KERSEY - Cold War Timeline by Myka Kersey

Berlin Airlift (1948)

470282_ — 2025-05-07 17:16:13 UTC

The United States and England join forces to provide supplies to Western Berlin amid the Soviet blockade. The airlifts lasted 11 months, and an estimated 2 million tons of supplies were provided to them.

Korean War (1950)

470282_ — 2025-05-07 17:16:26 UTC

Mao Zedong carried out a communist revolution within China in 1949. Zedong would gain the support of the Soviet Union and successfully overthrow the nationalist government. After being provided with Soviet weapons, North Korea invaded South Korea. America sent military support to South Korea out of fear of communist conquest. The US initially succeed in pushing back North Korea, but would eventually become overpowered by "volunteer" reinforcements. The war ended in 1953, ultimately concluding in a stalemate.

1st Hydrogen Bomb (1945)

470282_ — 2025-05-07 17:19:08 UTC

The United States manufactured the first hydrogen bomb at the latter end of WWII. It was named "Little Boy", and dropped it on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. The bomb killed 70,000 people in less than two seconds.

Bay of Pigs (1961)

470282_ — 2025-05-07 17:19:23 UTC

The US supported an invasion of Cuba in response to the Cuban Revolution. The invasion was led by 1500 Cuban exiles supported by the FBI, but the invasion failed miserably and made of mockery of US intentions.

Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)

470282_ — 2025-05-07 17:20:18 UTC

The USSR placed nuclear weapons on Cuba, placing 90% of the US in range of effect. The US also had secret missiles held in Turkey. The event marked Cuba as a communist country, established a direct telephone link between Moscow and Washington, and added a success to US record for avoiding disaster.

US Troops in Vietnam (1965)

470282_ — 2025-05-07 17:20:32 UTC

Following Japanese invasion in World War II, North Vietnam was left a communist territory. The North aimed to conquer the South and unify under a singular communist nation. This forced US hands at the fear of global communism. After sending roughly 400,000 troops to Vietnam to combat communism, the US would succumb to the superior Vietnamese military strategies and Vietnam would unify as a singular communist government.

Pinochet's Coup (1973)

470282_ — 2025-05-07 17:20:46 UTC

The people of Chile elected a socialist president in Salvador Allende in 1970. The US president, Richard Nixon, views this as a communist threat because the socialist perspectives of Chilean people were supported by the Soviet communist government. The CIA would have Allende assassinated in 1973 and replaced by a pro-US dictator, Augusto Pinochet, whom they would provide military and economic support for over the next two decades.

Nixon's SALT I (1972)

470282_ — 2025-05-07 17:21:26 UTC

President Nixon and General Secretary Brezhnev signed the ABM Treaty and Interim Agreement on strategic arms. This brings about the events to conclude the conflict, as the US and USSR begin to accept each other as separate beings.

Soviets Invade Afghanistan (1979)

470282_ — 2025-05-07 17:21:49 UTC

The USSR viewed Afghanistan as a vital buffer state. Against the SALT I agreement, the Soviets invade Afghanistan in December of 1979. The Soviets fail this attempt after their poor equipment fails to last in the harsh Afghan environments. The US ended the SALT agreement and placed a ban on grain export to Russia.

Reagan's Defense (Early 1980s)

470282_ — 2025-05-07 17:22:19 UTC

Reagan declared the Soviets to be willing to commit any crimes in pursuit of the global spread of communism. In response to Soviet intentions, Reagan dramatically increased US military and space investments. Reagan famously put the Strategic Defense Initiative into place in 1983, which would place US satellites and lasers into space to monitor Soviet missile progression.