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A period of tension that occurred between the United States and the Soviet Union after World War II
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President Truman wrote this doctrine that stated the United States would provide political, military, and economic assistance to any nations under threat of communism or authoritarian forces.
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George Marshall planned an American initiative to aid Western European economies after the end of WWII.
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An agreement made in Rio that binded the republics of the Western Hemisphere together in a mutual defense system.
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The Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway, roads, and canal access to the sections of Berlin under western control.
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In response to the Berlin Blockade, Truman ordered a massive airlift of supplies into West Berlin.
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Yugoslavia expelled from the Communist Information Bureau (COMINFORM) which was proof of the permanent split between Russia and Yugoslavia.
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The North Atlantic Treaty Organization created by many nations to resist Communist expansion.
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Soviet Union ends the blockade and reopens the access routes to Berlin.
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Soviets test their first atomic bomb in a remote area to see the effects.
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The Soviet Union and People's Republic of China sign a pact of mutual defense.
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North Korea invades South Korea which starts the Korean War following a series of clashes along the border.
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The United Nations crossed the 38th parallel into North Korea during the Korean War to aid the South and occupy North Korea.
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US President Harry Truman fires Douglas MacArthur from command of the US forces in Korea and replaces him with General Matthew Ridgeway.
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President Truman signs the Mutual Security Act to announce to the world that the US was prepared to provide military aid to free people.
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President Truman asks U.S. Congress for military and economic aid for the communist nation Yugoslavia.
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The United States creates the world's first nuclear powered submarine called the USS Nautilus.
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The United Kingdom tests their atomic bomb in Operation Hurricane which makes them the third nuclear power in the world.
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The United States tests their first thermonuclear fusion bomb called Ivy Mike. This is a different bomb that uses nuclear fusion.
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Dwight D. Eisenhower becomes president of the United States. He was a five star general during World War II.
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Leader of the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin, dies of a massive heart attack which led to a temporary thaw in Cold War tensions.
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The armistice agreement was signed and formally ended the war between North and South Korea.
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Nikolai Bulganin replaces Gregory Malenkov as prime minister of the Soviet Union.
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The French troops agree to leave from North Vietnam to keep peace.
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The South-East Asian defense treaty was signed in Manila for collective defense in Asia and to resist communist expansion.
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West Germany formally joins NATO to help contain Soviet expansion in Europe. This was the final step in integrating that nation into the defense system of Western Europe.
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The Warsaw Pact was a collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland between the Soviet Union and seven European states.
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"The Big Four" met in Switzerland. This included the United States, United Kingdom, Soviet Union, and France. Although they didn't accomplish much, the atmosphere was positive.
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The Soviet Union abolished Cominform and the process of de-Stalinization began.
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Massive political protests occur in Poland against the communist government and 74 people die as a result of the protests.
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British and French planes bomb Egyptian airfields during the Suez Canal crisis.
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Anthony Eden, the prime minister of Britain, resigns as a result of the Suez Crisis.
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The Soviet Union makes a request that the United States and Britain cease nuclear testing.
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Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev claims that the Soviet Union has missile superiority over the United States. He challenges the US to a missile shooting match to prove this.
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The US creates NASA which shows they are committed to win the space race against the Soviets.
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Nikita Khrushchev meets Mao Zedong in China and calls for an end of all nuclear testing.
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Nikita Khrushchev delivered a speech demanding that the Western Powers remove their troops from Berlin.
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Castro and his revolutionaries entered into Havana after Batista fled about a week earlier.
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Fidel Castro is sworn in as prime minister of Cuba after leading a guerrilla campaign that forced Batista into exile.
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The UN members vote against China being admitted into the United Nation.
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American U-2 spy plane is shot down in the Soviet Union while conducting an espionage.
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United States ends all aid to Cuba because of high taxes on US imports and trade deals with the Soviet Union.
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NATO introduces a unified air defense command.
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John F Kennedy becomes the youngest ever elected president after beating Richard Nixon in the election.
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The Bay of Pigs was a failed military invasion of Cuba orchestrated by the CIA.
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East German authorities began building a wall to close off access to the West. This stood as a symbol of the Cold War, representing an iron curtain that divided Europe.
