Cold War Key Events: 1950s and 1960s Timeline
**US Policy Shift and the Rise of Japanese Industry in the 1950s**
During the Cold War in the 1950s, the United States changed its policy against imperialism and gained the means to attract areas of influence. Even during the Korean War, weapons were bought, giving a significant boost to Japanese industry.
The US also focused on the control of raw material acquisition, production, finance, and trade in Japanese production. Through deft handling, domestic industry was protected, and new markets were opened abroad.
**Key Cold War Events: A Timeline**
**NATO and the Warsaw Pact**
- North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO): Established as a defensive alliance.
- Warsaw Pact: A military cooperation agreement signed in 1955 by Eastern Bloc countries under Soviet leadership. Its stated objective was to counter the threat posed by NATO, established in 1949.
**The Korean War (1950-1953)**
After World War II, Korea was divided along the 38th parallel between the Soviet Union and the United States. Both countries supported the formation of governments under their influence. When the occupation troops of Russia and America left Korea in 1950, each Korean government attempted to expand its area of influence, causing a conflict that killed more than one million people.
The USA supported South Korea, and the USSR supported North Korea. This occurred in the context of the Cold War waged between the US and the USSR, representing a battle over influence.
**Nikita Khrushchev and Destalinization**
Nikita Khrushchev took over as General Secretary and Prime Minister of the Soviet Union. In politics, he softened the harsh Stalinist regime, banned the personality cult of Stalin, and ended his dictatorship of terror. In foreign policy, he defended the coexistence of capitalist and communist regimes.
**The Polish Uprising (1956)**
When Khrushchev announced his smoothing scheme, the Polish people began to demand greater freedoms and prepared for an uprising. Gomulka, the Polish Communist Party boss, managed to prevent this and hoped the Russians would liberalize their policy somewhat. Poland’s resistance was not enough, and the country continued to belong to the Warsaw Pact.
**The Hungarian Revolution (1956)**
Inspired by the Polish, Hungarians also reacted. Workers and students set fire to Communist Party headquarters, demolished the monument to Stalin, and expelled the Communists from government and public offices.
**The Construction of the Berlin Wall (1961)**
To separate West Berlin from East Germany, the Berlin Wall was built to stop the continuous emigration of Germans from East Germany to West Germany.
**The Prague Spring (1968)**
Czechoslovakia experienced a rebellion against Soviet influence that began with the coming to power of Alexander Dubček. Dubček lifted restrictions, reinstated politicians convicted under the Stalin regime, and sought to decentralize the economy. Czechs regained the right to travel abroad and attempted to institute democratic socialism. This was rejected by the USSR, which invaded on August 20-21, 1968.
**Aftermath of the Prague Spring**
A process of “normalization” led by Moscow was implemented. Censorship was restored, decentralizing economic measures were canceled, and the Czech Communist Party was purged.
**Kennedy’s Policies**
Kennedy’s policies included the mobilization of all spiritual energy and economic policies of his country, the fight against poverty and racial discrimination, and the extension of foreign aid to third-world countries, especially in Latin America.
**The Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)**
The Russians started to install missiles in Cuba, the largest island on the west coast of the USA. Cuba was the only Latin American country that belonged to the USSR. Kennedy imposed a blockade on Soviet supply ships, demanding the withdrawal of the missiles. This was the most dangerous conflict of the Cold War. An exchange of letters between Kennedy and Khrushchev led to an understanding. The Soviet Union withdrew the missiles, the USA renounced invading Cuba, and World War III was prevented.
**The Space Race**
The struggle between the USSR and the USA also manifested in the conquest of space. The Soviet Union struck first, putting the first artificial satellite, Sputnik, into orbit. Years later, the Americans created NASA and invested large sums of money to send a manned spacecraft to the moon. This happened in June 1969 when Apollo XI landed on the moon.