1. COLD WAR TIMELINE OF EVENTS
US vs. USSR

2. 1945 Cold War Begins
Soviet Union keeps control of Eastern Europe after WWII
Creates buffer zone
Churchill says “Iron Curtain” has descended upon Eastern Europe

3. 1947 Truman Doctrine US aid to Greece and Turkey
Trying to prevent spread of communism-containment

4. 1947 Marshall Plan US attempt to help rebuild Europe after WWII
Named for George Marshall-Sec. of State
Helps keep some European countries from turning communist.
Only Western European countries accepted the assistance. USSR was handling the Eastern European countries.

5. 1948 Berlin Airlift
East and West Germany: East and West Berlin had been split between USSR(East) and Democratic Allies(West)
USSR closes path to West Berlin.
Results in airlifting of materials to West Berlin to keep it running.

6. 1949 NATO Formed North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Formed to help each other if attacked by communist countries
Led by United States
Form of collective security

7. Korean War
Communist North Korea invades Democratic South Korea
United Nations comes to aid South Korea
Led by General MacArthur tide turns at Inchon.
China enters on North’s side.
MacArthur fired.
Stalemate at 38th parallel
Eisenhower ends war with cease fire.

8. 1951 ANZUS pledge signed
US, Australia, New Zealand pledge to assist if attacked by communists
Another example of collective security

9. 1954 SEATO created South East Asia Treaty Organization
Created to oppose communist expansion.
Collective security
Vietnam?

10. 1957 Eisenhower Doctrine
US promises to aid and defend Middle Eastern countries from communist attack
Containment continued

11. 1960 U2 Spy Plane Incident
American Spy plane shot down over Soviet Union
Gary Powers captured
Prompts cancellation of US-Soviet summit

12. 1961 Berlin Wall Built East Germany builds Berlin Wall
Limits travel and exodus of East Berliners to West Berlin

13. 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis Soviets put missiles in Cuba
US blockades Cuba;demands removal of missiles
Kennedy makes private deal with Khruschev to remove our missiles from Turkey

14. 1967 Six Day War Israel(US backed) fights Arab Nations(Soviet backed)
Israel wins in decisive fashion.

15. 1969 US Lands Man on Moon US wins space race
Soviets had launched Sputnik in 1957
First satellite to orbit earth
Kennedy had pledged to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade-SUCCESS

16. 1972 Nixon’s trip to China Recognize China and continue Détente.
Hope to get Soviet Union to pursue diplomacy as well.

17. 1972 SALT Agreement Signed
Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty signed between US and Soviet Union.
Limiting production of Nuclear weapons
Continued Détente-a period of less tension between the two

18. 1975 South Vietnam Falls South Vietnam surrenders to North Vietnam
US had lost nearly 50,000 men trying to keep South Vietnam from falling to communism
Had left after Nixon’s Vietnamization and Peace with Honor

19. 1980 US defeats USSR Hockey
Amateur hockey players from US defeat the world’s best, and very experienced, Soviet team in the 1980 Olympics
US wins Gold in next game
PRIDE for US

20. 1987 Reagan urges Gorbachev
Reagan urges Gorbachev to “tear down this wall” in reference to the Berlin Wall
Gorbachev had started perestoika and glasnost and was permitting more involvement in buffer states.

21. 1989 Berlin Wall Falls
East and West Berlin are free to move between each other
Eastern European countries begin falling

22. 1993 Soviet Union Falls Soviet Union dismantled
Boris Yeltsin-democratically elected leader of Russia
Ethnic regions begin fighting for control of once dominated areas.