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World War 2 Alliance
In 1945 Adlof Hitler invaded the Soviet Union, During this time the United States ahd been enemies due to thier differnent ideas and beliefs about political and economic systems,but after Hitler invades France the United States, Great Britian, and the soviet Union joined forces to fight Hitler and his forces. -
Yalta Conference
In 1945 the Yalta Condferance was held in the Soviert Union, the British prime minister Winston Churchill, U.S president Franklin Roosevelt, and the Soviet premier Josef Stalin agreed on a military plan to end the war and a subsequent joint occupation of germany.Stalin promised to allow free elections in poland,in accordance with Roosevelts desire for an independent and democratic Eastern Europe. -
Potsdam Conferance
At a later conferance in Potsdam, Germany, the Soviet Union and the United States agreed to recognize each other's influence over regions where thier respective troops remained at the end of the war. After the Allies defeated Germany in June !945, Stalin esablished Soviet-controlled governments in Eastern European countries occupied by his Red Army, including Poland. The United States objected to these totalitarian, communist regimes, but could do little to prevent it. -
Germany Divided and Military Rule
At the end of World War II, Germany was placed under military rula and was divided into two zones and those zones refelected the positions of the occupying army. The Soviets were in the East and the Americans took the South, the British took the Northwest. France aslo controlled parts of Berlin. -
Allies defeat Germany
After the defeat of germany, Stalin established Soviet controlled governments in Eastern Europe countires occupied by his red army, including Poland. The United States objected to these totalitarian, communist regimes, but it could do little to orevent them from arising. it became increasingly clear that postwar Europe would be divided into two spheres of influence, east and the West, which parakkeked the postions of the allied troop folloing world war II. -
The Development Of Nuclear Weapons
On July 16, 1945, the United States successfully tested the worlds first atomic bomb, or A-Bomb, in Alamogordo, New Mexico. In August the United states dropped atomic bombs on the japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. -
The Iron Curtin
Winston Churchill visited the United States in the spring of 1946 and delivered his speech called the Iron Curtin. He said "From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Alantic and iron curtin has descended across the European continent..." the "iron curtin" of Soviet controlled countries in Eastern Europe ran along the border of east Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Albania, and along the southern borders of Yuoslavia and Bulgaria. -
Marshall Plan
As the Soviet Union tightened its control over Eastern Europe, newly elected president Harry S. Truman feared that the entire continet of Europe which was torn apart by the war was on the brink of an economic collapse. Truman was concerned that such a collpase would leave European countries vulnerable to the socialist or even a Soviet- style Commiunist government. So in 1947 the United States introuduced the Marshall Plan to provide $17 billion in aid for the economic recovery of Europe. -
Communism in Greece and Turkey
In the early 1947 the government of Greece and Turkey were fighting off communist rebellions. While the fighting was taking place Great Britian was supporting the Greek government in its fight aganist the rebellion but soon Britian ran out of funds and they had to go to the United States for help. -
Truman and the United States Obligation
In response to the cry of the Greek for supplies to fight the rebellion President truman made a speech on national television saying that it was the obligation of the United States to help contries the Truman Doctrine, which is what the speech was called outlined the Cold War policy of contianment in which the United States commited itself to contianing the spread of the Soviet Communism. Truman asked for $400 million to provide assistance to Greece and Turkey. -
NSC 68
In 1947 President Harry S. Trumans national security conunical wrote NSC 68, a secert document that would be the "Blueprint for American policy in the Cold War" the writers of NSC 68 said that the Soviet military was much stronger than that of the wests. The writers said that the United States had to increase the atomic capability. The counical reconmened that Truman increased the military spending to $50 billion -
New Currency in Germany
In a meeting that was held in France the United States, Great Britian, and France announced plans to make a new form od currency in Germany. The Soviet Union who was not told about the new plans withdrew from the Allied Control Council, and when the new currency was introduced into West Berlin, the Soviet people protested by making a formal blockade. -
