Major events and concepts of the Cold War era
20 cards · history
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| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| Truman Doctrine | 1947; U.S. pledge to aid nations resisting Soviet influence Announced to support Greece and Turkey; cornerstone of containment. |
| Marshall Plan | 1948–1952; U.S. economic aid to rebuild Western Europe European Recovery Program; about $13 billion to spur recovery and stability. |
| Berlin Blockade and Airlift | 1948–1949; Allied airlift broke Soviet blockade of West Berlin Operation Vittles supplied the city; first major crisis of the Cold War. |
| NATO | 1949; Western defense alliance under collective security Article 5 commits members to mutual defense. |
| Soviet atomic bomb test | 1949; USSR’s first nuclear test, RDS-1 Ended the U.S. nuclear monopoly and accelerated the arms race. |
| Korean War | 1950–1953; North vs South Korea; armistice at 38th parallel UN and U.S. backed the South; China backed the North; no peace treaty signed. |
| NSC-68 | 1950; U.S. call for massive military buildup to contain USSR Top-secret policy paper that shaped Cold War strategy for decades. |
| Warsaw Pact | 1955; Soviet-led military alliance in Eastern Europe Formed after West Germany joined NATO; dissolved in 1991. |
| Sputnik | 1957; First artificial satellite launched by the USSR Triggered the space race and U.S. science and education initiatives. |
| Berlin Wall | 1961; East Germany built barrier dividing Berlin Erected to stop emigration; became the Cold War’s starkest symbol. |
| Cuban Missile Crisis | October 1962; 13-day U.S.–Soviet nuclear standoff over Cuba Led to a hotline and spurred test ban talks to ease nuclear tensions. |
| Vietnam War | 1955–1975; Communist North defeated U.S.-backed South A major proxy war; ended with the Fall of Saigon and reunification. |
| Brezhnev Doctrine | 1968; USSR asserted right to intervene in socialist states Used to justify crushing the Prague Spring; limited sovereignty policy. |
| Moon landing | July 1969; Apollo 11 put first humans on the Moon A signature U.S. win in the space race with the USSR. |
| SALT I and ABM Treaty | 1972; First U.S.–USSR arms limits; ABM systems restricted Interim freeze on strategic launchers; ABM Treaty capped missile defenses. |
| Soviet invasion of Afghanistan | 1979–1989; USSR intervened to support Afghan communist regime U.S.-backed mujahideen fought Soviets; war drained Soviet resources. |
| Strategic Defense Initiative | 1983; Proposed U.S. missile defense program Nicknamed “Star Wars”; aimed to render nuclear missiles obsolete. |
| Glasnost and Perestroika | 1985–1991; Gorbachev’s openness and restructuring reforms Relaxed censorship and reformed the economy, destabilizing the old order. |
| Fall of the Berlin Wall | November 1989; East Germany opened border; Wall collapsed Mass protests and reforms toppled the barrier; symbolized the Cold War’s waning. |
| Dissolution of the Soviet Union | December 1991; USSR dissolved into 15 independent states Formal end of the Cold War and of the Soviet state. |