Cold War Timeline

By facebooker_2513514998913500

  • Manhattan Project

    • USA's beginning of experimenting with nuclear weapons
    • Not well known by Truman when he proceeded Roosevelt
    • Was nearing its apex when Truman became president

  • Cairo and Tehran Conferences

    • First time that all three superpowers met each other 
    • China was identified as one fo the four major post-war powers 
    • Establishment of Operation Overlord 
    - Common agreement: To have Germany surrender unconditionallity  

  • Percentages Agreement

    Eastern Europe was divided amongst Churchill and Stalin without consulting the rest of the alliance. This showed the difference and split in ideology and trust within the alliance.

  • Yalta Conference

    • "Declaration of Freedom for Liberated Europe" 
    • 4Ds of Germany 
    • Polish borders and governmental elections (20% reduction in size and free elections) 
    • USSR to join the war in Asia 
    • To reach the unconditional surrender of Germany

  • Death of Roosevelt

    Replacement by Truman to be the president of the United States

  • Detonation of Nuclear Bomb at Hiroshima

  • Trial of the Sixteen

    A trial which involved the execution of sixteen underground Polish leaders, being a direct violation of human rights and the Yalta Agreement

  • Potsdam Conference

    • Most of the things agreed at Yalta were reinforced here
    • Germany only needed to pay a smaller, manageable amount of reparations --> angered Stalin as he wanted $20 billion, but no exact amount was every agreed on
    • Creation of the UN --> Security Council had the right to veto policies (common goal: post-war cooperation and peacekeeping)
    • A hint towards the nuclear bomb --> threatening for Stalin
    • Showed the strain and differences between Truman (a more hardcore leader) and Stalin

  • Stalin Bolshevik Theatre Speech

    This speech demonstrated Stalin's stance against the West, as he rebutted the Western assertion of the Soviet regime being a "house of cards". It can be seen as a challenge to the West.

  • Kennan's Long Telegram

    This telegram by US Foreign Secretary Geroge Kennan expressed worry over the repressive nature of the Soviet regime, urging the adoption of the policy of containment.

  • Iron Curtain Speech

    Churchill's speech in Futon, Missouri that outlined the tensions between the US and USSR, stating that an "iron curtain has descended across the continent".

  • Stuttgart Speech by US Secretary of State, Byrnes

    This speech outlines the US support of a revival of Germany politically and economically. This can prove worrying for the USSR.
    - US suspended reparations from Germany

  • Creation of Bizonia

    US and Britain merge their zones; later on, in March, it becomes Trizonia

  • Greek Civil War

    • One of the first demonstrations of the Truman Doctrine
    • Truman requested $300 million in support for Greece and $100 million for Turkey to help support the Monarchs after the British retreat in order to combat the communists

  • Establishment of the Truman Doctrine

    The official policy of "containment" will now be followed to stop communism. The US is no longer following "isolationism".

  • Publication of the "X-Article"

    Based on the assertions of the Long Telegram, this article brought to public attention the dangers of the Soviet Regime.

  • Creation of the CIA

    Under the National Security Act
  • Period: to

    Purge of non-communists and merging of "Popular Fronts" in Eastern Europe

    • Stalin was able to take control of key forced and posts in Eastern European countries
    • Coalition governments with "Popular Fronts" were created
    • Key posts such as the Ministers of Justice and Interior were controlled (e.g. secret police)
    • Rigged elections
    • Purged non-communist members (e.g. Czechoslovakia)
    • Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary fell to the USSR

  • Creation of the Cominform

    • Succeeded the Comintern
    • Allowed Stalin to coordinate the communist parties of Central and Eastern Europe under his central command

  • London Conference

    Discuss of a future German state between France, Britain and the US without the USSR - increased STalin's insecurities and distrust

  • Proposal of Four-Power currency rejected by Stalin

  • Czechoslovakia Coup d'Etat

    • A representation of the violence used by communists to take power

  • Launch of the Marshall Plan

    A plan that was designed to help Europe reach economic recovery post-WWII. A total of $17 billion was invested by the Senate and led to annual increases in GDP within countries within the plan. However, the plan was seen as dollar imperialism by the USSR and led to an increase in tensions.

  • Introduction of Deutschemark

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    Berlin Blockade

    • All water, road and railroad links to West Berlin from East Berlin were cut off
    • The Soviets offered to drop the blockade if the currency reform was withdrawn
    • Military stand-off: if any airplane was actually shot down in the 20-mile wide air corridors that guaranteed aircraft access, it would be considered an act of war
    • Over 2,300,000 tonnes of supplies and 278,228 flights were flown in total (i.e. more than 1,500 flights were made a day)
    • Codename: Operation Vittles

  • Tito-Stalin Split

    • Yugoslavia became one of the only countries that were able to defy Stalin's orders without severe repercussion
    • Able to rejoin the Marshall Plan instead
    • 1947: strident critics of the Cominform originated from Yugoslavia
    • 1948: did not even attend the second cominform meeting