The Blockade of Berlin
After the introduction of the new currency in West Berlin the Soviets who were outraged by this new currency protested by blockading Berlin. The Soviets closed all Rail, Road, and Water routes to and from the city. Shortly after Stalin cut off the citizens of West Berlin from all supplies of fuel, power, and food. -
The Berlin Airlift
Due to the blockade that was in Berlin, the United states could not reach the people od West Germany so they started to airlift supplies to Berlin in an attempt to aid West Berlin without starting and armed conflict with the Soviet Union. -
NATO
In 1949 the United States joined the nations such as Canada, France, Great Britian, Italy, and the Netherlands to form the North Alantic Treaty organization (NATO). NATO's member nations formed a military alliance to protect each other from Soviet aggression. -
Soviet Union and the Nuclear Program
The United States who at the time was the leader and the only producer of nuclear weapons faced a challenger which was the Soviet Union which had profected thier nuclear technology and had developed a nuclear weapon of thier own. -
The Korean war
Mao Zeddong successfully led the Communist Revolutio in China. Mao's communist government quickly allied itself with the Soviet Union, and both countries signed a mutual defense and economic aid agreement. China had been allies with the United States during World War II's Pacific war aganist japan, and the United States supported the Chins's nationalist government which was deafted by Mao during the Communist Revolution. -
The Blockade Lifted
After about a year of having the Blockade in Berlin, Stalin reopened all routes into Berlin, but Berlin still remained a divided city. The United States did not have to airlife supplies to get to West Germany any more. -
The Spread of Communism in Aisa
The Korean War in 1950 increased the American alar over the spread od Communism in Asia. After World War II, the northeast Asian country of korea was divided at the 38th parallel and divided the country into two North and South Korea. -
North Korea invades South Korea
North Korea was provided with arms by the Soviet Union, and then the Communist North Korea invaded South Korea. The United States quickly condemned the invasion and authorized the sending of troops to the region under the leadership of U.S general Douglas MacArthur. After a very well palnned amphibious invasion, the generals troops pushed the North Koreans northward alomost to the Chinese border. A little later U.S troops were pushed back into South Korea and even lost Seoul, the capital. -
The Hydrogen Bomb
The United States disscovered a more powerful bomb and it was called the Hydrogen Bomb. This Bomb was much more powerful than any bomb produced at the time and the Unied States were the first to produce the bomb. -
The Soviets and the Hydrogen Bomb
About a year after the United States produced the Hydrogen Bomb the Soviet Union was able to prefect the produre and they now were able to produce and use the most powerful bomb at the time. -
The Korean War Ends
After many years of fighting between the United States and South Korea and North Korea the war was ofically ended. Many lives were lost in this war and not many problems were solved with this, also there was hardly any change in the terrortories. -
Warsaw Pact
In response to NATO the Soviet Union formed a similar military with the Eastern European nations such as Czechosovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Romania, became known as the Warsaw Treaty Organization, or Warsaw Pact. -
The Hungarians Rebel
Hungarian citizens began to rioting and demanede more freedom from thier Communist governments. The citizens threatend to return to a parliamentary democracy if thier demands were no met, but the new Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev sent the Red Army with tanks to the Hungarian capital os Budapest. The army captured protestors and killed the leaders. Whild this was taking place the Hungarians sent radio messages to the United States asking for support, but president Eisenhower did send any. -
The Berlin Wall
After a couple years of the blockade being lifted the Sovit Union Started and finished the Berlin Wall. The Wall was built Between East and Weat Berlin to prevent people from escaping to the United States controlled West. -
The Czechs Rebel
In 1968 the Czechs started to demand more rights from thier Communist government like the Hungarians did. The Red army was sent over and the rebellion was crushed in a couple of months. The Soviet Union did not want to give uo any of the power that they had and they want to maintian total control over the citizens.
