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7. Berlin Blockade
Stalin imposed a blockade in partitioned Berlin that was surrounded by communist Germany. Due to this the allies airlifted supplies into Berlin in an event called the Berlin airlift. The blockade was lifted May 12, 1949. This ramped up tensions between the soviet union and the US -
3. Korean War
North Korean leader Kim Il Sung launched an invasion into South Korea and pushed the South Koreans back to Pusan. The US and its allies then supported the South Koreans, and the North Koreans were pushed back to the chinese border. The CHinese then intervened and the frontline was pushed back to where the border is today. The Korean war is technically ongoing but the armistice was signed on July 27,1953. -
9. Space Race
Both Superpowers recognized that rockets would drive warfare and developed rockets. Soon rockets were used for space exploration. Both sides wanted to be the more technologically advanced nation. The Soviet Union got the first satellite and human in space. The US won on July 21 1969 when they landed on the moon. -
1. Vietnam War
The former French colony had been divided between a communist north and a democratic south. The south was assisted by the US who started a military presence there. The US could not win against the strong guerrilla warfare tactics of the viet cong and protests at home forced them to leave in March of 1973 -
5. Suez Canal Crisis
On July 26, 1956 Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the canal and Israel with British and French help invaded Egypt. With the threat of US sanctions the war was ended on Oct 29 1956, but this almost caused Nuclear war between the US and Soviet Union. -
10. U2 Incident
A US reconnaissance plane was shot down over the Soviet Union. This worsened relations between the two countries and caused the collapse of a Paris Summit between the US and USSR. -
4. Cuban Missile Crisis
Due to American Missiles in Turkey and Italy, the Soviet Union put missiles in communist Cuba. The situation was deescalated before a US invasion of Cuba, but was very close to Nuclear war. A submarine even thought nuclear war had already broken out and were going to launch their missiles. A russian officer stopped this however. The US and the soviet Union agreed to withdraw missiles from Turkey and Cuba respectively on Oct 29 1962. -
6. Yom Kippur War
After several different Arab Israeli wars which Israel won. Syria and Egypt invaded Israel on both sides but were quickly repelled and the war was ended by a UN resolution. -
2. Soviet War in Afghanistan
The Soviets wanted to spread communism all throughout central and southern Asia and if they believed if Afghanistan was communist then the other countries of asia would fall soon after. The Soviets fought a guerilla war and the anti communist forces, the mujahadeen, were supported by NATO through operation cyclone. The war was costly and the Soviets had to withdraw February 1989 -
11. Soviets Downing Korean Air Line Flight 007
On route to Anchorage a Korean airline flight was shot down after straying into Soviet Airspace. This deeply worsened relations between the two nations with the Reagan saying that was an attack on Korea -
8. "Able Archer " Military Exercise
This was a wargame that realistically simulated a nuclear attack on the Soviet Union. In response the Soviet Union put their nuclear forces on alert and put air forces over germany and poland. Tensions were soon deescalated however.