-
Berlin Blockade
This ended on May 12, 1949. The east side of Germany was controlled by the Soviets and Berlin was on that side while the Allies controlled the west side. The Allies united their zones of occupation, so the Soviets closed all ways to get into Berlin from the west side. The Allies then flew in supplies to their people in Berlin. I rank this as the 10th most important event of the Cold War. -
Korean War
This war ended on July 27, 1953. It was a fight between North Korea and South Korea. North Korea wanted the Soviet Union to invade South Korea and gave them supplies to do this. The war ended with 2.5 million deaths internationally. I rank this as the 4th most important event of the Cold War. -
Vietnam War
This war lasted until 1975. It was fought between the United States and Viet Cong. The US controlled South Vietnam and North Vietnam had a communist government which is what started the war. 2 million civilians ended up dying and 1.1 North Vietnamese fighters died. I rank this as the 5th most important event of the Cold War. -
Suez Canal Crisis
This event ended in March of 1957. Egypt had ties to the Soviets and communist Czechoslovakia so the UK and the US refused to help them pay for the construction of the Aswan High Dam. They said that this would help them get money and spread communism. They later seized control of the Suez Canal Company. I rank this as the 8th most important event of the Cold War. -
Space Race
The Space Race was a race between the US and the USSR to get the first person on the moon. It lasted until 1969 and heightened the tensions between these countries since it was a competition. The US was the winner when we landed someone on the moon on July 20, 1969. I rank this the 11th most important event of the Cold War -
U-2 Incident
This was a confrontation between the US and the Soviet Union. The Soviets shot down a US U-2 reconnaissance plane. This resulted in the collapse of the summit conference. The Soviets claimed this was an aggressive act by the US and the US was banned from Soviet airspace. I rank this as the 6th most important event of the Cold War. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
This ended on November 20, 1962. It was a confrontation between the US and the Soviet Union, but it also involved Cuba. The Soviets were storing nuclear-armed missiles in Cuba which upset the US because it could destroy the country in minutes if they were launched. The US then made a blockade around Cuba to prevent more arriving. I rank this the 2nd most important event of the Cold War -
Yom Kippur War
This war ended in November of 1973. Egypt, Israel, and Syria kept fighting over this one piece of land that each had their own religions. Israel had it and the others asked for better terms for their religions, but Israel wouldn't agree. I rank this as the 7th most important event of the Cold War. -
Soviet War in Afghanistan
This war happened in December of 1979. It was caused by Anti-communist Muslims trying to stop the communist government. This resulted in the Soviets invading Afghanistan. I rank this as the 3rd most important event of the Cold War. -
"Able Archer" Military Exercise
This happened in November of 1983. Able Archer 83 was a war game that was to prepare for the start of nuclear war. This almost started a nuclear war because NATO changed their readiness for nuclear war to DEFCON 1. The Soviets did not know this was a war game until a little later, but they were careful in case it was a guise for real nuclear war. I rank this as the most important event of the Cold War. -
Soviet Downing of Korean Air Lines Flight 007
This incident happened when a Korean plane was mistaken for a US spy plane. They were both in the vicinity and the Korean plane got mistaken for the other. This caused hate against the Soviets even though it was a mistake. I rate this as the 9th most important event.