The history of Communism from 1848-1990 (Major events only)

1. Rise and fall of
Communism
Ramiro Marroquin
Deonta Hawthorne
12/12/12

2. 1848- Karl Marx writes the
Communist Manifesto
1917- Russia pulls out of World War I
1917- The October Revolution-
Bolsheviks take over Russia
August 1918- the U.S, British and Japanese
send troops to fight the Bolsheviks and
return the Russian king to power

3. 1919- The Bolsheviks formed the Comintern- an
international communist organization dedicated to
spreading communism
1919- Communist coups start in Hungary, Germany,
Austria, and the rest of Europe, but all of them soon
fail
1922- The Soviet Union is formed
1924- Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin dies/Joseph Stalin becomes
the new leader
1928- Farm collectivization begins in the Soviet Union

4. 1928- 5 year industrial plan started
in Soviet Union
1936: The Great Purge starts in
Soviet Union
1939- Nazi Germany and the Soviet
Union sign a non-aggression pact
September 1939- The Soviets help
the Nazi’s take over Poland

5. 1942- Hitler betrayed Stalin and invades the Soviet
Union
1945- After fending off the German invasion, The
Soviets push Hitler back and occupy most of the Nazi
territory and proceed to occupy Germany itself
February 1945-Yalta Conference- President
Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin
meet to discuss the fate of the post-WWII
world. This will be important later on
1945- Postdam Conference-Stalin, Truman and
Churchill meet again and discuss postwar issues. Stalin
decides to occupy Eastern Europe. The Allies don’t
agree with this and this leads to hostilities .

6. February 1948- Communist takeover of
Czechoslovakia
June 24, 1948-Berlin Blockade- The Soviets
lock off Eastern Germany to the Allies in an
attempt to kick them out of Germany.
July 1949- NATO ratified
May 12, 1949- Berlin Blockade ends

7. September 1949- Chinese Communist Mao
Zedong wins Chinese Civil War and takes over
China.
September 1949- Soviets explode their first
atomic bomb
October 1949- German Democratic Republic
founded in Eastern Germany
June 1950- Korean War begins- North Korea
attacks South Korea, but are defeated
July 1953- The Korean War ends
July 1954- Vietnam split at 17th parallel: North
and South Vietnam

8. May 1955- Warsaw Pact is formed- the Soviets ally the Union and all
its its territory in Eastern Europe under the pact Warsaw Pact.
October-November 1956- Rebellion put down in Communist
Hungary
October 4, 1957- Soviet satellite Sputnik is launched
January 1959- Cuban Communist Fidel Castro takes over Cuba
1960- Berlin Wall is formed
May 1960- U.S. spy plane shot over Soviet Union
April 1961- Bay of Pigs invasion begins- Cuban exiles try to take Cuba
back from Castro, but fail and get captured.

9. 1965- Vietnam War begins
1972- Vietnam War ends
May 1972- Start of SALT talks between U.S. and
USSR.
July 1974- SALT II negotiations begin
December 1979- Soviets invade Afghanistan
June 1982- SALT talks start again in Geneva

10. March 12, 1985- Mikhail Gorbachev becomes
leader of the Soviet Union
February 1988- Soviets start to pull out of
Afghanistan
March 1989- Multi party elections start in the
USSR.
June 1989- Elections start in Poland
November 1989- Berlin Wall falls
August 12, 1990- GDR wants to unite with the
FRG

11. October 1990-
Germany is
reunified
December 26,
1991- USSR is
dissolved