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Meeting between Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin to decide what would happen at the end of the war. Topics discussed included –
Partitioning of Germany
Fate of Poland
The United Nations
German reparations -
Victory in Europe as Germany surrenders to the Russian army.
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The Potsdam Conference formally divided Germany and Austria into four zones. It was also agreed that the German capital Berlin would be divided into four zones. The Russian Polish border was determined and Korea was to be divided into Soviet and American zones
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The United States dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
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The United States dropped the second atomic bomb on Nagasaki.
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The Japanese surrendered bringing World War Two to an end.
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Ho Chi Minh proclaimed Vietnam an independent republic.
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Churchill delivers his "Sinews of Peace" speech which contain the famous phrase iron curtain has descended on Europe.
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President Truman promised to help any country facing a Communist takeover.
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This was a programme of economic aim offered by the United States to any European country in exchange of supporting the capitalism.
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The French, USA and Uk partitions of Germany were merged to form West.
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It was a plan leaded by Russian´s that consisted in cutting the road to those living in Western with the aim of living them without access to food and face the starvation.
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The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation formed by some European countries and United States.
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Russia ended the blockade of Berlin.
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The Korean war began when North Korea invaded South Korea.
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Joseph Stalin died at the age of 74. He was succeeded by nikita Khrushchev.
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The Korean War ended. North Korea remained affiliated with Russia while South Korea was affiliated with the USA.
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This set of documents ended the French war with the Vietminh and divided Vietnam into North and South states. The communist leader of North Vietnam was Ho Chi Minh while the US friendly south was led by Ngo Dinh Diem.
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The Warsaw Pact was formed with member states East Germany, Cszechoslovakia,Poland, Hungary, Romania, Albania, Bulgaria and the Soviet Union.
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Following military bombardment by Israeli forces, a joint British and French force invaded Egypt to regain control of the Suez Canal which had been nationalised by the Egyptian leader Nasser. The attack was heavily criticised by World leaders, especially America because Russia had offered support to Egypt. The British and French were forced to withdraw and a UN peace keeping force was sent to establish order.
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USSR Sputnik II carried Laika the dog, the first living creature to go into space.
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Russian cosmonaut Yuri Alekseyvich Gagarin became the first human being in space.
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A force of Cuban exiles attempted to invade Cuba and overturn the Communist Government of Fidel Castro. The attempt failed.
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Berlin wall built and borders sealed between East and West Germany.
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A US spy plane reported sighting the construction of a Soviet nuclear missile base in Cuba. President Kennedy set up a naval blockade and demanded the removal of the missiles. Russians agreed on 28th October to remove the weapons. The United States agreed not to invade Cuba.
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JF Kennedy was assassinated while on a visit to Dallas. Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested for the murder. There has always been speculation that he was not a lone killer and that there may have been communist or CIA complicity.
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Nikita Krushchev removed from office. He was replaced by Leonid Brezhnev.
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150,000 US troops sent to Vietnam.
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Warsaw Pact forces entered Czechoslovakia to stop the reforms known as ‘Prague Spring’ instigated by Alexander Dubcek. When he refused to stop his programme of reforms Dubcek was arrested.
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US launched Apollo 8 – first manned orbit of the Moon.
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US Apollo 11 landed on the Moon and Neil Armstrong became the first man on the Moon.
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President Richard Nixon ordered US troops to go to Cambodia.
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The Paris Peace Accords ended American involvement in Vietnam.
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The Khmer Rouge attacked and took control of Cambodia. Any supporters of the former regime, governments as well as many intellectuals and professionals were executed in a genocide that became known as the ‘killing fields
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North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam. The capture of Saigon by the North Vietnamese led to the whole country becoming Communist
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Joint space venture between USA and USSR heralded as an end to the ‘Space Race’
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Jimmy Carter became the 39th President of the United States
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Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan
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A number of countries including the USA boycotted the summer Olympics held in Moscow in protest at the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
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Russia and 13 allied countries boycotted the summer Olympics held in Los Angeles in retaliation for the US boycott of 1980.
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Mikhail Gorbachev became leader of the Soviet Union
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An explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Ukraine remains the worst nuclear disaster in history
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Mikhail Gorbachev announced his intention to follow a policy of glasnost – openness, transparency and freedom of speech; and perestroika – restructuring of government and economy. He also advocated free elections and ending the arms race.
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The last Soviet troops left Afghanistan
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Anti Communist protests in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China were crushed by the government. The death count is unknown.
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The Berlin wall was torn down
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The Velvet Revolution, also known as the Gentle Revolution, was a series of peaceful protests in Czechoslovakia that led to the overthrow of the Communist government.
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This meeting between Mikhail Gorbachov and George H W Bush reversed much of the provisions of the Yalta Conference 1945. It is seen by some as the beginning of the end of the cold war.
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East and West Germany were reunited as one country.
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The Warsaw Pact which allied Communist countries was ended
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The Strategic Arms Reduction treaty was signed between Russia and the USA
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Mikhail Gorbachev resigned. The hammer and sickle flag on the Kremlin was lowered
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Russia formally recognised the end of the Soviet Union
