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Cold War Begins
The "Cold War" began circa mid 1945 after the Soviet, British, and U.S. meet at Potsdam and Stalin refuses to hold up agreements made at Yalta. Truman said after that he believed "the Soviet Union was planning on world conquest." -
Churchill Give "Iron Curtain" Speech
Churchill speaks out against Soviet Union at Fulton Collage in Missouri. He notes that there is an "iron curtain" that streches across Europe and that east of the of that curtain, the Soviet Union was expanding its control by installing communist governments and police states. -
HUAC Investigates Movie Industry
Over a period of several years, the House Un-American Activites Committee(HUAC) investigated the possibility of subversive activities by fascist, Nazis, or communists. A group of left-wing writers, directors, and producers, known as the Hollywood Ten, were questioned by HUAC. They refused to answer the questions based on their 5th amendment rights. The hearings turned into a war of attacks and counter-attacks. It ended with them being charged with contempt of court and thrown in prison. -
"X" Publishes article called "The Sources of Soviet Conduct"
George F. Kennan, also know as "X", wrote a article called "The Sources of Soviet Conduct" and published it in the July 1947 issue of the magazine called "Foreign Affairs. In it, he outlined a blueprint for American policy regarding communism which came to be know as containment. Its goal was to "contain" communism and keep it inside its current borders. -
Congress Approves Marshell Plan
In April of 1948, Secretary of State George C. Marshell got congress to pass what was know as the Marshell Plan. Over a period of four years, it gave $13 billion dollars in grants and loans to nations in western Europe. This program provided food to reduce famine, fuel to heat houses and factories, and money to jump-start economic growth. -
Berlin Airlift begins
In June 1948, Stalin blockaded all road, waterways, and railroads from western Germany into West Berlin. In response, the United States and Britian flew supplies and toys into West Berlin for almost a year. In May, Stalin was forced to admit that the blockade had failed. -
NATO Formed
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was formed in 1949 to provide collective security. It also proved that the combined power of its thirteen members was enough to halt Stalin in his quest to spread communism. -
Soviets Test First A-Bomb
On September 2, 1949 an American B-29 was flying over Alaska when it detected an unusual spike of radiation in the atmosphere. American nuclear scientists concluded that the Soviet Union had finally aquired nuclear technology. This fact struck fear into the hearts of many Americans. The idea that everything, including themselves, could be wiped out in an instant brought terror like no other. -
USA Tests First H-Bomb
The "Ivy Mike" H-bomb test took place on November 1, 1952 and was the first H-bomb test ever. Its destructive force is over 1000 times stronger than the A-bomb. Unfortunetly, it only took the Soviet Union eight months to copy our design. -
Joseph Stalin Dead
With Stalin's death, a short power struggle took place with Nikita Khrushev ending up in power. While still a "commie" and determined oppenent of the United State, he was now as suspicious or as cruel as Stalin. He condemned the excesses of the Stalin regime and inched toward more peaceful relations with the democratic West. -
Warsaw Pact is formed
In response to West Germany joining NATO, the Soviet Union and its satellite states formed a rival military alliance called the Warsaw Pact. All the communist states of eastern Europe except Yugoslavia were members. Like NATO, they pledged if one of the members were attacked, the rest would help defend. -
Khrushchev and Eisenhower Meet at Geneva
In July of 1955, Khrushchev and Eisenhower meet at summit in Geneva, Switzerland. Although very little came about because of this meeting, it was another step in the direction of a peaceful co-existance of the two super powers. -
The "Eisenhower Doctrine"
In response to Soviet influence in the Middle East and elsewhere, the President made a statement in January of 1957 that became know as the Eisenhower Doctrine. It stated that the United States would use force to protect any Middle Eastern nation being threatened by communism. -
Sputnik 1 Launched
The first manmade odject launched into space was by the Soviet Union named "Sputnik". It was a 184-pound steel ball containing a small transmitter. A month later, they launched a larger satellite with the famous dog, Laika. With no way to land, the dog died in orbit. These launches shocked United States citezens who had long believed that their technology was superior. -
NASA
With the launch of Sputnik, the United States went into crisis mode with congress authorizing $1 million dollars for the National Defense Education Act which provided money for loans for high school students and collage graduates to become scientists and teachers of science. Also they approved the launch of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to coordinate the space-related efforts of American scientists and the military. -
This Awesome Timline is Born
This timeline was created by Zachary T. Meyer on December 1, 2011. Its purpose is to get an A+ on his timeline project.
