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The Cold War: 1945-1952
The greatest battle in history fought with... just words! America and Soviet Union raced to over power each other by producing weapons of quantity and quality. -
Yalta Conference
On February 4, 1945, Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin met in Yalta to discuss the war's end. Stalin also agreed that Poland, Bulgaria, and Romania, with revised boundaries, should have a representative government based on free elections, (he later breaks the pledge). This was more to solidify the Cold War seeing as Britain, the United States and the USSR are working together. It is too early for any signs of hostility from either side. -
The United Nations
The United Nations Conference opened on April 25, 1945, which brought benefits to people around the world. It included the Security Council, dominated by the Big Five powers (the U.S., Britain, the USSR, France and China). In 1946, Bernard Baruch called for a U.N. agency, with worldwaide authority over atomic energy, waepons, and research, but the U.S. and the Soviet Union didn't want to give up their nuclear weapons. It was to solidify, but ended up pushing for the Cold War. -
Division of Germany
At the end of the war, Austria and germany had been divided into 4 military occupation zones, each assigned to one of the Big Four powers (France, Britain, America, and the USSR).As the USSR spread communism to its Eastern zone in Germany and the Western Allies promoted the idea od a reunited Germany, Germany became divided. East Germany became bound the Soviet Union as an independent "satellite" state, shutoff from the Western world by the "iron curtain". This helped bring the Cold War. -
Truman Doctrine
President Truman came before Congress and requested support for the Truman Doctrine. He delcared that it must be the policy of the U.S. to aid any country that was resisting communist aggression. This deepened the Cold War considering Truman's statement implied that he didn't like the USSR. -
Mrshall Plan
France, Italy and Germany were all suffering from the hunger and economic chaos caused in that year. Marshall invited the Europeans to get together and work out a joint plan for their economic recovery, in which the U.S. would provide substantial financial assistance. Marshall offered the same aid to the Soviet Union and its allies, but the Soviets refused it. The legislators passed the plan after realizing that the U.S. had to recover Europe. The Cold War continues as the USSR refuses the aid -
National Security Act
Congress passed the National Security Act, creating the Department of Defense. Under the secretary were the civilian secretaries of the navy, the army, and the air force. It also established the National Security Council to advise the president on security matters and the Central Intelligence Agency to coordinate the government's foreign fact-gathering. This showed that the U.S. was preparing a war with the USSR as the Cold War thickens. -
Berlin Blockade
Berlin, still occupied by the Four Big powers, was completely surrounded by the Soviet Occupation Zone. The Soviet Union attempted to starve the Allies out of Berlin by cutting off all rail and highway access to the city. In May 1949, after America had flown in many supplies, the blockade was lifted. The Cold War continues as the U.S. and the USSR keep butting heads. Both sides are angry with each other. -
NATO
the United States joined the European pact, called the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. American participation strengthened the policy of containing the Soviet Union and provided a framework for the reintegration of Germany into the European family. This was a significant step in the militarization of the Cold War as it had each signed nation to regard an attack on one as an attack on all. -
Collapse of National China
The Chinese Nationalist government of Generalissimo Jiang Jieshi was forced to flee the country to the island of Formosa (Taiwan) when the communists, led by Mao Zedong, swept over the country. The collapse of Nationalist China was a depressing loss for America and its allies in the Cold War as a quarterof the world's population fell to communism. The event helped to bring the Cold War. -
NSC-68
The North Korean army invaded South Korea, which called for the quadrupling of the United States' defense spending. Truman ordered a massive military buildup, well beyond what was necessary for the Korean War. NSC-68 was a key document of the Cold War because it not only marked a major step in the militarization of American foreign policy, but it reflected the sense of almost limitless possibility that encompassed postwar American society. -
MacArthur Fired
On September 15, 1950, General MacArthur succeeded in pushing the North Koreans past the 38th parallel. On November 1950, though, hordes of communist Chinese "volunteers" attacked the U.N. forces, pushing them back to the 38th parallel. Due to General MacArthur's insubordination and disagreement with the Joint Chiefs of Staff about increasing the size of the war, President Truman was forced to remove MacArthur from command on April 11, 1951. -
Hydrogen Bomb
In September 1949, the Soviet Union exploded its first atomic bomb, 3 years before experts thought possible. To stay one step ahead, Truman ordered the development of the H-bomb. The first H-bomb was exploded in 1952. The Soviets exploded their first H-bomb in 1953, and the nuclear arms race entered a dangerously competitive cycle. The Cold War at its finest as there were no real battles, but their was threat to start war at any time.
