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Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was fought between the democratic Nationalists, led by Chiang Kai-Shek and backed by America, and the Communists, led by Mao Zedong and backed by the USSR. In the end, the Communists won, and the Nationalists fled to Taiwan. Their victory in the war soon resulted in the establishment of the The People's Republic of China, which is still in power today.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Chinese-Civil-War
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Yalta Conference
At the end of WWII, Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Stalin all met in Yalta, Crimea, to discuss what to do with Germany after the war. It was here that it was decided that the USSR would get control over the Eastern half of Europe. During the conference, the three capitalists leaders agreed to do things like rebuild Germany and put the major war criminals on trial.
https://www.britannica.com/event/World-War-II/Yalta#ref53602
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Iron Curtain Speech | Citation: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/churchill-delivers-iron-curtain-speech | https://www.britannica.com/topic/Iron-Curtain-Speech
On March 5, 1946, Winston Churchill gave a famous speech at Westminster College in Futon, Missouri. It was during the speech that not only was the term "Iron Curtain" first used to describe the divide between western and eastern Europe, but it was also clearly stated what Britain's stance on the Soviet Union was. Consequently, Stalin, the leader of the USSR, saw the speech as a declaration of war. -
West Berlin Blockade | Citation: https://www.britannica.com/place/Berlin/History#ref21656
Right in the middle of the USSR's portion of Germany, lied its capital, Berlin, which despite its location, was still split into the French, English, American, and Russian divisions. The USSR wanted to drive the US out of Berlin permanently by cutting off their aid to the citizens, so they formed a blockade, preventing them from delivering it. Not wanting give in, they instead just air dropped the supplies to the citizens for a of couple months before the USSR gave up and removed the blockade. -
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was a huge economic endeavor made by the US in order to help Europe rebuild after the war. This benefited the US in that not only would it secure future allies and trade partners, but it also helped stopped the spread of communism, at least somewhat. Thanks to the plan, democracy and capitalism flourished in Western Europe, and some of the countries even became superpowers.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Marshall-Plan. -
NATO
NATO stands for North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and was created as a counter to the Soviet armies still stationed in Europe. The original members were the US, Belgium, Canada, France, Denmark, Iceland, Italy, and Luxembourg. Other countries later joined as well, along with (after much discussion) Western Germany.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/North-Atlantic-Treaty-Organization -
Korean War
The war started when the communists in North Korea, backed by the communists in China invaded South Korea, which was aided by America. Neither side wins, and the country still remains divided today on the 38th parallel into the communist North Korea and the Capitalist South Korea. This whole war supports the domino theory, the theory that if one country becomes communist, then the surrounding will as well, just like with China and Korea.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Korean-War
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Vietnam War
The communist side in the war was led by Ho Chi Minh, while America assisted the non-communist side. America tried to deploy the same strategy they used with Korea that succeeded, but it failed. Some of the Vietnamese didn't want their country divided, and others simply wanted the global super powers to mind their own business, so the strategy gained no support, America had to eventually withdraw, and Vietnam is a communist country to this day.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Vietnam-War
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Warsaw Pact | Citation: https://www.britannica.com/event/Warsaw-Pact
In response to the capitalist powers forming NATO, the USSR decided to form its own pact with other communist countries, called the Warsaw Pact. The original members were the USSR (duh!), Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Eastern Germany. Unlike NATO, however, this alliance would not last, as many of these countries aside from Russia would have their own democratic revolutions, and later all joined NATO just before the Soviet Union fell (except for Russia). -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The crisis started when the US discovered that Cuba, a communist country led by Fidel Castro just 90 miles off of the Florida coast, had nuclear missiles courtesy of the USSR. The US wanted the nuclear missiles out, while the USSR wanted them to stay, resulting in hostility so intense that it could have led to another World War. Eventually, however, the USSR gave in and removed the missiles, thus avoiding war.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Cuban-missile-crisis
