but survives
  - Captured and publically tried for being a spy
  - Held in prison because, spy stuff
  - Prisoner swap - we capture a russian spy in the US and trade him for Gary Powers
We claim its a weather plane that was flying over turkey and “wandered off course” over the soviet union and crashed
- We didn’t know that Gary was still alive and when he was arrested, we were caught lying about the spy plane

Failed Bay of Pigs Invasion - April 1961

jwillingham25 — 2024-04-24 13:19:44 UTC

Cuba was on its way to becoming a version of Las Vegas
US influence in cuba is overthrown
- Fidel Castro is now communist leader of Cuba
CIA secretly gathers anticommunist cuban exiles
- Trains them on military base in guatemala jungles to overthrow castro
Drops them at the bay of pigs so it looks like it’s just a citizen revolt
- Plan was for america to provide air support
  - Kenedy thinks it would make america look involved and make us look bad so we don’t provide support
- Super unsuccessful and all “soldiers” are captured
- Fidel castro now has major beef with US and goes to russians for access to missiles to protect from american intervention
  - Cuba calls them defensive missiles, we call them offensive missiles
    - Cuba says they only have them to protect from more US attacks, we say they have them to nuke major US cities
      - Both are true

Construction of Berlin Wall Begins - August 17, 1961

jwillingham25 — 2024-04-24 13:20:53 UTC

Construction of the Berlin Wall was initiated by the communist government of East Germany and labeled as the "Antifascist Protective Wall". East Germany claimed it was to protect from the influence of western "Fascists" but it was really do prevent the defection of civilians from East Germany into the West, therefore depriving East Germany of their excessive power. What was initially comprised of barbed wire and plain fencing evolved into guard towers, concrete walls, and "death strips" in which people were likely to get shot for getting too close to the wall. This construction increased tensions between the capitalist West and the communist East.

Cuban Missile Crisis - October 1962

jwillingham25 — 2024-04-24 13:31:16 UTC

Lasted 13 days
Cuba forms alliance with the soviet union
Soviet union starts placing missiles in cuba
- Pointed at the US
- US U2 spy planes take pictures of the missile bases being constructed
Kennedy was going to invade cuba, decided not to and instead forms naval blockade
- surrounded cuba with ships that would search EVERY boat that came near cuba
- Anything containing missile stuff was sent back to the soviet union
Soviet union agrees to remove missiles from cuba as long as the US removed theirs from greece and turkey

Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Ratified - July 1963

jwillingham25 — 2024-04-24 13:33:09 UTC

Also known as the Limited Test Ban Treaty, this agreement was another example of arms control during the Cold War. With increased production of nuclear weapons, it was becoming clear to many nations that another world war would mean a nuclear war. A nuclear war would absolutely wipe out entire countries. Acknowledging the serious nature of the situation, the United States, Soviet Union, and Great Britain came together to set regulations on the testing of weapons. The following regulations were influenced by radiation risk and led the US to designate a section of Nevada to weapon testing.

Atmosphere: No tests were allowed in the Earth’s atmosphere.
Outer space: Tests were prohibited beyond the Earth’s atmosphere.
Underwater: Testing underwater was also banned.

Gulf of Tonkin Incident + Resolution - August 1964

jwillingham25 — 2024-04-24 13:34:28 UTC

Vietnam was a french colony but was taken by china during WW2
Vietnamese leader is communist
- US places a non-communist leader in south vietnam
- An election was supposed to be held to vote between leaders but that never happened
- Turns into civil war
  - Soviet union provides stuff to north, US provides stuff + training to south
US destroyer supposedly attacked by torpedoes
- Two attacks, who knows if its true though
- 1 - officer heard torpedo
- 2 - officer saw torpedo
LBJ uses this as an excuse to get directly involved in vietnam war
- President can’t declare war
  - LBJ passes resolution which allows him to deploy emergency forces to protect US navy - kind of a loophole
Resolution considered “blank check”

US troops sent to Dominican Republic to fight Communism - April 1965

jwillingham25 — 2024-05-02 12:59:27 UTC

In an effort to cease "communist dictatorship" in the Dominican Republic, president Johnson sent 22,000 US troops to take back control and put a conservative non-militarist government. This was yet another desperate act to stop the spread of communism throughout countries, especially those more susceptible to it like those of a third-world nature.

