Cold War Timeline

  • Yalta Conference

    Where: The Yalta Conference took place in Crimea.
    Who: Theodore Roosevelt, Winston Churchhill, and Joseph Stalin
    What Happened: The Big Three agreed that Germany would be divided into four occupation zones. They re-drew the map of Europe.
    How did it affect liberalism: One major importance of the Yalta Conference was that after the war European countries would be able to have free elections and decide their own futures.
  • Truman Doctrine

    Where: The Truman Doctrine was signed in Turkey.
    Who: President Harry Truman.
    What Happened: Aimed to stop the spread of communism, the Truman doctrine lead to America's involvement in the Berlin Blockade, Korean War, and the Vietnam war.
    How did it affect liberalism: Tried to take way communism, which takes away an individual's right to choose their ideological beliefs.
  • Period: to

    Potsdam Conference

    Where: The Conference took place in Potsdam, Germany.
    Who: US President Harry Truman, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who was later replaced by Clement Attlee.
    What Happened: The leaders confirmed plans to demilitarize and disarm Germany. They warned Japan to surrender or they would use an atomic bomb.
    What effect did it have on liberalism: Put restrictions on Germany.
  • Hiroshima Bombing

    Where: Hiroshima, Japan
    Who: U.S.A. Paul Tibbets
    What Happened: President Harry Truman ordered a bomber plane to drop a 5-ton bomb on Japan after a committee of advisors determined it was the right decision. When the bomb detonated it killed more than 70,000 people instantly.
    How did it impact liberalism: Killed tens of thousands of people and caused very serious damage to the country as well as its people.
  • Bombing of Nagasaki

    Where: Nagasaki, Japan
    Who: United States, Charles Sweeney
    What Happened: The President of the United States ordered piolet Charles Sweeney to drop an atomic bomb on the city of Nagasaki as an attack on Japan during the Second World War.
    How did it impact liberalism: Thousands of people died and it was used to box the Japanese government in to stop them from retaliating.
  • Molotov Plan

    Where: Soviet Union
    Who: Soviet Union, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, East Germany, Czechoslovakia.
    What Happened: the Soviet Union aimed to assist the Eastern European countries aligned with them economically/politically.
    How did it affect liberalism: Assisted the countries that aligned with them politically.
  • Truman Doctrine

    Where: The Truman doctrine was signed in Turkey.
    Who: U.S. President Harry Truman
    What happened: Stated that the United States would provide political, military, and economic support to all democratic nations at risk of attack from authoritarian forces.
    How did it affect liberalism: Provided support to nations under threat by Soviet communism, provided them with freedom.
  • Marshall Plan

    Where: Signed in the United States
    Who: U.S. President Harry Truman
    What happened: Provided aid to Western Europe following the events of ww2.
    How did it affect liberalism: Helped rebuild Western European countries.
  • Brussels Treaty

    Where: Brussels, Belguim
    Who: Belgium, France, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, The United Kingdom.
    What Happened: It created a defense alliance amongst the countries involved.
    How did it affect liberalism: Allowed for more protection for these countries.
  • Berlin Blockade

    Where: Berlin, Germany.
    Who: Soviet Union, Great Britain, France, The United States, Germany.
    What happened: It was an attempt by the Soviet Union to limit the travel in the areas of Berlin that the others countries controlled.
    How did it affect liberalism: Restricted the freedoms of the citizens of Berlin causing a divide between them.
  • NATO

    Where: Washington, DC, USA
    Who: 28 European, 2 North American, and 1 Asian country.
    What Happened: Founded an international organization aiming to protect its members by military and political means.
    How did it affect liberalism: Created unity and strength among the members of NATO.
  • Soviet Creation of Nuclear Weapons

    Where: Soviet Union
    Who: Joseph Stalin
    What Happened: Stalin authorized the "soviet atomic bomb project" which allowed them to create nuclear bombs during the second world war.
    How did it affect liberalism: Knowing the Soviets had nuclear weapons caused the other countries to be fearful for what they would do.
  • Korean War

    Where: South/North Korea
    Who: South Korea, the United States, the United Kingdom vs China, Soviet Union, North Korea.
    What happened: 3-year proxy war with millions of casualties, they fought at the border pushing back and forth for land.
    How did it impact liberalism: North Korea now lives in a dictatorship with bad living conditions. South Korea lives in a democracy.
  • Stalins Death

    Where: Soviet Union
    Who: Joseph Stalin
    What happened: After having a stroke at age 74, Stalin died in Moscow Russia. Stalin was in office for 30 years from 1922-1952.
    How did it impact liberalism: Nikita Krushchev rose to power after Stalin's death. De-Stalinization came into play to put an end to the large scale forced labour in the Soviet economy, they then started freeing Gulag prisoners.
  • Warsaw Pact

