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Tehran Conference
Churchill, Stalin, and Roosevelt discuss the condition of post-war Europe, including the formation of the United Nations and the fate of Germany. The key decision was to land British, Commonwealth, and US troops in France (Operation Overlord). -
Truman's Presidency
Democratic Presidency from 1945-1953. Truman had "get tough" policies, in which he was not afraid of the Russians. He even claimed that the Russians needed the Americans more than the Americans needed the Russians. -
Yalta Conference
Conference attended by Stalin, Roosevelt, Churchill, in which the leaders formed plans for finishing the war in Europe and eastern Asia. The United Nations is established, and Berlin is placed under Four Power Control. -
Potsdam Conference
Conference attended by Stalin, Atlee, and Truman. Germany and Austria are divided into four zones, and Berlin is also divided into four zones. The main issue was Germany and war reparations. -
Formation of United Nations
Established at the Yalta Conference. This organization built upon the League of Nations and even had consequences to prevent countries from leaving. -
Iron Curtain Speech
Churchill gave a speech in Fulton Missouri that claimed that "from Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the Continent." The Soviet Union took this speech as a threat. -
Truman Doctrine
A United States policy that stated that whenever and wherever a government is threatened by indigenous uncertainty, foreign invasion, or the diplomatic pressure of communism the US will provide political, economic, and military aid to all people. -
Marshall Plan
The main aims were to revive the economy of western Europe, and the key was Germany. It offered European countries a lot of money from the US. The Moscow Council of Foreign Ministers was not pleased. -
National Security Act
This act changed the structure of the US's military. It established the National Security Council and single departments of defense. It also helped solidify the status of the CIA. -
Formation of Cominform
Cominform was created as the Communist Information Bureau which sought ideological unity among communist parties. -
Brussels Treaty
This treaty created the foundations for NATO as it sought mutual defense and gave the CIA authority to get involved in covert opportunities of stopping the spread of Communism. -
Israel proclaims Independence
Israel became independent due to a movement called Zionism which advocated for Jews to return to their homeland in Palestine in order to establish their own nation. This action actually led to conflict between the Jewish people and the groups of people already existing in Palestine. -
Berlin Blockade
Blockade went on from June 24th, 1948 to May 12th, 1949. The Soviet Union initiated the blockade to block the Western Allies' access to railways, roads, and canals. -
NATO formed
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is an international alliance. It was established by the North Atlantic Treaty. -
Soviets test their A-bomb
After the Soviets dropped their first A-bomb, Truman ordered the development of the hydrogen bomb. After this development, the Soviets had a stronger army (the Red Army) and a-bombs. -
Korean War
On June 25, 1950, North Korean troops crossed the thirty-eighth parallel in a show of force. They wanted to unite both sides of Korea under communism. Within hours of the attack, Truman moved boldly and began a massive diplomatic counter-attack. -
MacArthur Fired
MacArthur sabotaged the efforts to obtain a ceasefire by crossing the parallel and by demanding an unconditional surrender from the Chinese; Truman was furious and decided to remove the general at the first opportunity. -
Formation of European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC)
Minister Robert Schuman announced the plan to create the European Coal and Steel Community. This was also called the Schuman Plan, and it enabled Western allies to exploit Germany's coal and steel resources for rearmament without building a strong and independent West Germany. -
Eisenhower's Presidency
Republican President from 1953 to 1961. Eisenhower wanted effective international control of atomic energy. The army suffered the most from Eisenhower's refusal to increase the Defense Department budget. -
Balkan Mutual Defense Pact
This pact was one of mutual defense, and it was signed by Yugoslavia, Greece, and Turkey. It was aimed directly at the USSR. -
Stalin's Death
Stalin's death was a big loss to all of the communist nations. After his death though, communist leaders tried to rectify a few of his mistakes; Khrushchev actually runs to Yugoslavia to apologize for Stalin's mistreatment of Tito. -
Geneva Accords
The French agreed to withdraw their troops from northern Vietnam, and Vietnam was divided. Elections were also set and supervised by India, Canada, and Poland. -
Formation of SEATO
Southeast Asian Treaty Organization (SEATO) was an agreement to consult if any signatory felt threatened. It was signed between Britain, Australia, New Zealand, France, Thailand, Pakistan, and the Philipines. India, Burma, and Indonesia did not sign; therefore, the treaty was embarrassing. -
Warsaw Pact
This pact was the communist counterpart of NATO. This pact was between the USSR and the Soviet satellite states. -
Vietnam War
The United States enters the war after aiding South Vietnam. This conflict occurred during the Cold War time frame. In 1954, the Viet Minh forces won Dien Bien Phu, thus ending French involvement. Many claim that the United States became involved to fight communism, although the causes are more complex than this single event.
