-
Period: to
Cold War Events
-
Yalta Conference
The Soviet Union, United States, and Great Britain met in February 1945 to discuss military help against Japn, buffer states, and the development of the United Nations. American wanted help against Japan because the atomic bomb wasn't a cerntainity yet. The Soviet Union wanted buffer states to keep the West from invadeing them, while Roosevelt though the states should be indepented. Finally, The creation of the United nations was a major topic for America, which was created in 1945. -
Truman Doctorine
The Truman Doctorine stated that the U.S. would provide finacial aid to any countriey threatened by the expansion of Communist. If the treat of Communism couldn't be contained then the free world wouldn't be free anymore. People believed that if Communism spread it would infect America, Britan, and everyother major country in the world. -
Marshall Plan
The Marshel Plan, or the European recovery Program, was proposed by General George C. Marchel, U.S. Secretary of State. Uderlining the Marshell Plan, was the belief that Communist aggression was successful in countries where there were economic problems. The Soviet Union dependet satellite states refused to participate in the plan even though they were meant to be apart of it. -
Berlin Air Lift
Started when the Soviet Union created a blockade around West Berlin blocking all supplies into West Berlin. The U.S. couldn't let all those people starve to death so they decide to fly in supplies with American and Britain planes. The Berlin air lift last 10 months and had more than 200,000 flights carring 2.3 tons of supplies. -
NATO: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization
During the search for security during the Cold War, new military alliances arose. When Belgium, Luxembourg, France, the Netherlands, Great Britain, Italy, Demark, Norway, Portugal, and Iceland sined a treay with the United States and Canada NATO was formed. The powers provided equal help if one of the countries were attacked. -
USSR Atomic Bomb
In 1949, the Soviet Union set off it's first Atomic bomb. This was a shock to the United States because they believed that the Russians wouldn't have nuclear technology so soon. This caused the U.S. to start creating a deadlier bomb. The Hydrogen bomb was created in the early 1950s -
Korean War Begins
The Korean War began when 75,000 soliders from North Korea's Army pired acrosss the 38th parallell. This invasion was the first Military action of the Cold War. America entered the war on South Korea's behalf by July, and China entered on North Koreas's behalf by October -
Rosenberg Spy Case
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were accused of passing information about the atomic bomb to the Soiet Union. After decoding Soviet Union messages, the U.S. confirmed Julius's invovlement. They were both executed on July 19, 1953. -
Korean war ends
After 3 years of War, the U.S., the People's Rebubllic of China, North Korea, and South Korea agree to an armistice. The armistice brought the war to a long awaited end. The experiment with the Cold War concept of "limited War" by America, also ended with the armistice. -
Nakita Kruschev comes to power
Khrushchv was one of the fiv selected to the new office of Secretariat of the Communist Party, this was the first step in his rise of power. When Stalin died in March 1953, Khrushchev struggled for power with Malenkav. In March 1958, Khrushchev consolidated his power by taking the office to premier himself. -
Warsaw Pact
In 1955, the Warsaw Pact was created when the Soviet Union joined Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Romania in a formal military alliance. Europe was dived into hostile groups just as in World War 1. After the Korean War both NATO and the Warsaw Pact gained new alliances. -
Polish Uprising
The Polish Uprising began with workers demanding better working conditions. They were met with armed forces with killed thousands of people. However they refused to give up and all of their hard work was paid off when they got freedom in October 1956. -
Hungarian uprising
The hungarians were tried of being ruled with an Iron fist by Russia. They were a happy when Khrushchev came to power because he lightened thier load a little bit. However the people wanted their freedom so they hit the streets in protests. Poland had gotten their rights so they followed thier example. -
Sputnik I
Sputnik I was the first human-made space satellite to orbit the earth and was sent up by the Soviets. This made the U.S. fear the worst about the Soviet. This was also the begining the the "Space Race." -
U2 incident
A U-2 spy plane was shot down by Khrushchev when it was caught flying over the Soviet Union. The U.S. denied it's involvement but was forced to admit it when the Soviets provided the planes remains and the surviving pilot. The incident was a great embrassment to the United States. -
Berlin Wall (building)
Khrushchev noticed the need to stop the flow of refuges to West Berlin. In 1961, East Berlin government began to build a wall separating West and East Berlin. The Berlin Wall became a symbol of division between two superpwers. -
Bay of Pigs invasion
President Kennedy approved a secret plan for Cuban exiles to invade Cuba in hopes of causing a revolt against Castro. However the invasion was a disaster. The U.S. troops were greatly out numbered. Many of the exiles were killed or captured when they attemted to land at the Bay of Pigs. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
After the Bay of Pigs battle the Soviet Union put nuclear weapons in cuba. When President Kenndy found out he but a blicks to prevent the Soviet fleet fro reaching their destination, while the White House searched for a peaceful solution. This Crisis was the closest thing we have come to as far as Nuclear War. -
Prague Spring
The Prague Spring of 1968 was the term used for the period of time when Czechoslovakian government led by Alexander Dubček wanted to democratise the nation and lessen the stranglehold Moscow had on the nation’s affairs. The Prague Spring ended with a Soviet invasion, the removal of Alexander Dubček as party leader, and an end to reform within Czechoslovakia. -
Soviet Union invades Afghanistan
The Soviet Union sent thousand of troops into Afghanistan to assit afghan communist against anti-communist. The United States and Britain saw this as an unrighteous act. Because of this there was a bycott to the Moscow 1980 Olyimplic Games. -
Lech Walesa organizes trade union Soldarity
In 1980, a worker named Lech Walesa organized Solidarity, a natinal trade union. Solidarity was supported by workers and by the Roman Catholic Church. During a certain period in the 1980s Walesa was arrested but the movement continuted. -
Makail Gorbechev comes to power
Makail Gorbechev came to power in 1985 and he eventually brought the Cold War to an end. Gorbechev wanted to reform the Russian economy but soon realized that he could change the economy without reforming politics. In 1988, he started to reform the political side of things. -
East German Uprising
Erich Honecker's harsh rule spiked demonstrations against his regime. After a few months of demonstartions the government gave into th "peer pressure" and started the reunification of Germany. -
Berlin Wall (taking down)
On November 9, the Communist government in East Berlin surrrendered the "people" by opening the entire border with West Berlin. Families and friends were reunited after many years, and began to tear down the Wall. One of the many symbols of the Cold war was no more. -
German Unification
Reunification started when the Berlin Wall was torn down in 1989. However the offical reunification wasn't till 1990. In March 1990, East Germany had it's first free elections, which was won by ChristianDemocrats. The Democrats supported political union with their better half, West Germany.