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The Big Three Meet in Moscow
October 1943, the foreign ministers of US, USSR, and Britain met in Moscow, the Soviet Union’s capital. Was an effort to reconcile the conflicting ambitions of the states. -
Tehran Conference
Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin met for the first time to discuss post-war Europe, the future organization of the UN and the fate of Germany; they also plan D-Day -
The Liberation of Europe
Europe is liberated and the Allied Control Commissions were set up in each occupied territory including Germany; initially administered a particular territory in the name of the Allies; Bulgaria, Finland, Italy, Hungary, and Romania were Axis states and Stalin takes control of most of the Eastern European countries -
Russia Joins the War
Russia enters the war against Japan -
The Yalta Conference
Attended by Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill- Beginning of the Cold War
Created plans for finishing the war in Europe and eastern Asia and foundations of coming peace; finalized plans for the occupation of Germany (France included); Berlin placed under FOUR POWER CONTROL; UNITED NATIONS established; Free elections in Poland -
Atomic Bomb
The US uses first atomic bomb in war in the Japanese City of Hiroshima -
End of WWII
Japanese surrender and it WWII ends -
Iron Curtain Speech
Given by Churchill’s
Wanted to lift the curtain, liberate East Europe and hold the Russians back; Tool=atomic bomb; As a response Stalin compares Churchill and his “American friends” to Hitler->racial theory that proposed world rule for the English-speaking peoples-> this was a call to war for the Soviets -
National Security Act
Established the CIA (used to be the OSS)
Established the National Security Council
Established a single department of defense
Gave status to the joint chiefs of staff (the heads of the army, navy, marines)
Forrestal- 1st secretary of defense
Allan Dulles- 1st leader of the CIA -
Britain withdraws troops
London informed the US that she could no longer support Greece or Turkey
led to the Domino Theory: one nation fell to Communism then its neighbors would follow -
Truman Doctrine Speech
Truman Doctrine stated that: whenever and whenever a government is threatened by indigenous uncertain, foreign invasion, or diplomatic pressure of communism the US will provide political, economic, and military aid to the people (we will support anti-communist governments!)
The Marshall Plan addresses the economic aid part of the Truman Doctrine -
Aid is Given
On May 15, 1947, Congress appropriated $400 million for Greece and Turkey and they are securely in the west
The Truman Doctrine had cleared the way for a massive American aid program to Europe
Some troops sent to Greece -
Czechoslovakian Coup
Czech communist uprising and coup from democracy to communism; Communists take over -
Period: to
Berlin Blockade
The Soviets thought that they could force the Western allies to abandon their plans for a West German state by applying pressure to West Berlin, which was controlled by the Western allies but separated from the rest of Germany; western Allies decided to supply West Berlin with goods transported by aircraft; British and US aircraft were flying a daily average of 2000 tons of food and raw materials into West Berlin; finally agreed blockade would end on May 12 -
China falls into Communism
Mao and the Communists takes control over China -
Russian Weapons
Russians explode their 1st atomic bomb -
NATO ratified
Signed by Belgium, Britain, France, Luxemburg and the Netherlands
Pact promised that each of the states would defend the other Pact members against any aggressor
All the countries involved pledged themselves to mutual assistance
Began an earnest era of the American military, political, and economic dominance over Europe
The meaning of NATO was that the US promised to use the bomb to deter a Russian attack -
Period: to
Korean War
June 25, 1950 North Korean troops crossed the thirty-eighth parallel in force; Within hours of the attack, Truman began massive diplomatic counter-attack; initially the goal was to unite the country but when the North Koreans were not giving up Truman orders US troop to proceed to Korea from Japan, restore peace/ border: policy was now rollback not containment. Chinese enter the war and fight with the North Koreans, driving South Koreans and UN forces out of the Northern Territory. -
Eisenhower Takes Office
Eisenhower and Dulles exhibit Republican virtues in the government and make changes in foreign policy with the "Roll Back Policy". “Roll Back” does not focus on containment, but makes sure to cut the military budget and “go get them (Soviets)” with the BOMB and not forces! -
CIA interferes in Iran in 1953
Allen Dulles decided to save Iran by sending his best agent Kim Roosevelt to Tehran along with General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, who had organized Shah’s secret police
Organized demonstrations in the streets of Tehran that overthrew Mossadegh->went to jail->Shah back from exile. -
Joesph Stalin Dies
The leader of the soviet union, Joseph Stalin, dies and is replaced by Khrushchev, who immediately Flew to Yugoslavia and apologized for Stalin’s treatment of Tito and begged for forgiveness; he also initiated an economic assistance program for selected Third World countries -
US get directly involved in Vietnam by aiding South Vietnam
1954: Dulles announced that American aid would go directly to the South Vietnamese and not through the French
-American military advisers began training a South Vietnamese Army
Seizure of power by Ngo Dinh
American economic aid to Diem
Diem could do almost as he wished as long as he remained firmly anti-Communist -
The 1954 Guatemalan coup d'état
This was a covert operation carried out by the U.S. (CIA) in which they deposed the democratically elected Guatemalan President Jacobo Árbenz because he was soft on communism -
Dien Bien Phu Falls
The Battle of Dien Bien Phu was a battle in the First Indochina War between the French Union's French Far East Expeditionary Corps and Viet Minh communist-nationalist revolutionaries; this is a win for the communist powers in Vietnam -
Geneva Accords and Geneva Armistice Agreement were signed
These agreements called for a truce and temporary partition of Vietnam at the 70th parallel; the French withdrawing south of line;
Neither french in the south of Vietnam nor Ho Chi Minh in the north could join a military alliance or allow foreign military bases on their territory; and elections supervised by a commission of India, Canada, and Poland -
SEATO Created
The United States, France, Great Britain, New Zealand, Australia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Pakistan meet in Manila to form the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization; The purpose of the organization was to prevent communism from gaining ground in the region. -
Geneva Summit Meeting
The US could no longer continue to take a stance of unrestrained hostility towards Russia
Eisenhower had a dedication to peace
Neither side was willing to back down from previous positions
Goals:
1) Unification of Germany (Dulles)
- Couldn’t neutralize or demilitarize Germany or subtract it from NATO
2) Open skies agreement (Eisenhower)
- Thought it was an attempt for Americans to spy on Russia
3)Leave Germany as it was (Bulganin) -
Developments in atomic bombs
The nuclear weapons of 1955 were a thousand times more destructive than the atomic bombs of the forties- one American bomber carried more destructive power than all the explosives set off in all the world’s history put together -
The Warsaw Pact and Austrian State Treaty
Warsaw PAct was a Communist military counter to NATO
Austrian State Treaty:
Gave Austria independence
Forbade an Austrian union with Germany
Made Austria a permanent neutral
A step towards making German division permanent
Russia signed because they wanted to ease tensions
Americans signed because it was a reasonable solution for the Austrian problem