US announcement to dispatch 200,000 US troops to Vietnam - July 1965

jwillingham25 — 2024-05-02 13:03:54 UTC

When President Johnson announced his plan to increase US forces in Vietnam from 75,000 to 125,000 troops, there were mixed reactions across the globe. One controversial decision within the US was that the monthly draft calls had to be raised from 17,000 to 35,000 men, who obviously were not happy about that news. The US Congress were in agreement with Johnson's plan and consistently reinstated their support. Globally, communist leaders were obviously very critical of his decision to increase US presence in Vietnam because this would make their sectors of occupation more susceptible to anti-communist rule

Operation Rolling Thunder - 1966

jwillingham25 — 2024-05-02 13:06:09 UTC

US drops more bombs on N Vietnam than in the total of WW2 around the world
Nixon is trying to bomb Vietnam into submission
- Brings N Vietnam to negotiate, not surrender
Basically just a massive bombing campaign
An attempt to use air power to win the war
- Did this to try and reduce american casualties
- Ultimately not as effective as soldiers on the ground with weapons

Red Army crushes Czechoslovakian revolt - August 1968

jwillingham25 — 2024-05-02 13:07:47 UTC

Nicknamed “Prague Spring”
After WW2, Russian soldiers go across Europe and liberate countries from the control of the Nazis
- Set up communist “puppet governments”
  - Technically independent governments, but ultimately controlled by the soviet union
Lots of communities start to protest against the soviet control and communist rulings
- Soviet union sends in Warsaw Pact to crush protests in prague
  - Legit use russian tanks
- People started reading and writing freely + expressed their ideas (bad idea tho)
Very similar to what is currently happening with Russia + the Ukraine

Apollo 11 moon landing - July 20, 1969

jwillingham25 — 2024-05-02 13:09:24 UTC

NASA created the "Apollo Program" in hopes of making the US the first nation to put a man on the moon. Obviously there were many failed attempts before the successful mission of the Apollo 11. Aboard the Apollo 11 were three astronauts: Michael Collins, Neil Armstrong, and Buzz Aldrin. The US succeeded in being the first to put a man on the moon, thus winning the Space Race. The moon landing is often recalled by Armstrong's famous quote; "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind".

Pentagon Papers published - 1971

jwillingham25 — 2024-05-02 13:11:00 UTC

The Pentagon Papers were basically a report of different lies/secrets of the Kennedy Administration. They suggested that Kennedy had played a crucial role in helping to assassinate the South Vietnamese president in 1963 and contradicted claims made by the US government concerning the possible impacts of bombing in North Vietnam. Clearly, these papers were never meant to be leaked to the public and caused a lot of outrage among American citizens. It wasn't until June of 2011 when all 7,000 pages were released to the public by the US government. Prior to the leak, the papers were called the "Report of the Office of the Secretary of Defense Vietnam Task Force", which clearly sounds very important and like something that should have remained confidential.

President Nixon visits China - February 1972

jwillingham25 — 2024-05-02 13:12:03 UTC

Known as panda diplomacy
Nixon starts detente (lessening of tensions)
- Nixon is super anti-communist
Nixon meets with Mao
- Discuss trade and economic relations
  - “What they want, what we want, what we both want”
- Communique(agreement) signed
- By reestablishing relations with china, nixon is able to drive a wedge between china and the soviet union

SALT 1 signed - July 1972

jwillingham25 — 2024-05-02 13:13:12 UTC

Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty
- Signed by the US and Soviet union to slow nuclear weapon production and testing
- Another part of detente
SALT II signed in the 90’s after SALT I expired
- Putin refused to sign SALT III so… ya
ICBM have multiple warheads (hydrogen bombs) on the tip, each designated for a different city
- US had over 1500 of these

US-supported coup overthrows Chilean government - September 1973

jwillingham25 — 2024-05-02 13:14:31 UTC

At this time, Chile had a socialist government run by President Salvador Allende. On September 11, 1973, the CIA aided Chile's military in overthrowing Allende's rule and placed General Augusto Pinochet as dictator. This would prove to be a poor decision as his dictatorship was described as a "ruthless 17-years". His regime was known for abusing human rights and killing approximately 3,000 Chilean citizens.