  • Operation Little Vittles

    Brought candies, toys and chocolates to children

  • Creation of COMECON

  • Creation of NATO

  • Creation of Federal Republic of West Germany

  • Russian A-Bomb detonation

    A sign of them catching up; nuclear scare for the US

  • Creation of Democratic Republic of Germany

  • Founding of the World Peace Council

    • Largely supported by the USSR
    • Demonstrates a move towards peaceful co-existence

  • 100,000 North Korean troops pass the 38th parallel

  • Security Council Meeting in regards to North Korean Invasion

    • Establishment of Article 83: UN to intervene in the crisis
    • UN army led by General McArthur
    • Mainly an American operation: 260,000 American troops deployed and only 35,000 of other nations
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    Korean War

    • The first hot war of the Cold War
    • Significant in terms of changing US foreign policy from containment to rollback (a part of Eisenhower's "New Look")
    • The Cold War enters the Asian sphere for the first time
    • Ended in failure for the US as North Korea was never liberated from communism, but it can also be seen as a sort of success as they gained increased power in the UN and created capitalist blocs in the Pacific sphere (SEATO and ANZUS)

  • NSC-68 signed by Truman

  • Inchon Amphibious Landings

    • Helped McArthur gain a reputation as a strong and successful leader
    • Allowed Seoul to be recaptured two weeks later
    • 75,000 troops and 261 navy vessels

  • Battle between China and UN forces

    • China crosses the Yalu River with the CPVF (300,000 men)
    • UN forces suffered tremendous losses: 11,000 men
    • Pushed back across the 38th parallel

  • First Hydrogen Bomb tested by the US

  • Stalin's death

  • Creation of SEATO

  • Creation of Warsaw Pact

  • Geneva Summit

    • Proposal of "Open Skies"
    • Attempts to regulate nuclear testing
    • Seen as a step towards cooperation

  • Khrushchev's Secret Speech

    • Khrushchev denounces Stalin (notably his cult of personality)
    • Helped him gain support to become president later on
    • Showed that he had guts
    • At the Kremlin
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    The Suez Crisis

    • Nasser made an arms deal with the USSR and Czech instead (1955) ; he then recognises the communist regime in China.
    • The US and Britain cancelled the loan to finance the Aswan Dam
    • This led to the nationalisation of the Suez Canal
    • Led to war --> condemned by both US and USSR
    • Britain calling off the attack due to US embargo --> infuriated France and they started to pull away from NATO
    • First time UN demonstrated their force
    • USSR influence grew in the Middle East
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    Hungarian Uprising

    • Started with 50,000 students
    • An uprising against Soviet Rule
    • USSR had to accept a new government that included two non-Communists
    • Nagy declared it was preparing to leave the Warsaw Pact and become a neutral country to allow for free elections --> threatened the authority of the Warsaw Pact
    • Led to Soviet forces attacking Budapest and 30,000 Hungarians killed, 200,000 Hungarians fleeing the country
    • Led to the questioning of the USSR model of communism and USA not wanting war

  • Launch of Sputnick I

    A symbol of the USSR "winning" the Space Race as they beat the USSR in regards to entering space.

  • Khrushchev becomes president

  • Khrushchev's Camp David Visit

  • U-2 Incident

    • A U-2 plane was shot down in the USSR and led to the capture of Gary Powers, who revealed the CIA secret missions
    • He was charged for espionage
    • Eisenhower seemed like a fool denying such charges at the Paris Peace Conference

  • Yuri Gagarin becomes the first man to orbit the Earth

  • Bay of Pigs Invasion

  • Vienna Summit

    Led to conflict between Kennedy and Khrushchev and the Berlin Crisis was not ultimately resolved
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    Berlin Crisis 1961

    • This was the Soviet Response to the relentless stream of East Germans escaping to West Germany (over 2.6M had fled between 1949-1961).
    • Khrushchev first wanted a peace treaty where two German states would be fully recognised and that Berlin should be a free city without troops. He issued an ultimatum of six months for Western troops to leave Berlin and hand governing rights over to the GDR.
    • The Berlin Wall was built 13 August, 1961

  • Berlin Wall Built

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    Cuban Missile Crisis

  • Creation of EXCOMM

    • Establishment of the naval economic quarantine
    • DEFCON-2

  • Khrushchev's first letter condemning the US

  • Adlai Stevenson UN Speech

  • Kennedy's letter blaming the USSR for the tension

  • Khrushchev's second letter

    He agreed to remove missiles if the US were to remove their missiles from Turkey

  • Kennedy Replies

    He replies to the first but not second letter, promising to have a speech about not attacking Cuba if the USSR were to remove their missiles. They agreed to remove Jupiter but this was to be done secretly.

  • Nuclear Test Ban Treaty

  • Nuclear Proliferation Treaty

  • Apollo 11 Moon Landing - First Man on the Moon