The Cold War Era Project

The Cold War Era Project

Timeline of events:

By Christina Atencio and Zane Duke, 4th period.

Oct. 1948- Sept. 1949: The Marshall Plan & Berlin Airlift

June 25, 1950- July 27, 1953: The Korean War

1954-2011- The Space Race

1954-1975: The Vietnam War

April 17, 1961: The Bay of Pigs

August 13, 1961- Nov. 9, 1989 : The Berlin Wall

Oct. 22-28, 1962: The Cuban Missile Crisis

Nov.4, 1979- January 20, 1981: Iranian Hostage Crisis

The Berlin Airlift and The Marshall Plan

The Berlin Airlift was a series of aerial supply runs to Germany from the U.S. and Great Britain. It cost the U.N. 224 million dollars, which equaled 2,373,738 tonds of food, fuel, machinery, and other supplies. It was a very tense period of time, but war did not break out, even though the Soviet Union advanced their army to 40 divisions in their sectors, while the United Nations only had 8. The supply runs were all a part of the Marshall plan, formally known as the European Recovery Plan, was a U.S. sponsored program to rehabilitate the 17 western and eastern European countries, including ones under Soviet Control.

Citations:

The Iranian Hostage Crisis

When: Nov. 4, 1979- January 20, 1981

What: International crisis when military groups in Iran seized 66 American citizens at the U.S. embassy in Tehran, holding 52 of them hostage for over a year.

Why:

- Supporters of the old administration took hostages to show displeasure with Iran's relations with the U.S.

- Iranians demanded release of frozen Iranian assets in order to have the hostages released.

Results: On January 20, 1981 the hostages were released.

" Bay of Pigs Invasion." Britannica School.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., 2015.

Web. 13 May. 2015.

" Berlin Wall." Britannica School.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.,

2015. Web. 14 May. 2015.

" Berlin Blockade and Airlift." Britannica

School. Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc.,

2015. Web. 15 May. 2015.

" Cuban Missile Crisis." Britannica

School. Encyclopaedia Britannica

Inc., 2015. Web. 14 May. 2015.

" Iran Hostage Crisis." Britannica

School. Encyclopaedia Britannica

Inc., 2015. Web. 15 May. 2015.

" Korean War." Britannica School.

Encyclopaeida Britannica Inc.,

2015. Web. 13 May. 2015.

" The Vietnam War." Britannica School.

Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc., 2015.

Web. 15 May. 2015.

The Berlin Wall

The Korean War

The Bay of Pigs

The Berlin Wall was the barrier that surrounded West and East Berlin. It prevented East Germans from leaving East Germany for West Germany and remained standing from 1961 to 1989. It was built in response to the loss of 2.5 million East Germans, some of these being intellectuals and professionals. This threatened to destroy the economic viability in Eastern Germany. On august 23, 1961, construction began, and until 1989 the wall stretched 28 miles through East Berlin, and 75 miles around West Berlin.

The Korean War was a war between communism and democracy, an indirect war fought by the United States and the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union supported communist North Korea, while the U.S. supported the South Koreans, along with the United Nations. This war was important because it helped stop the spread of Communism throughout the world.

The Bay of Pigs Invasion was financed and directed by the U.S. government. The Cuban dictator Fidel Castro's government confiscated U.S. owned property, sent agents to cause revolts in other Latin American countries, and made ties with socialist powers. In response, the U.S. placed an embargo and broke diplomatic ties with Cuba, as well as bombing Cuban air bases two days before the actual invasion itself. On April 17th, 1961, Cubans trained by the U.S. and using U.S. equipment invaded several sites. By April 19th the invasion's forces were defeated by Castro's men, and the last stronghold was captured, along with 1,100 men. Prisoners were finally released between December 1962 and July 1965 as the U.S. heeded Castro's demands of $53,000,000 worth of food and medicines.

The Vietnam War

The Space Race

The Space Race was a series of competition between the U.S. and the Soviet Union to launch different space exploration projects. The Soviet's mission was to emphasize the power and superiority of communism, while the U.S. mission was to beat the Soviets and out capitalism on top.

Achievements include:

Apollo 11- the first humans on the moon (U.S)

Sputnik 1- the world's first artificial satellite (Soviet Union)

Yary Gargarin- first human in space ( Soviet Union)

Resoltuion or "Finish Line":

On Nov. 2, 2000, Soviet cosmonaut and American asrtonauts came together in the Internation Space Station, which was fully completed in 2011.

When: 1954-1975

What: The communist North Vietnam and Viet Cong against the gov't in South Vietnam and it's main ally the United States. This was during the Cold War, being a smaller

form of the conflict between capitalist and communist powers.

Why: -N. Vietnam wanted the whole country to be under a communist gov't like the Chinese and Soviets (who also happened to be supplying them with arms& troops to combat the South), after defeating the occupying French gov't in 1954.

- The South Vietnamese allied with the U.s and recieved military help from them. By 1969, over 500,000 U.S. military personnel were stationed in Vietnam.

Results:

- Costs and casulaties grew too large for U.S., and combat units were withdrawn by 1973. South Vietnam fell in 1975 to communist rule.

Casualties: -2 million civilians on both sides

-1.1 million N. Vietnamese and Viet Cong

-200,000-250,000 South Vietnamese

- 57,939 U.S. soldiers

The Cuban Missile Crisis

When: October 22 -October 28, 1962

What: Major confrontation that brought the U.S. and Soviet Union to the brink of nuclear war.

Why: - Soviets put nuclear weapons and began building a launching site in Cuba because of a promise to defend Cuba between Castro and Krushchev.

- John F. Kennedy decided to put a naval quaratine on Cuba to prevent further Soviet shipments of missiles. Quarantine was issued Oct. 22 and warned the U.S. would seize any further shipments.

- Soviet Ships headed to Cuba on a different course around the quarantine zone.

Results:

- On October 28,1962 Soviets halted work on missile sites and missiles in Cuba were promised to be sent back to the Soviet Union. The U.S. agreed to never invade Cuba and to retract all missiles in Turkey.