Many alliances formed during the cold war. In an effort to establish world peace, fifty nations signed the United Nations charter, which established a world peacekeeping organization that also fought world problems such as hunger and disease. Using loose terms, the United Nations could be considered a world alliance. On the other hand, two alliances that in some ways deepened world tensions included NATO and the Warsaw Pact. NATO united many western European nations and the United States. Their goal was to prevent the spread of communism and protect nations attacked by the Soviet Union. To that end, NATO stated that any aggressive action against any of the member nations would be considered an aggressive action against them all. In response to the formation of NATO, the Soviet Union formed the Warsaw Pact in 1955. This pact united the Soviet Union with most of the Eastern European nations (including Albania, Romania, Poland, Hungary, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Bulgaria).
At the end of World War II, world leaders divided Germany among the four main Allied nations: the United States, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union. Berlin, the capital of Germany, was also divided despite its location deep in Soviet Union territory. In 1948 three of the four nations wanted to reunite Germany. The Soviet Union refused, fearing the affects of a united Germany on the balance of power. In response to the three nations' petitions, Stalin instituted the Berlin blockade. By shutting down the railroads and streets, this blockade effectively cut off Allied-occupied West Berlin from all supplies and electrical power. In an attempt to get supplies to West-Berliners and avoid military conflict with the Soviet Union, President Truman approved the Berlin airlift (Operation Vittles), a project that involved flying supplies into West Berlin, thus avoiding the military blockades. The airlift was a success and Stalin ended the blockade in May 1949. Many East-Berliners defected to West Berlin after the blockade ended, taking their professional skills with them. After years of this trend, Khrushchev approved the building of the Berlin wall in 1961 to prevent such crossing-over.
Which events from the cold war era are in correct chronological order?
Vietnam War, Korean War, Cuban Missile Crisis, Soviet collapse
Korean War, Vietnam War, Soviet collapse, Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis, Korean War, Soviet collapse, Vietnam War
Korean War, Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam War, Soviet collapse
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