Egypt + Syria attack Israel - Egypt requests Soviet aid - October 1973

jwillingham25 — 2024-05-02 13:18:09 UTC

While this war has many names such as the Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War, or Fourth Arab-Israeli War, one thing is agreed upon; Egypt and Syria started it. Egypt and Syria worked together to organize a two-sided attack on Israel; one from the north and the other from the south. Ultimately this was a sort of revenge for the loss of these territories to Israel in 1967 during the "Six-Day War". Egypt and Syria caught Israel completely off-guard and would not be stopped. Fearing complete collapse, the Israeli Prime Minister turned to the US for support. Of course, the Soviet Union went on to supply Egypt and Syria in order to counteract the aid of the United States.

South Vietnam falls to North Vietnam - April 17, 1975

jwillingham25 — 2024-05-02 13:19:55 UTC

South Vietnam fell to North Vietnam after being occupied by the PAVN. They placed their flag over Saigon, the capital, after the US operation "Frequent Wind" in which all American personnel, civilian and military, were evacuated. The US also evacuated Vietnamese civilians while some Americans decided to stay, despite the impending threat.

Soviet + Cuban forces help install Communist government - February 1976

jwillingham25 — 2024-05-02 13:21:50 UTC

Angola was in the midst of a proxy war between the East and West portions of the country. The East was led by the Soviets and the West was led by the US. With such division within the country, there were several political groups such as the MPLA (communist), UNITA (anticommunist), and FNLA (anti-communist). In true proxy war fashion, Cuba sent troops as support for the MPLA in their fight against UNITA and FNLA. With this continued presence Angola would reach nearly 36,000 Cuban troops by 1976. This major increase in control drove out other forces, thereby allowing Cuba full control of Angola provinces.

Panda Diplomacy - January 1979

jwillingham25 — 2024-05-02 13:22:55 UTC

Another example of detente
Countries who acknowledge the power of the Chinese government would be leased Pandas
- Roughly 1 million dollars for one year
- Our pandas were Ling-Ling and Cing-Cing
Panda diplomacy is still used today

Sino-Vietnamese War - February 1979

jwillingham25 — 2024-05-02 13:24:13 UTC

sino = china
Communist vietnam fights communist china
- Fight over land and where the boarder should be
- Vietnam previously provided weapons to china
China expects to dominate over vietnam
- Lasted less than a month
  - Roughly 60,000 people killed
- Vietnam “wins”
- Vietnam has a long history of seeing china as a threat, even though they were previously allies
- Soviet union backs vietnam

Shah overthrown + Iran Hostage Crisis - November 1979

jwillingham25 — 2024-05-02 13:27:11 UTC

Allies with the US
- We want their oil and to keep them from becoming communist
Shah was deposed once but the US put him back in power to keep them from becoming communist
- Shah is very westernized and modern - very different from middle east ideas
  - Provide legal rights to women
  - Wears business suits
Overthrow of the Shaw starts with college protests while shah is in US getting cancer treatments
- People wanted a less liberal society and instead wanted a more religion based government
New government is theocracy - led by religious leaders
- Iatola (shia islam) is new leader
- Implements very fundamentalist government
  - Takes away women's rights
Protesters storm the US embassy in Iran
- Take 66 americans and hold them hostage for 444 days
- US president jimmy carter sends rescue mission to get the hostages (operation eagle claw)
  - Rescue helicopter crashes into plane and 10 soldiers are killed
  - Hostages not saved
Ronald Raegan sworn in as new president
- Hostages released same day
  - Partially because the Shah was dead at this point, making the argument pointless

