THE COLD WAR (1945 - 1991): The Cold War was a long period of tension between

the United States and the Soviet Union. These two countries became known as
superpowers. Although the two superpowers never officially declared war on each
other, they fought indirectly in proxy wars, the arms race, and the space race.The Allies
were concerned with the brutal leadership of Joseph Stalin as well as the spread of
communism.The Cold War came to an end with the collapse of the Soviet Union in
1991.

Proxy Wars: These were wars fought between other countries, but with each side
getting support from a different superpower. Examples of proxy wars include the
Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Yom Kippur War, and the Soviet Afghanistan
War.

Arms Race and Space Race: The United States and the Soviet Union also tried to
fight the Cold War by demonstrating their power and technology. One example of this
was the Arms Race where each side tried to have the best weapons and the most
nuclear bombs. The idea was that a large stockpile of weapons would deter the other
side from ever attacking. Another example was the Space Race, where each side tried
to show that it had the better scientists and technology by accomplishing certain space
missions first.

Start of the Arms Race: On August 29, 1949 the Soviet Union successfully tested its
first atomic bomb. They did not think the Soviet Union was this far along in their nuclear
development. In 1952 the United States detonated the first hydrogen bomb. This was
an even more powerful version of the nuclear bomb. The Soviets followed up by
exploding their first hydrogen bomb in 1953. Space Race - The Space Race was a
competition between the United States and the Soviet Union to explore space. Russia
got off to a fast start by putting up the first satellite and the first manned flight into orbit.
The United States, however, was the first to put a man on the Moon. The Space Race
was considered important because it showed the world which country had the best
science, technology, and economic system. On October 4, 1957 the Russians placed
the first successful satellite into orbit. It was called Sputnik I. The Russians had taken
the lead in the Space Race. The Americans successfully launched their first satellite
four months later called the Explorer I.

Mutual Assured Destruction: This meant that both countries could destroy the other
country in the case of attack

Détente and Arms Reduction Talks: The two sides began to talk and take a softer
line towards each other. This easing of relations was called détente.
In order to try and slow down the Arms Race, the countries agreed to reduce arms
through the SALT I and SALT II agreements. SALT stood for Strategic Arms Limitation
Talks. It started around 1971 and included President Nixon's visit to Moscow as well as
the SALT talks. It ended when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979.

End of the Arms Race: For the most part, the Arms Race came to an end with the
collapse of the Soviet Union at the end of the Cold War in 1991.

Eisenhower Doctrine - The Eisenhower Doctrine stated that a country could ask for
military support from the United States if it was threatened by another country. It was
based on a speech President Eisenhower gave to Congress and was a warning to the
Soviet Union.

Iron Curtain - The iron curtain was a descriptive term or symbol used to describe the
border between the communist and democratic countries of Europe. The idea of the
iron curtain was that it kept information and people from crossing from the communist
east to the democratic west.

Red Scare - The Red Scare was a time of extreme anti-communism in the United
States. People were scared that communists had infiltrated the government.

Truman Doctrine - The Truman Doctrine was an effort to stop the spread of
communism. It said that the United States would help countries that were threatened
by "armed minorities or outside pressures".

Warsaw Pact - The Warsaw Pact was an alliance between the Soviet Union and other
Eastern Europe communist nations.

The Berlin Airlift: It was when western countries delivered much needed food and
supplies to the city of Berlin through the air because all other routes were blocked by
the Soviet Union. At the end of World War II Germany was divided by the Allies into
four zones. Great Britain, France, the United States, and the Soviet Union each
controlled a different zone. The capital of Germany, Berlin, was located in the Soviet
Union zone, but control of this city was also split into four zones between the four
countries. Soon the two sides were at odds over the future of Germany.

BLOCKADING BERLIN: the west sent supplies there via railroads and roads.
However, the Soviets wanted total control of Berlin. They figured if they cut off Berlin
from their external supplies and food, then it would fall under their control. On June 24,
1948 the Soviets blocked all rail and road traffic to Berlin

The Airlift: the United States and Great Britain flew around 277,000 flights into Berlin.
They carried over 2.3 million tons of supplies into the city. On May 12, 1949 the Soviet
Union stopped the blockade and the airlift was over.

