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While the three countries wanted to occupy Germany, UK wanted to preserve the strength of its colonial empire, and the USA presented the idea of creating the United Nations, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Found
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The Allies along with China and France meet at Yalta in Crimea, the Security Council is created with these 5 members. The USSR moves West. Germany and Austria are occupied and partitioned.
May 8th: Germany surrenders. // The San Francisco Conference
• The Postdam Conference (the countries can't reach an agreement in the administration of Germany and Austria: 4 zone)
August 6th and Aug. 9th: Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs.
September 2nd: Japan Surrenders -
•The Greek Civil War takes place, communist Tito supports communists by sending weapons; and the UK seeks support from the USA.
• March 5th: Churchill makes the "The Iron Courtain Speech"
• Turkish straits crisis
• Civil War in China (Communists supported by the Soviet Union and the Nationalists supported by the USA) -
• The Truman Doctrine: the world is divided between democracies and authoritarian regimes
• Marshall Plan
• CIA is created
• Stalin founds the COMINFORM; a commnist alliance of countries dominated by the USSR.
• The Zhdanov Doctrine: the world is divided in 2 campus; the Imperialist (led by the USA) and the Democratic (led by the USSR) -
• The USSR starts massively in industry and military
• February: Czechoslovakia falls into the Easter block
• The Treaty of Brussels: a Western countries' military alliance to defend them from the East
• Germany is divided into 2 zones: a West zone and a East zone
• Yugoslavia is out of the COMINFORM -
• Western european countries, the USA, and Canada create the NATO; a military alliance
• In May, the Federal Republic of Germany is created (West)
• Greece joins the western block
• August 29th. USSR tests its first atomic bombs
• Communism in China wins; and allies with the USSR
• 1950 The Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship; and alliance and mutual assistance between China and Soviet Union
• The Korean War -
• USA's president, Eisenhower, advocates for the installation of atomic weapons in West Europe
• Stalin dies; there's a period of instability where Khrushchev establishes himself as the new leader
• Iran: the CIA organizes Opertation Ajax
• 1955: Bandung Conference, 29 "third world countries" condem colonization and proclaim neutrality
• West Germany is incorporated to NATO
• Warsaw Pact: a military alliance between Easter block countries
• Reunification of Austria (neutral during Cold War) -
• 1956: The Hungarian Revolution of 1956
• Egypt nationalizes the Suez Canal; "The Suez crisis"
• End of colonial domination (UK and France)
• Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD): nuclear development of the USA and the USSR
• 1957: Soviet Union, Sputnik 1 (satellite)
• 1958: China bombs Taiwan without USSR help, they distance and China develops its own programs
• 1959: USSR and USA representatives meet to ease tensions and negotiate and agreement on West Berlin
• Split between USSR and China -
•1959: Fidel Castro's governmente nationalizes USA companies and gets closer to the USSR. So, by 1960 Eisehower (USA) urges the CIA to work on Castro's downfall
•1961: Kennedy becomes president and advocates for peaceful co-existence and containing the spread of communism
•1961: The Bay of Pigs Invasion in Cuba, the USSR sends the 1st man into space and USA starts investing in the space race
•1961: The Soviets start building the Wall of Berlin
•1961: USSR's The Tsar Bomba (atomic bomb test) -
When the USSR and Cuba get closer and the USSR is authorized to deploy nuclear missiles in the territory; the USA considers it as a direct threat. Kennedy deploys a military fleet and a quarantine to stop USSR's ships. The tensions reach a climax. but an agreement is reached: USSR undertakes to withdrawn his nuclear missiles and Kennedy promises not to invade the island and withdrawn nuclear missiles in Turkey and Italy. -
•1963: the 2 countries begin a series of meeting to calm the situation by limiting nuclear testis and setting a direct telephone line to avoid future events.
•1964: in Vietnam tensions grew between the North (communists) and the South. In August, The Gulf of Tonkin Incidents takes place: the USA bombs the north massively
•1968 North Vietnam and communists of the South organize a major counter-offensive: The Tet Offensive. -
By 1968, the government of Czechoslovakia begins a democratic transition, but the USSR invades the country with three of the Warsaw Pact members and re-establishes a pro-Soviet government -
The president of the USA, Nixon, decides to reduce the military presence of the US around the world; including Vietnam, while providing financial and material support to countries fighting communism.
By July 21st, Armstrong and Aldrin decome the first men to walk on the moon. -
•1971: The People's Republic of China replaces Taiwan as a permanent member of the Security Council
•1972: Nixon travels to China to establish incial contact and also to Moscow (SALT 1) to reach an agreement to limit the arms race
•1973: the USA formalizes its desengagement from Vietnam: The Paris Peace Accords -
By October of 1973, Egypt and Syria (supported by the USSR) launch a surprise attack on Israel, which will be supplied by the USA.
Although a ceasefire was signed, the tensions started to rise between both countris. -
Between 1975 and 1977 a series of events made the USSR more powerful: the war in Angola (supported by the USSR and Cuba) made possible for the country to become part of the communist camp. The USA congress decided to block any military intervention; making it easy for the communists in 1976 to win and reunify Vietnam.
•1977: The Euromissiles crisis: The USSR installs nuclear missiles, threatening the Western. Tensions rise. -
•1979: the USA starts diplomatic relations with China and authorizes the CIA to support the rebels in Afghanistan (Operation Cyclone). As a result, the USSR decides to invade the country. Cartes (pres. of the USA) relaunches the armament programs and imposes economic sanctions agaist the USSR.
Also, the NATO installs nuclear missiles in 5 Western European Countries.
•1982: USSR's Brezhnev dies and instability in the Soviet Union takes place -
•1985: USSR's Gorbachev pursues a policy of international appeasement and renews contact with the USA to reduce military arsenals by a 50%.
•1986: the Chernobyl Nuclear disaster takes place
•1987: (USSR) Perestroika (economic reforms) and Glasnot (freedom/transparency)
- End of the Euromissiles crisis
• 1988: USSR withdraws troops from Afghanistan and Eastern Europe countries
•1989: Hungary opens its border with Austria; The Pan-European Picnic -
By december, The USA president George Herbert Walker Bush and Gorbachev meet in Malta and declare and end to the Cold War -
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In the early 90's, there's an increasing instability within the USSR because of the German reunification and the collapse of the communist rule in Eastern Europe. The Baltic countries gain independence.
By July 1st, 1991 the Warsaw PAct is dissolved. Also, the Soviet coup d'état attemp takes place. Gorbachev is weakened as more republics gain independence.
By December 25th, Gorbachev is forced to resign.