Formation of Warsaw Pact

Year: It was signed in May, 1995. It ended in 1991.

Summary: The Warsaw Pact was an alliance consisting of Communist countries and it was started in Poland. Their focus was to create a defense against potential enemy attacks, which was NATO. By uniting Communist countries, it allowed the USSR to have together control over the other nations, which prevented them from gaining independence.

Year: 1947

Summary: After WW2, America was afraid that the Soviet Union would try and take Europe and that they would turn to the Soviet Union for help. So the U.S just started paying the European countries with billions of dollars and aided them with supplies. Secretary of State George Marshall created the Marshall Plan which gave 17 billion dollars of U.S funds to European countries. It did very well in those countries as their industries were producing twice the amount they did before.

Year: Launched in 1957

Summary: The Soviet Union launched the first ever satellite, named the Sputnik. It provoked the US and it caused the start of a Space Run, which lasted a decade and was a way for the US and USSR to compete to make a better spaceflight capability. The US, in response, tried making their own satellite as quickly as possible.

Year: 1943

Summary: A group of Greek Communists wanted to overthrow the Greek government, leading to the start of a Civil war. This group of people were trying to get aid from the Soviet Union and Truman didn't want this happening at all. So, Truman created the Truman Doctrine, which basically stopped the Communist Greeks from going to the USSR to get help while the US financially supported the Greek government. With setbacks, the Communist Greeks where able to be defeated with help from the U.S.

they had control over Berlin along side two other countries being apart of the big 3

Year: April of 1961

Summary: In 1959, Fidel Castro, a communist, came to leadership in Cuba and made relations with the leader of the USSR, Nikita Khrushchev. The US, in fear of a possible communist expansion, planned to secretly invade Cuba and overthrow Fidel Castro. However, the Cuban government found out and when the American troops got to the Bay of Pigs, they were attacked and defeated, making Castro look powerful and leading to the Soviets to station Nuclear weapons in Cuba in October of 1962.

Year: 1945- 1949

Summary: Berlin was split into half, the Western half was under the control of the U.S, France and Great Britain and the Eastern half was controlled by the USSR. People in Russia were trying to drive out the U.S, France, and the UK. Stalin wanted all of Berlin to become communist so he tried forcing the Western half into submission by starving them and blocking a route that they get trade from so that they would go hungry and join the USSR. So, to get around it, Truman started the Berlin Airlift, which sent aircraft that had food and aid. This kept going on for many years until they were stable enough and Stalin backed down with the blockade.

NATO

Year: 1949

Summary: North American and Western Europe countries gathered in D.C to form an alliance against the USSR. It was to help in case any member was attacked, then the others will come together and help fight. It was made to help protect the nations and keep them together through this battle.

Year: 1961~1989

Summary: During this time, many people in Berlin were upset about the separation and some people didn't want to be under the control of the USSR, so some Eastern Berlin people went to the West for more opportunity. Stalin was embarrassed of it so he created the Berlin Wall telling people it was to keep the people from the West out, but in reality, it was to keep the East Berlin people in and under his control. The Berlin Wall was then taken down in 1989

Year: October of 1962

Summary: The US and the Soviet Union almost came close to war due to the presence of nuclear missiles in Cuba, which Nikita Khrushchev had placed. Tensions were rising along with Kennedy placing a naval blockade on Cuba, which prevented the Soviets from bringing weapons to Cuba. However, after exchanging messages between each other, both leaders came to an agreement, where the USSR removed missiles and the US would stop invading Cuba.

Year: Started in 1954, ended in 1974

Summary: Ho Chi Minh, the communist leader of North Vietnam, wanted to unite South Vietnam, which was non communist. The US applied their policy of containment because they feared that if Vietnam fell to Communism, then other nations nearby would also fall to Communism. The US fought hard for South Vietnam for 19 years, however they ended up losing and South Vietnam became a part of the North, which also gave the US a bad image.

Year: July 16 - July 24, 1969

Summary: After the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik, the US wanted to win the Space Race landing a man on the moon. Apollo 11 was launched, which was led by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, and it was successful in landing them on the Moon.

Year: 1950

Summary: After Korea was set free from the Japanese control, both the U.S and USSR agreed to divide Korea into two halves, creating both North and South Korea. North Korea went to the USSR and South Korea went to the U.S. A North Korean man named Kim II Sung attempted to ratify both North and South Korea to put it all under his control. Both the U.S and USSR assisted in the war between North and South Korea. After some time, both North and South Korea came to an agreement to make peace.

Year: 1972

Summary: When the Communist Party of China rose to power in China, it led to tensions with the US. However, these tensions would soon start to cool down when Nixon went to Beijing for a week to start relations with the People's Republic of China, along with meeting Mao Zedong. This put a wedge between the Soviet Union and China, which weakened the Soviet Union from everyone's perspective.

Year: 1989

Summary: As the Cold War began to end, a spokesman of the East side of Berlin told the people that they were going to break down the wall. Many people in both West Berlin and East Berlin have been waiting for this moment. People brought beer with them and when the Berlin Wall fell, both sides came together, met, and embraced each other. A party between both sides lated for a week. Berlin was finally reunited as one.