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This Day in History
The Yalta Conference was a meeting between Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill, and Franklin D. Roosevelt in February, 1945 during the end of World War II. During the Yalta Conference, the leaders force Germany to surrender from WWII so that Britain, the U.S., Soviet Union, and France control the four occupation zones.It resulted in the Cold War with Stalin setting up Communist governments run by the Soviet Union. -
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The Churchill Centre
Winston Churchill delivered a speech using the metaphor of an “iron curtain”. He was warning citizens that there was a divide, or an “iron curtain”, that separated western European countries (capitalism) and eastern European countries (communism). The Soviet Union's division confirms the start of the Cold War. -
History Learning Site: The Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine is the name of the plan announced by President Harry Truman on March 12, 1947. His plan was to help Greece and Turkey with military and economic aid in order to prevent Communist influence from taking over their countries. -
U.S. History Pre-Columbian to the New Millennium
George Marshall announced the European Recovery Program. In his plan, Truman requested that over the next four years, 17 billion dollars were to be sent to Great Britain, France, West Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium. As a result, none of these western European countries were influenced by communism during the Cold War. -
Dr. Bass Lecture
In March 1948, the Allied Powers decide to combine their four occupation zones into one, which they name West Germany. However, the Soviet Union uses their forces in East Germany to block all rail, road, and water communications. During this blockade, Britain and the United States transported food supply and other essential items by airplane. -
This Day in History
NATO stands for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The United States and 11 other nations establish NATO in order to form a pact against Communism in Western Europe. NATO was known as the main U.S.-led military alliance against the Soviet Union during the Cold War. -
The Cold War and the Crisis in Korea
North Korea invaded the south in an attempt to unify the country under the North’s government. However, their plan failed and North Korea and South Korea are still divided in two. The Soviet Union and China backed up the North and the U.S. and the United Nations backed up the South. Since each side had nuclear weapons, there was no clear winner. The Cold War became "hot". -
U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian
The Warsaw Pact, also known as the Warsaw Treaty Organization, is an alliance that counters NATO. The Warsaw Pact was a political and economic alliance between the Soviet Union and 8 eastern European countries. -
This Day in History
The successful launch of the satellite Sputnik 1 by the Soviet Union scared many Americans because that gave the soviets a lead in the arms race during the Cold War. In addition, the United States were shocked at how the Soviets could get so far ahead even though the United States was known to be technologically superior. -
The Cold War Museum
The causes of the Vietnam War were a reflection of America’s concerns during the Cold War. America feared that the Soviet Union would spread communism through Southeast Asia. It was one of the longest wars during the Cold War since the United States intervened in the conflict between North and South Korea in order to prevent North Korea’s communist influence from taking over South Korea. -
History in an Hour
John F. Kennedy discovered that the soviets were deploying nuclear missiles in Cuba. With this discovery, Kennedy sent his U.S. troops to surround the island. However, Khrushchev refused to remove the missiles unless the United States removed their missiles from Turkey. Through negotiation, Khrushchev finally removed all nuclear missiles from Cuba. The crisis almost led to a nuclear war. -
This Day in History
The Berlin Wall was originally built in 1961 to separate East Berlin (communism) from West Berlin (democracy). However, on November 9, 1989, the Communist government, or the GDR, decided to tear down the wall and allow citizens cross the border whenever they pleased. Many people crossed the border freely. The fall of the Berlin Wall symbolizes the end of the Cold War because it got rid of communism. -
U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian
Thirteen months later, Gorbachev resigns and the USSR dissolves. This marks the official end to the conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union in the Cold War.
