Origins of the Cold War 1945-1949

  • Wall Street Crash

    Triggers Great Depression across the world, caused by over-speculation in stock market with borrowed money.
  • Tripartite Pact

    Axis states [Italy, Germany, Japan] sign Tripartite Pact, a ten-year military alliance
  • Period: to

    Molotov= Soviet Foreign Minister

  • Nagasaki Bombing

    Atomic bomb
  • Percentages Agreement

    Winston Churchill arrived at the 'percentages agreement' with Stalin to establish the predominance Britain and the USSR would each have in Eastern European states
  • Bizonia: economically responsible

    USA state Bizonia should gain responsibility for their own economic development
  • Eastern Europe liberated by USSR

    [ most Eastern European states ]
  • Provisional Government of National Unity formed in Poland

  • Yugoslavia: Communism

    Regime is heavily implemented when war ends
  • Period: to

    Yalta Conference

    Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill met for the Yalta Conference in the Crimean city of Yalta
  • Soviet forces cross Oder River

  • Roosevelt writes to Stalin

    Roosevelt wrote to Stalin outlining his concerns about Stalin's interpretation of the Yalta declaration on Poland
  • President Roosevelt dies

  • Hitler commits suicide

  • WWII in Europe ends

  • US detonation of nuclear bomb

    Nuclear monopoly gained, tension increases
  • Period: to

    Potsdam Conference

    The Potsdam Conference took place, characterised by Truman's abrasive diplomacy and Stalin's determination not to be intimidated by the USA’s nuclear monopoly
  • Churchill defeated in Grand election

    Attlee replaces him as Prime Minister, takes position in Potsdam Conference
  • Hiroshima Bombing

    Atomic bomb
  • Japan surrender to American forces

    Unconditional surrender
  • German Socialist Unity Party [SED] formed

    The German Social Democrats (SPD) and the Communists (KPD) were forcibly merged by the Soviet Military Administration of Germany (SMAD)
  • Long Telegram

    George Kennan [US ambassador in USSR] sent his lengthy despatch of containment to the US State Department in Washington.
  • Iron Curtain Speech

    Delivered by Winston Churchill, direct attack on Soviet policies
  • Free elections in Czechoslovakia

    [Relatively free]
    Communist Party wins 38% of the vote
  • Period: to

    Paris Peace Conference

    Post-World War II diplomatic meeting; Allied powers negotiated, drafted peace treaties with the former Axis satellite states of Italy, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Finland. Treaties established new borders, set military restrictions, arranged for reparations, and formally ended the state of war between the involved nations.
  • North Rhine- Westphalia

    Created by Britain's military governor in Germany
  • Novikov Telegram

    The Soviet Ambassador in Washington, Nikolai Novikov, concluded that US foreign policy was based on economic imperialism
  • 75% Communist Win in Bulgarian elections

  • French Communist Party: 1.7 million members

  • Bizonia formed

    US and British zones in Germany merge to form Bizonia
  • Bulgaria: all opposition banned

    All political parties aside from Communist representatives banned
  • Britain revoke aid to Greece

    Financial aid no longer available [own financial exhaustion, inability to maintain stability
  • Period: to

    Moscow Conference

    Attended by representatives from the Big Four [USA, USSR, Britain, France]
    - Agreement to dissolve state of Prussia
    - Addresses issues surrounding potential German and Austrian peace treaties, future political standpoints of these countries, economic settlements.
    - No official peace decision made
  • Truman Doctrine

    Moves by the USA towards the establishment of a divided Germany were becoming increasingly apparent
  • Economic Cooperation Act

    Harry S. Truman signs act, initiates means for Marshall Plan
  • Clay announces US aid to Europe was necessary

    States economy in Europe is steadily deteriorating, requires substantial US aid
  • Marshall Plan

    George C. Marshall gives a speech at Harvard University, outlining idea for ERP [European Recovery Programme]/ Marshall Plan
  • Cominform

    Created by Joseph Stalin to coordinate the actions of European communist parties under Soviet direction and oppose American influence, specifically the Marshall Plan, during the early stages of the Cold War.
  • Zhdanov; 'Western Bloc'

    Andrei Zhdanov referred to the USA's intention to construct a 'Western Bloc' with Germany at its centre
  • Period: to

    London Conference

    Council of Foreign Ministers [CFM]: UK, US, USSR, France meet to discuss peace treaties for Germany and Austria
    'Failure': ideological divides between superpowers, unable to come to a four-power agreement, paves way for Western pursuit of separate plans of econ. recover for their zones
  • Gomulka replaced

    [Poland]
    Accused of 'nationalist deviation'
  • Stalin's 'Buffer Zone' completed

    Stalin's intent to establish a buffer zone of satellite states to the west of the USSR was completed, with communist regimes established across Eastern Europe [limited influence over Yugoslavia]
  • Decision: new currency in Bizonia

    Deutschmark to be introduced in Western zones of Germany and Berlin
  • Yugoslavia Expelled from Cominform

  • Deustche Mark formally introduced

  • Period: to

    Berlin Airlift

    • Western allies supply zones through an airlift, as opposed to force on land [avoidance of direct conflict] "Operation Vittles"
    • Daily tonnage= 5000 tons of resources
    • "Candy Bombers"
  • Rajk executed

    Hungarian communist leader executed for 'Anti- Soviet' activities
  • Political opposition to Hungarian communists removed

  • NATO formed

    Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, UK, USA
  • German Federal Republic [FDR] formed

  • Period: to

    Berlin Blockade

    The Soviet Union blocked all road and rail links to the Western zones and West Berlin; disabling sourcing of necessities to and from these zones
  • Period: to

    Molotov= Soviet Foreign Minister