    Where: Warsaw, Poland
    Who: The Soviet Union and seven other Soviet States.
    What Happened: It provided unified military command and strength for the Soviets and other participating countries.
    How did it affect liberalism: Allowed the countries involved to unify and become stronger together.
  • Vietnam War

    Where: Vietnam
    Who: France, Vietnam, United States, China, Soviet Union, Cambodia, South Korea, etc.
    What happened: 3 Million people died. Communists ended the war by taking control of South Vietnam. The spread of communism played a role in starting the war.
    How did it impact liberalism: Communists taking over the country took away the freedoms of the people within it.
  • Hungarian Revolution

    Where: Hungary
    Who: the Soviet Union, Hungarian Revolutionaries
    What Happened: It was a national uprising 12 days before the Soviets came in with tanks and troops. Thousands were killed and almost 250,000 people fled the country. The Soviets come out victorious.
    How did it impact liberalism: Took away people's freedoms by threatening them and doing damage to their country.
  • NORAD

    Where: Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States.
    Who: the United States and Canada
    What Happened: To create a continental air defense to protect North America from Soviet Bombers.
    How did it affect liberalism: Protected people from soviet bombers allowing for less fear amongst them.
  • Fidel Castro Taking Over

    Where: Cuba
    Who: Fidel Castro
    What happened: Through a revolution in 1959, Fidel rose to power in Cuba after overthrowing the present government and taking power.
    How did it impact liberalism: Started an armed revolution to free the Cubans of their present government.
  • Bay of Pigs

    Where: Bahia de Cochinos, Cuba
    Who: Fidel Castro.
    What happened: The CIA trained a group of 1500 Cuban refugees to land in Cuba and takedown Fidel Castro, the attack failed and they were all captured.
    How did it impact liberalism: Fidel Castros rule over Cuba continued and the Americans were at fault for the loss of the 1500 Refugees.
  • Creation of the Berlin Wall

    Where: Berlin, Germany.
    Who: German Democratic Republic, Soviet Union, The United States, France, Britain.
    What happened: It was aimed to keep fascists out of East Germany, and to maintain the socialist ideology amongst its people.
    How did it affect liberalism: Divided the two sides of Berlin between the communists and the capitalist. Which restricted the freedoms of the Berlin citizens.
  • End of the Cuban Missile Crisis

    Where: Cuba
    Who: Nikita Khrushchev
    What happened: Khrushchev ordered that the missiles be withdrawn from Cuba. Which as a result of that, ended the Cuban missile crisis.
    How did it impact liberalism: Allowed people to be free of worry that they were under attack.
  • Nuclear Arms Treaties

    Where: Russia, United Kingdom, United States,
    Who: Russia, United Kingdom, United States,
    What happened: They aimed to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology.
    How did it impact liberalism: Allowed for less dangerous warfare amongst the countries.
  • Afphanistan/Soviet War

    Where: Afghanistan
    Who: United States, Afghanistan, Soviet Union
    What happened: The war was between the Afghan rebels and the Soviet-Afghan government. The rebels made an attempt to overthrow the government, to prevent the spread of communism.
    How did it impact liberalism: The rebels were fighting for their own ideological freedoms against the communist Afghan government.
  • Solidarity in Poland

    Where: Poland
    Who: Poland, Soviet Union.
    What happened: The Polish government made an attempt to destroy the Soviet government with the marshall law, but they had no luck.
    How did it impact liberalism: It is credited to have contributed to the fall of communism.
  • Berlin Wall Falling

    Where: Berlin, Germany
    Who: Germany, USA, Soviet Union,
    What happened: Civil unrest put pressure on the Eastern German government to loosen restrictions on travel and this was a massive step forward to begin the unification of Germany.
    How did it impact liberalism: Pushed towards the unification of Germany. Gave the people of East Germany more freedom to travel.
  • Czechoslovakia Revolution

    Where: Czechoslovakia
    Who: Czechoslovakia, the Soviet Union,
    What happened: Students protested against the communist regime, despite the military and police making an attempt to stop the protests, people still managed to do so and the protests grew.

    How did it impact liberalism: Czechoslovakians fought for their rights and protested to be rid of communism.
  • End of the Cold War

    Where: U.S.A, Soviet Union
    Who: the United States + Allies, Soviet Union + Allies
    What happened: Iron curtain was lifted, the Berlin Wall came down, borders were opened, the Soviet Union dissolved into republics.
    How did it impact liberalism: This gave the people of the Soviet Union more freedom to make decisions and not have a forced ideology, gave everyone the freedom to travel and do as they wish, there was no longer fear that a war might break out.