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Tehran Conference
Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill met in the Soviet Embassy in Tehran, Iran. All three leaders agreed to open a second front against Germany -
Morgenthau Plan first discussed at Quebec Conference
The motive of the Morgenthau Plan was to impose a Carthaginian Peace onto Germany in order to ensure that Germany will never rise again. -
Yalta Conference
Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill were present at the conference. They called for an unconditional surrender of Germany and set up four occupational zones within it. They discussed the post - war plans for Europe during this meeting. Stalin agreed to hold free elections in Eastern Europe and the leaders agreed to hold another meeting in April to create the United Nations (UN). -
Germany Surrenders
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Period: to
Origins of the Cold War
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Potsdam Conference
This conference was held near Berlin and was attended by Stalin, Truman and Churchill (who was replaced by Attlee halfway after losing the re-election). The conference was dominated by post-war Europe plans. Truman learnt of the atomic bomb soon after arriving at Potsdam. Truman mentioned casually about the atomic bomb to Stalin. Plans were laid out on how to deal with Germany. -
Atomic bomb dropped over Hiroshima
Note that the USA is still the only country that used a nuclear weapon in conflict until today -
Kennan's Long Telegram
The tone of the Long Telegram was hawkish. George Kennan is a traditionalist historian. -
Iron Curtain Speech
Churchill gave his Iron Curtain speech in Fulton Missouri -
Truman Doctrine announced
Truman told Congress that it is "the policy of the United States to support free people who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures" Did not single out USSR by name. Start of policy of Containment. -
Molotov Plan Starts
In rejection of the Marshall Plan, Molotov plan was implemented. USSR was furious over the economic aid that USA was giving to Germany and Molotov, USSR's foreign minister stormed out of the meeting with British and French officials. Essentially a Soviet version of the Marshall Plan, which is to provide economic aid to USSR - aligned countries in Europe. Consequently, COMECON was founded, which is an economic alliance of these countries. -
Berlin Blockade starts
At the height of the blockade, there was a plane landing every 38 seconds at the Tempelhof airport. The usage of cargo plans to deliver supplies to Berlin was known as the Berlin Airlift. -
Truman reelected as President for second term
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Formation of NATO
North Atlantic Treaty Organization -
Berlin Blockade ends
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USSR first atomic bomb detonation
RDS - 1 successfully detonated. With the detonation of the atomic bomb by the USSR, the two superpowers are the only two countries in the world (then) to possess nuclear weapons. -
The People's Republic of China is formed
Mao Zedong (CCP) defeats Chiang Kai Shek (Kuomintang or KMT) and founded the People's Republic of China. China was regarded as a big 'domino', and when China fell to Communism, this alarmed the USA greatly. -
Korean War Starts
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Eisenhower elected into Presidency
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Stalin dies
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Warsaw pact forms
USSR, Albania, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Romania, Hungary and East Germany signed the Warsaw Pact in response to NATO
