-
Formation of the Eastern Bloc
The Eastern Bloc was a group of Eastern European countries that followed the ideals of the Soviet Union. Members included Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Yugoslavia. The group's purpose was to protect the military interests of the Soviet Union. -
Postwar occupation and division of Germany
After the Nazis were defeated, Germany was divided into 4 parts. The western half was split between the Allies and the eastern half was given to the Soviet Union. Berlin was also split up between the four countries. -
Enactment of Marshal Plan
President Truman signed the Economic Recovery Act of 1948. It later became known as the Marshal Plan after George Marshal who suggested it. It was made for the US to help European Countries recover from WWII. -
Berlin Blockade and Airlift
Stalin blockaded the city of Berlin to prevent any resources from getting to the democratic side. He thought this would force the Allies out of Berlin after they couldn't supply them with resources so that he could take the entire city. This did not succeed because the Allies sent airlifts to bring food and supplies directly to the city and the blockade was eventually lifted. -
Chinese Communist Revolution
On October 1st, 1949, the People's Republic of China was created with Mao Zedong as the President. The communists had all the important seats in the government. Any opponents to the communist party were arrested or executed. -
Korean War
The war was between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea). At least 2.5 million people lost their lives in this war. It became a fight between the Soviet Union and the United States as they each picked a side of the conflict. -
Cuban Revolution
Fidel Castro led an armed group to overthrow the government of Fulgencio Batista. Many were unhappy with the old government and were happy it was overthrown. The country then became communist under his rule. -
Overthrow of the Guatemalan Government
The CIA deposed the democratically elected president of Guatemala. He was replaced by Carlos Castillo Armas, who was an authoritarian ruler backed by the United States. The coup was mostly the result of a CIA operation named PBSuccess. -
Vietnam War
North Vietnam wanted to reunite all of Vietnam into a communist country. South Vietnam fought to prevent this. The United states aided them to fight back but ultimately lost and the country became communist. -
Hungarian Uprising
Also known as the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, was an attempted countrywide revolution against the current government. They wanted to be free from the Soviet Union's influence caused by the government's submission to the Soviet Union. It only lasted 12 days before Soviet tanks and soldiers killed and wounded thousands of people. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
The Bay of Pigs Invasion was the United States and exiled Cubans' attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro. 1,500 Cuban exiles invaded Cuba and tried to gain the support of the citizens to fight Fidel Castro, but they were unsuccessful. The mission was a failure and was aborted. -
Building the Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier that divided East and West Germany to split the democratic and communist sides of the city. This was to prevent citizens on the communist side from defecting to the capitalist side. Anyone who tried to cross was killed. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
In communist Cuba, the Soviet Union installed missiles to attack the US. In protest, the US blockaded Cuba to prevent any more supplies from getting in. This almost started an all-out war between the US and the Soviet Union but the Soviet Union eventually pulled back. -
Prague Spring
The Prague Spring reforms were a strong attempt by Alexander Dubček to give more rights to the people of Czechoslovakia. The freedoms included less restrictions on media, travel, and speech. It was ended by the Soviet's invasion of the country. -
Overthrow of the Allende Government in Chile
This coup was a military overthrow of the democratic socialist president Salvador Allende. He faced lots of social unrest and economic warfare from US President Richard Nixon. A group of military officers led by General Augusto Pinochet seized power and ended civilian rule. -
Soviet War in Afghanistan
The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan by airdropping troops into cities and using their advanced weaponry. The Afghans fought back for 9 years using guerrilla warfare. This led to about 3 million Afghans dying with many fleeing from the country. -
Tiananmen Square Massacre
At Tiananmen Square, the People's Liberation Army attacked a student protest. They were protesting for political liberalization and more respect for human rights. An unknown amount of people were killed there with estimates being between a few hundred to a few thousand. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
Sections of the Berlin Wall were destroyed, with planned deconstruction beginning soon after. It was an event that helped lead to the end of communism in Eastern Europe. This also led eventually to Germany becoming one country again. -
Fall of the Soviet Union
President of the Soviet Union, Gorbachev, decided to allow elections and created a presidency for the Soviet Union. This began a slow process of converting the Soviet Union into a democracy. Eventually, the communist party lost control and influence which helped lead to the Soviet Union Collapsing. -
9/11 Attacks
Terrorists from the group al-Qaeda took over four commercial planes. They then crashed two of them into the World Trade Center and another into the Pentagon. This led to America fighting a war in Afghanistan.