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A week-long conference between Winston Churchill, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Josef Stalin. The Soviet Union controlled Europe. This meeting marks the beginning of the Cold War.
The Cold War never involved soldiers fighting against each other in direct combat; rather, the countries engaged in a complex web of political maneuvering, propaganda, alliances, and proxy wars with other nations. -
Operation Paperclip was a U.S. Government-approved operation in which German scientists, particularly those involved in WWII, were brought from the U.S. in order to work and create weapons and other technology that could give the U.S. the upper hand in the Cold War. -
A plan designed by the U.S. to assist other Western European countries in combating poverty, disease, and malnutrition following the devastating events of World War II. This plan was the beginning of the U.S.'s involvement with Western European political affairs. -
One of the key events that caused a chain reaction of events in the Cold War. The USSR's taking over Czechoslovakia made many other European countries feel their national security was inadequate. Ultimately leading to the formation of NATO. -
This treaty was formed by the U.S., Canada, and several Western European Countries to serve as collective security against the Soviet Union. This pact emerged after the Marshall Plan was implemented, leading to the U.S. becoming increasingly involved in Western European affairs. Following a series of events in Europe, Western European countries became increasingly concerned about security, ultimately leading to the establishment of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). -
The U.S. was developing the hydrogen bombs throughout the years of the Cold War. The first succesful detonation, was early November, 1952. The blast emmited completely obliterated everything around it.
After this, Russia rushed to begin their work on their own hydrogen bomb. With this technological development, the Cold War was in full swing.
Both countries became increseaingly concerned about the posibility of a thermonuclear conflict. -
This was an alliance made between the USSR and several European countries. This pact was in response to a security alliance made between the U.S., Canada, and several Western European countries. (See NATO) -
The Soviet Union began sending military aid to Afghanistan in 1956, but its military cooperation continued for many years before ending in conflict. Their cooperation began when Afghanistan was engaged in conflict with Pakistan. The USSR signed a $100 million deal with Afghanistan, agreeing to send money and weapons. -
The Space Race between the Soviet Union and the United States began when the Soviet Union launched a satellite named Sputnik into orbit. This event highlighted that the U.S. was falling behind Russia technologically.
Interestingly, Sputnik also demonstrated the power of Soviet missiles. This implies that Russia's missiles were capable of landing on American soil.
While the Space Race spanned several years, ending with a U.S. victory, October 4, 1957, was the initial cause of the Space Race. -
Castro received protection from the Soviet Union during the Cold War. This was a very strategic move by the Russians, as they now had some control over a country just 90 miles away from the United States. Many trade deals were made between the Soviet Union and Cuba, which the U.S. saw as betrayal. The Soviet Union used this deal with Castro as leverage against the U.S.