Berlin Wall: The Berlin Wall was built by the communist government of East Berlin in
1961. The wall separated East Berlin and West Berlin. It was built in order to prevent
people from fleeing East Berlin. In many ways it was the perfect symbol of the "Iron
Curtain" that separated the democratic western countries and the communist countries
of Eastern Europe throughout the Cold War. On August 12th and 13th of 1961 they
built a wall around Berlin to prevent people from leaving. At first the wall was just a
barbed wire fence. Later it would be rebuilt with concrete blocks 12 feet high and four
feet wide. In 1987 President Ronald Reagan gave a Speech in Berlin where he asked
the leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, to "Tear down this Wall!" Around
that time the Soviet Union was beginning to collapse. They were losing their hold on
East Germany. A few years later on November 9, 1989 the announcement was made.
The borders were open and people could freely move between Eastern and Western
Germany. Much of the wall was torn down by people chipping away as they celebrated
the end to a divided Germany. On October 3, 1990 Germany was officially reunified
into a single country.

The Cuban Missile Crisis occurred in 1962 when the Soviet Union began to install
nuclear missiles in Cuba. The United States refused to allow this and, after thirteen
tense days and many secret negotiations, the Soviet Union agreed to remove the
missiles.
This is perhaps the closest that the United States and the Soviet Union came to
nuclear war during the Cold war. Prior to the crisis the United States had attempted
to overthrow Fidel Castro and the current government of Cuba with the Bay of Pigs
invasion. The invasion failed, but it served as a warning to Fidel Castro. Also, the
United States had installed several nuclear missile sites in Turkey and Italy with the
range to strike Moscow, the capital of the Soviet Union. As a result, the Soviet
Union felt they needed missile sites that could strike at the United States. At the
same time the Cuban government wanted protection from the United States. They
decided to work together and have the Soviet Union put nuclear missiles in Cuba
that could strike most any portion of the USA.
Kennedy opted to set up a naval blockade on October 22, 1962. He showed the
world the missile bases and said that the United States would be putting Cuba
under "quarantine". This meant that no offensive weapons would be allowed to enter
Cuba. He also said that any attack on the US from Cuba would be considered an
act of war from the Soviet Union. Although the Soviet Union was publicly saying
they would never back down, they were secretly negotiating with the United States.
Eventually the two sides reached an agreement. The Soviet Union would remove
the missiles from Cuba as long as the United States agreed to never invade Cuba
again. In secret, the US also had to agree to remove their nuclear missiles from
Turkey and Italy.
The collapse of the Soviet Union started in the late 1980s and was complete when
the country broke up into 15 independent states on December 25, 1991. This signaled
the end of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States.

Korean War (1950-1953): The Korean War was fought between South Korea and
communist North Korea. It was the first major conflict of the Cold War as the Soviet
Union supported North Korea and the United States supported South Korea. The
war ended with little resolution. The countries are still divided today and North Korea
is still ruled by a communist regime. President Truman decided to go on the
offensive. He said the war was now about liberating North Korea from communism.

Vietnam War (1955-1975) The Vietnam War was fought

between communist North Vietnam and the government of Southern Vietnam. The
North was supported by communist countries such as the People's Republic of China
and the Soviet Union. The South was supported by anti-communist countries, primarily
the United States. The United States lost the Vietnam War. It lasted for twenty years,
something the US never expected when it joined in the fight. Not only did the US lose
the war and the country of Vietnam to the communists, the US lost prestige in the eyes
of the world.

Timeline (1939-1945)
1933- Adolf Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany. His Nazi Party, or the Third Reich, takes
power and Hitler is essentially the dictator of Germany.
1936- Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy form the Rome-Berlin Axis treaty. Nazi Germany and
Imperial Japan sign the Anti-Comintern Pact. This was a pact against communism and Russia.

1937 July 7 - Japan invades China.

1938 March 12 - Hitler annexes the country of Austria into Germany. This is also called the
Anschluss.

1939 September 1 - Germany invades Poland. World War II begins. France and Great Britain
declare war on Germany.

1940 - Germany invades and takes control of Denmark and Norway. Germany uses quick
strikes called blitzkrieg, meaning lightning war, to take over much of western Europe including
the Netherlands, Belgium, and northern France. Italy enters the war as a member of the Axis
powers. Germany launches an air attack on Great Britain. These attacks last until the end of
October and are known as the Battle of Britain. Germany, Italy, and Japan sign the Tripartite
Pact creating the Axis Alliance.