Soviet Union invades Afghanistan - December 1979

jwillingham25 — 2024-05-02 13:34:05 UTC

On December 24, 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, under the pretext of upholding the Soviet-Afghan Friendship Treaty of 1978. As midnight approached, the Soviets organized a massive military airlift into Kabul, involving an estimated 280 transport aircraft and three divisions of almost 8,500 men each¹. This invasion marked a significant turning point in the Afghan War (1978–92), as Soviet troops assumed complete military and political control of Kabul and large portions of the country. It’s worth noting that this was the only time the Soviet Union invaded a country outside the Eastern Bloc ². The conflict would continue for years, with the Afghan resistance fighters (mujahideen) opposing the Soviet forces, leading to a prolonged and devastating war.

US hockey defeats USSR in Winter Olympics - February 22, 1980

jwillingham25 — 2024-05-02 13:35:53 UTC

Also named "The Miracle on Ice", the US victory against the Soviet Union in the hockey Olympics was considered a historical moment considering the fact that the Soviet Union was known for their unbeatable Olympic hockey teams was defeated by a group of American college students. The US team continued to defeat Finland and would win the gold medal. Now, this story is often used as an example of teamwork and its potential impact.

US boycotts Summer Olympics in Moscow - June-August 1980

jwillingham25 — 2024-05-02 13:37:53 UTC

in response to the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan, the US decided to boycott the Olympics since they were being held in Moscow. roughly 60 additional countries participated in the boycott, which was very unfortunate for the Soviet Union since they were the hosts. the idea of the boycott had been thrown around in the past but the invasion of Afghanistan gave the perfect opportunity to make a point and spread the message.

President Reagan proposes SDI - 1983

jwillingham25 — 2024-05-02 13:40:00 UTC

the goal of the SDI was to stop incoming missiles at high altitudes during their "mid-course phase". some parts of the system were to be settled in space with the utilization of new and advanced technology. one of these space-based weapons were stations that could shoot laser beams at Soviet targets while in motion. there was also a plan for missile platforms in the air (within the atmosphere) and then ground missiles that could focus on ICBMs. Lastly, there would be sensors that could detect threats on the ground, in the air, in space, and even more.

US invades + overthrows regime in Granada - October 1983

jwillingham25 — 2024-05-02 13:42:33 UTC

After assassinating the Grenadian leader, Bernard Coard elected himself as the new leader. This was extremely worrying for America because of Grenada's close proximity to the US and their alliance with the Soviet Union. Tensions were also high due to the presence of 1,000 American medical students in Granada, causing president Reagan to fear for their safety. In order to ensure the safety of these American citizens, the US invaded Granada in Operation Urgent Fury. The US lost less than 20 troops whereas over 60 Grenadian/Cuban troops were killed. Needless to say, the government under Coard's rule collapsed and a US approved government was established.

Eastern Bloc boycotts LA Summer Olympics - July-August 1984

jwillingham25 — 2024-05-02 13:46:35 UTC

the states boycotting these Olympics were all either allies with or run by the Soviet Union. four years prior, the US had refused to participate in the Olympics as a protest to the Soviet invasion/occupation of Afghanistan. the Soviet Union led this boycott in response to America's previous boycott and instead chose to hold the Friendship Games so athletes from boycotting countries could still have a place to compete. Romania, even though it was under Soviet rule, decided to continue participating in the Olympics as the only Soviet state.

Gorbachev Begins Glasnost + Perestroika - 1985

jwillingham25 — 2024-05-21 15:20:20 UTC

GLASNOST - translates to openness

PERESTROIKA - translates to restructuring

both of these initiatives were put into place by Gorbachev in hopes of giving people the ability to speak freely and share ideas. the sharing of these ideas would hopefully lead to the reconstruction of the political and economic aspects of the government. these practices allowed for the darker secrets of the Soviet Union to be exposed and contributed to the eventual downfall of the USSR.

