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Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference occurred during WWII and was mainly to discuss the future organization of a post-war Europe, specifically Germany. The Big Three met in Yalta to discuss these matters as well as the future of the war and Germany. The Three settled upon dividing Germany into three distinct zones. France and Russia wanted to keep Germany weak because they believed that a strong Germany would lead to another war, whereas the US and the UK wanted to help make Germany stronger economically. -
Potsdam Conference
The Potsdam Conference was mainly about implementing the plan set at the Yalta Conference and establishing reparations for the participating nations. Churchill and Roosevelt had been replaced by Attlee and Truman, respectively. Russia believed that it deserved the most because it had sacrificed the most, and therefore it was promised that 25% of Germany's capital farming equipment would be given to the Soviets. Additionally, Truman realized that Russia could not be trusted with power over Japan. -
The US Bombs Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The US bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki three days apart using the first atomic bombs that the world had ever seen. The destructive nature of the bombs was evident and the world saw their power and potential danger to the human race. These events established that whoever had nuclear capabilities ultimately had control over the world because it could simply drop the bombs as an end-all-be-all. It would not be long until the Soviets also developed nuclear capabilities. -
Kennan Sends his "Long Telegram"
In 1946, American diplomate to the USSR sent a lengthy and worded telegram to Truman about the growing threat of Russia and the prospect of Communist containment. It is because of this telegram that Kennan is referred to as the Father of Containment. He believed that the spread of Communism could be stopped without going to war and education of the American people regarding the threat of Communism. -
Winston Churchill gives Iron Curtain Speech in Missouri
Churchill traveled to the United States to give a speech urging the US to fight and speak out against the growing Communist threat. This was one of the first times that the Soviets had been established as a threat and Stalin took it as a threat to the Soviet establishment. He compared Churchill and Americans to Hitler, stating that they were promoting an English-speaking superiority agenda. -
Molotov Plan Developed
At a conference in 1947, Soviet diplomat Molotov proposed a new way of going about rebuilding Europe after WWII. He proposed that each country should go about recovery in its own way. This was rejected by other politicians at the conference and Molotov left angrily, warning that a unified Germany dominate Western Europe and the issue would split Europe into two sides. Once he returned, the Molotov Plan was put into place where the Soviets helped other Soviet states like the Marshall Plan. -
Truman gives his Truman Doctrine Speech
President Truman gave his Truman Doctrine Speech to Congress where he pledged to stop the spread of Communism in Europe. Most of this was done economically and politically with America feeling obliged to give millions of dollars to countries like Greece and Turkey where the threat of Communism was most prevalent. -
Marshall Plan Enacted
In an attempt to revive the economies of the nations of Western Europe, the US promised to finance the industries in these countries so that people could make money and purchase American goods to further improve their standard of living. If people saw how good the American goods were and how much they could purchase, they could push the idea of capitalism and prevent the spread of Communism. -
National Security Act
The National Security Act of 1947 established a single Department of Defense to advise the president on matters relating to national security. Additionally, the Central Intelligence Agency was created and a loose draft of the Air Force was established. This was mainly to protect the United States from a large assault. -
Israel Claimed Independence
In 1948, a sizeable Jewish population throughout Europe was promised refuge and home in British Mandatory Palestine. As more Jews began to move, the population increased and soon, after some violence and conflict with the local Arab and Muslim living there, the Jewish people declared Israel to be an independent Jewish state. -
Berlin Blockade
In 1948, Stalin had realized that there was no point in maintaining Berlin as the capital of Germany because the West has abandoned the idea of reunification. Therefore, to remove Western influence in Berlin, Stalin cut off all rail lines and supply chains into the non-Communist zones of Berlin. The other countries responded by airlifting in supplies to the citizens to maintain their survival. -
Yugoslavia Expelled from Cominform
Yugoslavia's President Josip Tito essentially attempted to act more independently of the USSR's leadership in Moscow and wanted to be more aggressive in spreading Communism. However, Stalin had made plans with the West to not interfere in each others' spheres of influence, and after Stalin tried to talk Tito down unsuccessfully, Stalin expelled Yugoslavia from the Cominfrom alliance of Soviet states. -
Brussels Treaty
In 1948, the US, UK, France, and Benelux countries met to discuss defense after WWII. These countries signed a treaty agreeing to protect each other in the case of another invasion, more specifically against the USSR. -
Fall of China to Communism
China fell to Communism after many of its nationalist leaders were forcibly removed from China and escaped to Formosa (Taiwan). The US recognized the Communist presence in China as legitimate and believed that it had fallen due to its stingy previous government. -
NATO Created and North Atlantic Treaty Signed
In 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty was signed in Washington between the UK, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Portugal, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Canada, and the US. The main purpose of this organization was to protect member nations from the advancement of communism. -
Sino Soviet Non-Aggression Pact
The Soviet Union signed a non-aggression pact with the Chinese because Stalin knew that he would need Mao's help in relations. These two nations would become the largest and strongest Soviet influences in the world. Both of these nations will have nuclear capabilities. -
North Korea Crosses the 38th Parallel
North Korean troops, backed by the Soviet Union, invaded South Korea by crossing the 38th Parallel, which results in the subsequent Korean War. This was the first time that NATO was utilized to attack an aggressor nation. Truman believed that he could be victorious and actually liberate North Korea as he defended South Korea. -
Korean Armistice Agreement is Signed
After being discussed at the Geneva Conference, the reality of a ceasefire appeared. Aided in part by the United Nations command and the United States. The agreement for a ceasefire occurred and the countries, while technically still at war, agreed to end the fighting presently. -
Brinksmanship in Formosa
In 1954, Chinese soldiers began bombing the Tachen Islands near Formosa and eventually began bombing Quemoy and Matsu, islands with US presence located strategically near Chinese ports. The US let Chiang bomb the Chinese mainland in order to have the Chinese stop bombing and invading Quemoy and Matsu. After nearly going to war with China over these islands, tensions eased and the violence subsided. -
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact was essentially the Communist response to NATO and primarily served to form a union between states with Communist leadership and policies. -
Suez Crisis
During the Suez Crisis, Egyptian President Nassir nationalized the Suez Canal which blocked the British and French from using it for their own operation. This, in turn, caused the British and French to retaliate with the Israelis to seize control of the Canal back from the Egyptians. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
The Bay of Pigs was an unsuccessful American attempt to remove Fidel Castro from power in Cuba. Essentially, the US had trained Cuban exiles and anti-Castro refugees to launch an attack on the Cuban coast. The US wanted to help as much as possible without making it seem obvious that the US was behind the invasion. As stated, the plan failed and it was one of the first unsuccessful attempts at removing Castro from power. -
Khrushchev builds the Berlin Wall
In an attempt to stop the flow of refugees into West Berlin and curb the West's usage of refugees as propaganda, Khrushchev orders the Berlin Wall's construction. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
In the early 1960s, American intelligence discovered that the Soviets were shipping materials for missiles and technicians to test missiles to Cuba. This was incredibly close to America and the people at the time felt threatened by the imminent threat of a missile attack. Khrushchev thought that America would not retaliate, but after negotiations, Khrushchev agreed to remove missiles from Cuba in exchange for American recognition of Cuban territorial sovereignty.
