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Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference was a meeting of the Big Three, Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill, to discuss postwar Europe in which Soviets promised free elections in Poland, Bulgaria and Romania. They also agreed to attack Japan within three months of Germany’s surrender in exchange for control of Manchurian railroads and access to seaports. It also divided Germany into four military occupation zones. -
United Nations (U.N.)
United Nations formed as a successor to the League of Nations with a debating body. It had ten rotating members and five permanent members that had veto power and was based on the presumption of great-power cooperation. -
Truman Doctrine
President Truman goes before Congress to secure $400 million to bolster Greece and Turkey in line with the policy of the U.S. supporting free people who were resisting subjugation. -
Marshall Plan
Democratic nations of Europe meet in Paris to work out details of $12.5 billion in economic aid to rebuild Europe so it wouldn’t be susceptible to communism. -
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
NATO included U.S., Canada, and ten western nations in a defensive pact and put Western Europe under protection of U.S. nuclear shield. This was a step to militarize the Cold War. -
Berlin Blockade and Airlift
USSR tried to block access to Berlin and the Americans organized an airlift lasting a year to get supplies in in a test of wills between the U.S. and USSR. With their bluff called, the USSR lifted their blockade. -
Soviets Develop Atomic Bomb
The Soviets developed the atomic bomb and this sets off the arms race. They successfully tested their first nuclear device, called RDS-1, at Semipalatinsk. -
Korean War
A new shooting phase of the Cold War erupts and prompts expansion of American military forces. Korea divides at 38th parallel, North occupied by USSR and South occupied by the U.S. -
The Battle of Dien Bien Phu
A victory for the Nationalists led to a Conference in Geneva which halved Vietnam at the 17th parallel with an agreement to hold Vietnam-wide elections within two years, but were later refused. -
Sputnik
Soviet scientists send Sputnik into space. Sputnik II was launched a month later. “Rocket Fever” sweeps across the nation. -
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, and Iran join with Venezuela to form OPEC to reap the rewards of oil wealth. This would prove to put a strangle hold on Western economies for decades. -
Peace Corps
JFK attempts to put a war, heart on the Cold War by establishing Peace Corps which used young volunteers to bring American know-how to underdeveloped countries. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
This was an invasion of Cuba of 1200 anti-communist exiles to try to overthrow communist leader Fidel Castro which failed. It led to Russia installing nuclear missiles in Cuba pointed at the U.S. and a game of “nuclear chicken” between the Soviets and the U.S. and a quarantine of Cuba by the U.S. -
Construction of Berlin Wall
Russia builds the Berlin Wall to stem the heavy population drain from their “puppet” East Germany regime to West Germany. It stood for nearly three decades. -
Six-Day War
Israel is victorious over Soviet-backed Egypt, Jordan, and Syria and expands control over new territory in the Sinai Peninsula, Golan Heights, the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank, including Jerusalem. -
Apollo Mission
The answer of the U.S. and JFK’s reaching of the final frontier was landing a man on the moon to restore their international prestige. -
Vietnamization/Nixon Doctrine
Newly elected President Nixon announces a policy of Vietnamization to withdraw 540,000 U.S. troops in South Vietnam over an extended period. This would evolve into the Nixon Doctrine which stated in the future allies would have to fight their own battles without the support of massive American ground troops. -
Détente
Nixon travels to Moscow to play his “China” card which ultimately led to a relaxing of tension with the two communist powers, Russia and China. This further led to the anti-ballistic mission treaty (ABM) and a series of arms reduction measures known as SALT (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks). This was the beginning of slowing the arms race. -
War Powers Act of 1973
This was passed over Nixon’s veto and required presidential reporting to Congress within 48 hours when committing or expanding American troops in foreign conflicts and was a step toward “New Isolationism”. -
SALT II
President Carter signed with Soviet leader Brezhnev in Vienna limiting levels of strategic weapons in Russia and America. -
Iranian Hostage Crisis
Iranian mobs burned the American flag and spit on Uncle Sam. A rescue attempt of captured Americans failed miserably when two rescue aircraft collided, killing eight of the rescuers. The stalemate with Iran dragged on through Carter’s term. -
Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)
Reagan announces SDI, also known as Star Wars, which was a plan which called for orbiting battle stations in space that could fire beams of energy to vaporize missives on liftoff, which was like an “astrodome” defense shield and would require enormous computer capability. It was an attempt to force the Kremlin to back down in the arms race and effectively renewed the Cold War. -
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty
Reagan and Gorbachev finally sign this treaty in Washington at their third summit banning all INF missiles from Europe and entering into a new friendship. They met for a final summit in Moscow in May 1988. -
Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China
The Chinese communist state mobilized its forces against students demonstrating for a more democratic China and suppressed them. -
Berlin Wall Falls
When George H.W. Bush was inaugurated in January, 1989, He came into office with a promise of working towards, “a kinder, gentler America” and by November, 1989, with the fall of the wall, this action ushered in the end of the 45 year long Cold War. Pieces of the wall became collector’s items with this historic event. Finally, the two Germaine’s, having been divided since 1945, were reunited in October, 1990, with the approval of the allied powers.