1941- Germany and the Axis Powers attack Russia with a huge force of over four million troops.
The Japanese attack the US Navy in Pearl Harbor. The next day the US enters World War II on
the side of the Allies.

1942 The US Navy defeats the Japanese navy at the Battle of Midway. The Allies invade and
take the island of Sicily.

1943 - Italy surrenders to the Allies, however Germany helps Mussolini to escape and set up a
government in Northern Italy.

1944 - D-day and the Normandy invasion. Allied forces invade France and push back the
Germans. Paris is liberated from German control. The Germans launch a large attack in the
Battle of the Bulge. They lose to the Allies sealing the fate of the German army.

1945 - US Marines invade the island of Iwo Jima. After a fierce battle they capture the island.
US President Franklin Roosevelt dies. He is succeeded by President Harry Truman. Adolf Hitler
commits suicide as he knows Germany has lost the war. Germany surrenders to the Allies. The
United States drops the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. The city is devastated. Another
atomic bomb is dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. Japan surrenders to US General Douglass
MacArthur and the Allies.

CAUSES OF WWII

1. Treaty of Versailles: The treaty was very harsh against

Germany. Germany was forced to "accept the responsibility" of the war
damages suffered by the Allies. The treaty required that Germany pay a
huge sum of money called reparations.
2. Fascism: Some countries were taken over by dictators who formed
powerful fascist governments. These dictators wanted to expand their
empires and were looking for new lands to conquer. The first fascist
government was Italy which was ruled by the dictator Mussolini. Italy
 invaded and took over Ethiopia in 1935. Adolf Hitler would later emulate
Mussolini in his takeover of Germany. Another Fascist government was
Spain ruled by the dictator Franco.
3. Hitler and the Nazi Party: In Germany, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party rose to
power. The Germans were desperate for someone to turn around their
economy and restore their national pride. Hitler offered them hope. In 1934,
Hitler was proclaimed the "Fuhrer" (leader) and became dictator of Germany.
Hitler resented the restrictions put on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles.
While talking about peace, Hitler began to rearm Germany. He allied Germany
with Mussolini and Italy. Then Hitler looked to restore Germany to power by
expanding his empire. He first took over Austria in 1938. When the League of
Nations did nothing to stop him, Hitler became bolder and took over
Czechoslovakia in 1939.
4. Appeasement: This meant that they tried to make Germany and Hitler happy
rather than try to stop him. They hoped that by meeting his demands he would
be satisfied and there wouldn't be any war. Unfortunately, the policy of
appeasement backfired. It only made Hitler bolder. It also gave him time to build
up his army.
5. Great Depression

End of World War II in Europe: On June 6, 1944 the Allies attacked the
Germans on the Western Front. This day is often called D-Day or the Invasion
of Normandy. The Allies defeated the Germans and pushed them out of France.
Germany then counterattacked and a great battle, called the Battle of the Bulge,
was fought. Hundreds of thousands of US troops held the Germans back and
the German army was finally defeated.

War Crimes: After the war, many leaders from Japan and Germany were
brought to trial. They had violated the rules of war according to the Geneva
Convention and had also committed crimes against humanity. These crimes
included the Holocaust, slave labor, and the terrible treatment and torture of
prisoners of war. Many of these leaders were executed for their crimes.

United Nations

The Allies formed the United Nations in order to try and prevent World War III
from happening. The United Nations was formed on October 24, 1945. There
were 51 original member nations including 5 permanent Security Council
members: China, France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United
States.

The Cold War Begins

Europe became divided into the Eastern Bloc of nations and the West. The
Eastern Bloc was led and controlled by the Soviet Union (Russia). These
countries were run by communist governments and had their own alliance
called the Warsaw Pact. The Western countries, including the United States,
formed an alliance against communism called NATO.

These two alliances, NATO and the Warsaw Pact, would take part in an arms
race war called the Cold War. The Cold War never escalated into full war due to
the fear of what would happen to the world if many countries started dropping
atomic bombs. The Cold War would last for the next 45 years.