Events that Led to the Cold War

By Cailynn

  • The Yalta Conference

    When did the event occur? From February 4th to the 11th.
    Who was involved? Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Rosevelt, and Joseph Stalin.
    Why/details of the event? They agreed to meet to discuss and plan for the post-war world.
    What was the outcome of the event? They agreed to self-determination after the war and to divide Germany into four separate military zones.

  • The Potsdam Conference

    When did the event occur? Took place from July 17th to August 2nd.
    Who was involved? Joseph Stalin, Harry S. Truman, and Winston Churchill.
    Why/details of the event? Truman confronts the Soviet Union for violating agreements made at the Yalta Conference and challenges the Soviet Union.
    What was the outcome of the event? It helped set the stage for the Cold War.

  • Winston Churchill's "Iron Curtain" Speech

    When did the event occur? March 5th, 1946.
    Who was involved? Winston Churchill.
    Why/details of the event? Europe was divided into two political regions; a mostly democratic Western Europe and a communist Eastern Europe.
    What was the outcome of the event? The phrase "iron curtain" came to stand for the division of Europe.

  • The Truman Doctrine

    When did the event occur? March 12th, 1947.
    Who was involved? Harry S. Truman.
    Why/details of the event? The U.S promise to join or support any fight against Communism.
    What was the outcome of the event? The Soviets demanded control of the Dardanelles from Turkey and the U.S. approved $400 million in aid and military support to Turkey and Greece.

  • The Berlin Airlift

    When did the event occur? June 24th, 1948 to May 12th, 1949
    Who was involved? America, Britain, and West Berliners.
    Why/details of the event? Not wanting to invade and start a war with the Soviets, America and Britain start the Berlin airlift to fly supplies into West Berlin.
    What was the outcome of the event? For 327 days, planes took off and landed every few minutes, around the clock. In 227,000 flights, they brought in 2.3 million tons of food, fuel, and medicine to the West Berliners.

  • The Warsaw Pact

    When did the event occur? May 14, 1955.
    Who was involved? Original members include Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, East Germany, Poland, Romania, the USSR, and the Czechoslovak Republic.
    Why/details of the event? Soviets formed their own alliance, the Warsaw Pact, in retaliation to the establishment of NATO.
    What was the outcome of the event? A military treaty that bound the signatories to come to the aid of the others, should any one of them be the victim of foreign aggression.