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Yalta
The "Big Three' Allied leaders, president Franklin Roosevelt, Soviet leader JosefStalin, and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, met at the Yalta Conference to make arrangments for postwar world order. Their contradictory agreements include a declaration to respect democracy throughout Europe, but also the recognition of a de facto Soviet sphere of influence in Eastern Europe. At Yalta the Allies finalize plans to divide Germany into separate zones of occupation. -
Potsdam
The "Big Three" leaders of the United States, Soviet Union, and Great Britain meet at the Potsdam Conference. President Harry Truman, Soviet leader Josef Stalin, and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill continue the work begun at Yalta to determine the future of postwar Europe. Churchill replaced by new Prime Minister Clement Attlee after the elections in Britain. The conference establishes a military administration for Germany and agree to put Nazi leaders on trial for war crimes. -
Truman Doctrin
In the speech remembered as the "Truman Doctrine," president Harry S. Truman pledges American assistance to any nation in the world threatened by Communism. This officially established the worldwide sontainment of communism as a vital American national security interest. -
U.S. Italians against Communists
Concerned about the possibility of a Communist victory in the upcoming Italian elections, the US government undertakes a campaign to get Italian-Americans to write letters begging their relatives in Italy to vote against the Communists. Italy's elections result in a landslide victory for the anticommunist Christian Democrats. -
The Berlin Airlift
Under General Lucius Clay, the United States begins Operation Vittles, the 11 month Berlin Airlift, which brings necessary supplies into the city by plane. The airlift represents an immense feat of coordination, with planes landing and being unloaded around the clock for nearly a year. -
Berlin Blockade
After the United States, Britain, and France introduce the Deutsche Mark to serve as a single currency for their three zones of occupation in western Germany, the Soviets impose the Berlin blockade, cutting off rail and road access to the capital city, which is located in the middle of the Soviet zone of eastern Germany. -
Defensive Perimeter to Protect Asia
In a speech, Secretary of State Dean Acheson pledges that the United States will fight to defend all territory within its "defensive perimeter," which he defines to include Japan, and the Philippines, but not Korea. Soviet leader Josef Stalin misinterprets this speech as to indicate that he can green-light North Korean leader Kim Il-Sung's "liberation" of South Korea with little risk of intervention by the United States. -
German BOrder
The Soviets close the border between East and West Germany, but not between East and West Berlin. The capital city becamesa gateway for people wishing to cross between the two Germanys, mainly fleeing from the Communist East to the more prosperous West. -
Soviets Hydrgen Bomb
The Soviets explode their first hydrogen bomb, a mere nine months after the United States accomplished the same thing. The Soviets' determination to keep up with American technological developments signals their commitment to the arms race. -
CIA Black Iranian Coup
In Iran, the CIA sends agents to overthrow Mohammed Mossadegh, the democratically elected leader who has nationalized the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, Britain's largest overseas asset. After deposing Mossadegh, the CIA restores the Western-friendly but unpopular Shah Reza Pahlavi as ruler of Iran.