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Yalta Conference
Took place at Yalta, a Russian resort town in the Crimean Pennisula during WWII. The World Leaders; U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin made important decisions regarding the future progress of the war and the postwar world. The Yalta Conference ended on February 11, 1945. -
The Potsdam Conference
Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (who was later replaced by Prime Minister Clement Attlee), and U.S. President Harry Truman met in Potsdam, Germany to negotiate terms for the end of WWII. Germany surrendered on May 8, 1945 and because of an agreement after the Yalta Conference, the 3 leaders would meet again to discuss the postwar boarders in Europe and to continue discussions that started at Yalta. The Potsdam Conference ended on August 2, 1945. -
First Atomic Bomb Dropped on Japan
America began working on the atomic bomb in 1940 but when the first test atomic bomb was successful, the Germans have already surrrendered but the Pacific War was still going on. When America dropped the A-bomb on Japan it marked the end of WWII, Japan surrendered, and some historians say it began the Cold War. -
Victory Over Japan Day or V-J Day
Japan had surrendered unconditionally to the Allies, the term has also been used for September 2, 1945 because that is when Japan formally surrendered while aboard the U.S.S. Missouri which was anchored in Tokyo Bay. Several months after Germany surrendered, Japan's capitulation in the Pacific brought 6 years of hostility to a final and highly anticipated close. -
Iron Curtain Speech
Winston Churchill gave this speech at Westminister College in Fulton, Missouri. Churchill introduced the phrase "iron curtain" to describe the divison between Western Powers and the area controlled by the Soviet Union, this speech, as said by some historians, marked the beginning of the Cold War. -
Truman Doctrine Announced
President Harry S. Truman asks for U.S. assistance for Greece and Turkey to forestall communist domination of the two nations. Some historians say this was the official declaration of the Cold War. -
Marshall Plan Announced
Secretary of State George C, Marshall announced a plan that would provide economic assistance to the devestated nations of Europe after WWII. -
Berlin Airlift
Soviet forces blockaded railroads, roads, and water access to Allied-controllled areas of Berlin. The U.S. and U.K. responded byairlifting food and fuel to Berlin from Allied airbases in Western Germany. -
NATO Treaty Ratified
The U.S. and 11 other nations established the North Atlantic Treaty Organization which was a mutual defense pact aimed at containing possible Soviet agression against Western Europe. -
Berlin Blockade Lifted
An early crisis of the Cold War came to an end when the Soviet Union lifted it's 11 month blockade against West Berlin. The blockade had been broken by a massive U.S.-British airlift of vital supplies to West Berlin's two million citizen. -
Soviets Explode A-Bomb
At a remote test site in Kazakhstan, the USSR successfully detonates its first atomic bomb, code name "First Lightning." The explosion was 20 kilotons. -
Communist Take Over China
China's communist party, led by Mao Zedong, finally prevailed against the Nationalists and assumed power. The West realized that this would forever change the gobal balance of power. -
The Beginning of McCarthyism
Joseph McCarthy made a speech on Feb. 9th, caiming to have a list of 205 people in the State Department that were known to be members of the American Communist Party. McCarthy capitalized on national paranoia by proclaiming that communist spies were everywhere at the same time and that he was America's only salvation. -
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg Executed
Julius and Ethel were a married couple convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage in 1951 and were put to death in the electric chair. The execution marked the dramatic finale of the most controversial espionage case of the Cold War. -
Warsaw Pact
The Soviet Union and seven of its European satellites signed a treaty, establishing the Warsaw Pact, a mutual defense organization that put the Soviets in command of the armed forces of the member states. -
Geneva Summit
The Geneva Summit was a peace meeting between the leaders of the U.S., Britain, France, and the Soviet Union. It helped facilitate discussions between the countries and reduce the tensions of the Cold War, all in an effort to improve gobal security. -
Hungarian Uprising
Hungary was a Communist state under Soviet influence and the nation had enough of being oppressed, and there was a nationwide revolt when Hungarians demanded freedom and democracy. The Stalinist government fell and was replaced and after a few days, the Soviet Red Army invaded Hungary and crushed the revolution. -
Suez War
Israeli armed forces pushed into Egypt toward the Suez Canal after Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the canal. The Israelis soon joined by French and British forces which nearly brought the Soviet Union into conflict and damaged their relationships with the U.S. -
Launching of Sputnik
The Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik I, the world's first artificial satellite which was about the size of a beach ball, it weighed only 183.9 pounds, and took about 98 minutes to orbit the Earth on its elliptical path. That launch ushered in new political, military, technological, and scientific developments. The Sputnik launched marked the start of the space age and the U.S.-U.S.S.R space race. -
U.S. U-2 Plane Shot Down
The U.S. U-2 plane was shot down while conducting espionage over the Soviet Union. The CIA reassured Eisenhower president that, even if the plane had been shot down, it had self-destruct mechanisms that would render any wreckage unrecognizable and the pilot was instructed to kill himself in such a situation. The Cold War took a dramatic turn when Soviet leader, Khrushchev, had the planes remains and the pilot thus causing the president of the U.S. to admit to the public that it was a spy plane.