Soviet Troops Withdraw from Afghanistan - January 1989

jwillingham25 — 2024-05-21 15:23:03 UTC

in 1979, the Soviet Union sent troops into Afghanistan to support the communist leadership of PDPA. Gorbachev's position as general secretary in the communist Soviet government led to a drastic change. Gorbachev wanted to focus on improving relationships with the West and withdrawing all troops and influence from Afghanistan would hopefully help towards that goal. the first afghan civil war followed soon after this withdrawal and the Soviet Union continued to provide military support the communist parties within Afghanistan. The fall of the USSR in 1991 would bring a sudden stop to this aid, causing the party to fall soon after.

Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria and Romania oust Communist governments - 1989

jwillingham25 — 2024-05-21 15:28:38 UTC

POLAND - Poland held elections (partially free) and the trade union, Solidarity, won by a landslide. This made Poland now partially democratic and ended the chain of communist rule.

HUNGARY - Hungary destroyed the boarder fence between them and Austria, which allowed East Germans to move West without the danger of crossing the Berlin Wall and its "death strips". Hungarian round table then opened multi-party elections, therefore eliminating communism in their government.

CZECHOSLOVAKIA - through the velvet revolution and multiple protests fighting for political changes, Czechoslovakia's communist government resigned and the leader of these revolutions, Václav Havel, was chosen to be the first president of non-communist Czechoslovakia.

BULGARIA - after many repeated protests against communist practices, the Bulgarian government was pressured to give up their power. non-communist power was established after multi-party elections were held.

ROMANIA - during a particularly violent revolution, the dictator, Nicolae Ceaușescu, was publicly slandered. This caused the military to eventually turn on him, allowing him to be executed along with Romania's communist governing practices.

Tiananmen Square Massacre - June 1989

jwillingham25 — 2024-05-21 15:32:46 UTC

There were many causes to this situation in China but some of the most commonly attributed ones are the death of a communist leader, economic changes, political corruption, and desire for democracy. With so many changes happening in the political atmosphere, many civilians were protesting and continued to gain more momentum by the day. The government did not like this so they declared martial law. They took troops, tanks, and weapons and opened fire on civilians. over 200 people were killed and others were arrested exiled.

Berlin Wall Falls - November 1989

jwillingham25 — 2024-05-21 15:35:30 UTC

Soviet Union is beginning to lose control of Eastern Europe due to financial instability
- These countries were technically independent but were seen/used as communist puppets
The biggest symbol of the soviet union’s failure
Germans spontaneously ambushed the wall and tore it down
Similar to the storming of Bastilles
Germany reunited soon after

Boris Yeltsin elected as President of Russia - May 1990

jwillingham25 — 2024-05-21 15:38:59 UTC

Helped disband the communist parliament and demanded elections for a new legislature
Putin leads coup in which people climb on top of tanks and planted russian flags in place of soviet flags
Ordered tanks to shoot at parliament building
Soviet soldiers refuse to shoot the protesters, allowing them to gain power
Declares independence from the union of soviet socialist republics
Promised to turn to a western/capitalist society but Russia stagnates in corruption
Yeltsin handed off power to Putin in 1999

Germany Reunited - October 3, 1990

jwillingham25 — 2024-05-21 15:43:12 UTC

East Germany and West Germany now ruled under one government
- Similar to if we saw North Korea fall to South Korea and suddenly they were united as homies and the communism was just gone
Germany returns to its role as the economic heart of Europe and continues to thrive
Russia won WW2 but is now economically stagnant while Germany lost both world wars and was able to jump back into economic success

USSR Dissolved - August 1991

jwillingham25 — 2024-05-21 15:44:39 UTC

towards the end of the Cold War, the Soviet Union was starving and in poverty. while achievements in space and weaponry were being made, citizens were homeless and starving. this led to more riots and the USSR was slowly losing control of their people. in this spiral, the USSR was disbanded with 15 countries declaring independence, including Russia. Many of these nations moved away from communism but would fall back into old patterns within a few years.

PODCAST

jwillingham25 — 2024-05-22 13:48:10 UTC