Afghan Invasion

The Afghan Invasion began 1978-92, with conflict between anti-Communist Muslim Afghan government and Soviet forces. In the 1978 coup, the conflict had its origins that overthrew Afghan president Sardar Muhammad Daud Khan, who had come to power by ousting the king in 1973. In the spring of 1992, Najibullah's government collapsed and, after 14 years of rule by the People's Democratic party, Kabul fell to a coalition of mujahidin under the military leadership of Ahmed Shah Massoud.

The Vietnam War

The Vietnam War began between 1959-1975. North Vietnam attacked the South and ends with the fall of the Saigon. Vietnam was split into two. In August 1964, a US warship was attacked by North Vietnam. On March 2, 1965, US airlift began bombing targets in Vietnam and the first troops arrived. In 1968, the North Vietnam and the Vietnam Cong launched the massive Tet Offensive. On January 27, 1974, in Paris ending the conflict, a peace accord was signed. On April 30, 1975, South Vietnam surrendered and that reunited the country.

The Cuban Missile Crisis

The closest the world ever came to nuclear power was the Cuban Missile Crisis. In 1962, the Soviet Union was far behind the United States in the arms race. For the United States, the crisis began on October 15, 1962. During the public phase of the Crisis, tensions began to build on both sides. Kennedy proclaimed that any nuclear missile launched from Cuba would be regarded as an attack on the United States by the Soviet Union and demanded that the Soviets remove all of their offensive weapons from Cuba. Tensions finally began to ease on October 28.

The Korean War

World War II divided Korea into a Communist, northern half and an American-occupied southern half, divided at the 38th parallel. The Korean War (1950-1953) began when the North Korean Communist army crossed the 38th Parallel and invaded non-Communist South Korea. Finally the Korean War demonstrated how hard it would be to fight a limited war with terms such as; the new terms of the new post-WWII era. Hiroshima and Nagasaki set a pattern that would continue throughtout the Cold War.

The Berlin Airlift

The Berlin Airlift was nearly three years of constant tension by the Russians against the western allies in an attempt to drive them out of West Berlin and Western Germany by a variety of tactics. The Allies continued supplying West Berlin for ten months for airplane given general supplies such as; medical provisions, clothing, food and water, for months. Germanys zones were in economic chaos and had become a real headache for the Western Allies after the destruction of war. In 1948, they reformed the money, and in months there were signs that West Germany was recovering.

Summary of the Cold War

The Cold War all started right after WWII, in 1945 and ended in 1960. It was mainly between the United States and the Soviet Union. There was military build-up, political maneuvering for international support, and behind the scenes military assistance for allies and satellite nations. Both sides wanted to avoid direct military action because of the threat of mutual nuclear destruction. The Cold War got its name because both sides were afraid of fighting each other directly. They also used words as weapons. Yet the Cold War wasn't over, the leaders of each side changed. Harry Truman was the first American president to fight the Cold War. George Catlett Marshall was chief of staff of the United States in the army 1939 through 1945 and the principal American military architect of Allied victory. There was tension between the Berlin Airlift (1948-1949), the Korean Conflict (1950-1953), the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962), the Vietnam War (1964-1975), and the Afghan Invasion (1979-1989). This war was very hectic.