Communism in the 20th Century

On June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany executed Operation Barbarossa, an attempt to conquer the USSR. The USSR had violated the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact by invading land Germany had called. The Nazis surprisingly won many of the battles, all the way up until the Battle of Moscow, where 1.25 million Red Army soldiers successfully held off over 1.9 million Nazi soldiers for 3 months, ending the war.

Vietnamese communists revolt against France in an attempt to install a socialist state. Surprisingly, they win, and agrees with France that above the 17th degree of latitude, Vietnam will be communist.

The Cold War was a period of tension between the United States and its allies and the Soviet Union and its allies. It began after World War II, when the USSR and United States emerged as the two main superpowers. The USSR and its allies gained control of the eastern part of Berlin, Germany, and the US and its allies gained control of the western part. The Cold War ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union on December 26, 1991.

After WWII, The United States controlled the southern part of Korea and the USSR controlled the northern part, split along the 38th line of latitude. They attempted to rule together, but failed, leading to independent states resembling their former controller's government.

Kim Il-sung, the leader of the Communist Party of South Korea, takes charge after the split. He transformed the economy into a command economy, and attempted to follow in the footsteps of Joseph Stalin, creating the North Korea we know today. He is overwhelmingly praised in the country due to extreme government propaganda and isolation from the outside world.

Mao Zedong seizes power and turns China into a communist state. He establishes many efficient reforms and is generally well-liked by his people until the Great Leap Forward. He dies on September 9, 1976, but he is widely regarded as a hero in China, which remains a communist state.

During this war, North Korea tried to conquer South Korea. The North initially had far more power, but the US and United Nations backed the South to prevent its capture. The result was a stalemate, which created a demilitarized border which still exists today.

The 26th of July Movement, a socialist movement led by Fidel Castro and Che Guevara, overthrow the US-backed dictator at the time, Fulgencio Batista Zaldívar. Fidel takes supreme power.

The Second Indochina War began in 1955 but didn't pick up much speed until the early 1960's when US President John F. Kennedy ramped up the attack on North Vietnam. North Vietnam knew their land better than South Vietnam and its allies, and the Viet Cong, assistants of the North who lived in South Vietnam, helped slow the attack. This led to a Northern victory, unifying Vietnam into one communist state, which it remains today.

The Great Leap Forward was a political campaign led by Mao Zedong. It was an attempt to swiftly change the agriculture-base economy into an industrialized one. However, it fell apart and 15-30 million people died in a resulting famine.

During this time, Fidel Castro was the most powerful political figure in Cuba. Despite leading an anti-authoritarian socialist movement, he pushes for communist policies, leading to a communist Cuba by 1970. United States, fearing the spread of communism, implements sanctions on Cuba, leading to tension between the two countries. Cuba remains a communist state.

The United States, in attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro, invade Cuba at the Bay of Pigs. Unfortunately, Cuba knew the invasion was coming. Cuba had 25,000 troops ready; the United States only had 1,500. It resulted in a decisive Cuban victory.

On November 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall, a physical but also metaphorical separation between the two powers, is opened.

After years of short-reigning leaders and political turmoil, the upper chamber of the Soviet Union's Supreme Court issued a declaration acknowledging the end of the Soviet Union.