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Yalta Conference
The Big Three leaders (USSR - Stalin, United States - Roosevelt, and Britain- Churchill) all had a meeting and agreed to split Germany into 4 main pieces with France and govern Germany together. Stalin agreed to have free elections in Europe because US wanted to get rid of communism, but the Soviets later broke that promise and had a government dominate by the Soviet Union. -
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Propaganda/Art
Throughout the Cold War, propaganda was used to persuade someone to think a certain way and is almost, always biased. When the Russians created the Comecon, they used propaganda heavily to show that the communist way was the right way. This relatives to GASPIRE+ theme of artistic because people would use their creativity to capture people's attention and hopefully use that piece of art to get them to think that same way that they did. -
Truman Doctrine
U.S. President Truman was heavily against communism, and figured that it will be very difficult to get rid of communism where it is already present, so he decided to do everything in his power to prevent it from spreading in new areas. Therefore, when Greece and Turkey were on the verge of falling into the communist forces, Truman gives both countries $400 million from the congress just to fight the communist influence. -
Marshall Plan
Europe was torn apart after WWII, and U.S. Secretary of State decided that it was time for someone to step up and help the innocent citizens of Europe. He imposed a massive aid program that would help rebuild Europe and help those living there. From 1948 to 1952, the U.S. sent $13 billion to Europe but, the Soviet Union and communist Eastern Europe declined the money because they didn’t want to be “enslaved” under the aid of the United States. -
Berlin Airlift
When Germany was split into fourths at the end of WWII, each country received a part of Berlin, which was surrounded by Soviet owned-zones. In June, the Russians decided that they wanted all of Berlin so they shut off all highways, railroads, and canals so that those inside of the zones that Germany, France, and the U.S. owned. -
Comecon
Also known as the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance, which was the Soviet’s response to the United States’ Marshall Plan. They did not like how the US was helping the countries they were just at war with, get stronger, so they decided to fire back at them. Comecon’s purpose was to give aid to communist countries before the US could offer them money to retract from the communist ideas. -
NATO
12 countries in North America and Western Europe signed and became a part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. This pact stated that if any one of the 12 countries had a military attack imposed on them, it would be seen as an attack against all the other countries in the pact. This treaty was created to insure that every country could always have backup in case any of the communist countries decided to launch an attack. -
Korean War
On June 25, 1950, about 75,000 North Korean soldiers crossed the barrier between North and South Korea. The US came to the aid of South Korea and Russia went to North Korea just to spite the Americans and also spread even more communism. This relates to the GASPIRE+ theme of economic because both countries not only provided aid, but money to the countries as well. This led to the Bay of Pigs Invasion and further conflicts that only helped the tension grow between the US and USSR. -
Warsaw Pact
West Germany joined NATO and could form an army under very tight restrictions but caused the Soviets to feel threatened and on-edge. Therefore, causing the USSR to join a pact with other countries with communist governments to create a strong defense for themselves in-case of a war breaking out. When the Cold War ended, so did this pact due to the destruction of all the Communist governments in Eastern Europe in 1989 and 1990. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
On January 1, 1959, the Dictator of Cuba, Fidel Castro, overthrew the Cuban government with his guerilla army. The USSR and himself placed a communist regime on Cuba. The US sent about 1,400 soldiers to invade Cuba. Unfortunately, they surrendered after 24 hours because they were heavily outnumbered. This relates to the GASPIRE+ theme of religion because Castro was not an atheist and spread some of it when he took over. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuba is located only about 90 miles from Florida and the rest of the United States, which is why there was a big fiasco when the Soviets sent nuclear missiles into Cuba. President JFK ordered a blockade of Cuba and threatened to use military force if necessary. On October 28, the Soviets removed the missiles and the US promised not to invade Cuba. -
First Man on the Moon
The United States sent the 1st man to the moon and he successfully landed and returned. The US was in a very strong moment of nationalism because they had reached a very big accomplishment before the Soviets. This relates to the GASPIRE+ theme of psychological because many Americans were happy and proud that they had such amazing technology that someone successfully left the planet and returned safely. -
Olympics
The US and USSR were not only competitive when it comes to politics, but also sports. The US had always beat the USSR in basketball: and the USSR had always beat the US in hockey. In 1972, the roles were switched which created even more tension between the countries, especially the civilians. This relates to GASPIRE+ theme of social because there is no real issue going on here, and these events bring societies together in a time of rooting for their country (Cold War Notes). -
The Fall of the Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was created on August 13, 1961 and torn down November 9, 1989. It was created to stop people from going into West Berlin because they were considered “fascists” because it was located inside Soviet controlled East Germany. In 1989, citizens were now able to cross the border at any time and while some did, others began to tear down the wall. -
Current Event: Russian Spy Exchange
In August of 2010, the FBI arrested 10 spies that had been in the US for over 10 years. Instead of arresting them, both governments decided to trade them in for 4 imprisoned Americans located in Russia. This mirrors the Russians in the Cold War because they had spies everywhere, especially their own country. This relates to the GASPIRE+ theme of social because the Russians are treating the Americans the same as they were in the Cold War. -
Karl Henry Interview
I chose to interview my father Karl Henry because he is very interested in history and politics. Growing up, his father and him would read the newspaper and stay up to date on all current events. He was born in the late 1970s and was alive during the time of the Cold War.
