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Big 3 Meet at Yalta
The Yalta Conference in 1945is when the 3 main powers, Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin, and Franklin D. Roosevelt met up and agreed that Germany needed to surrender unconditionally. -
Churchill's Iron Curtain Speech
Churchill, the prime minister of Britain until 1945, spoke in Missouri, and some have argued that this speech was the beginning of the Cold War. Churchill used the metaphor “iron curtain” to show how dangerous Russia was to a democratic way of life. This meant that Russia wanted to isolate itself and not work with other countries. This speech was a dose of reality to America and showed that Russia was going to be an enemy that they could not work with in the same way they did in World War II. -
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was an addition to the containment policy, in saying that we would provide money and aid to those fighting against communism, even if they weren't our ally. -
China falls to communism
In 1949, Mao Zedong brought the communist ideas to China, and overthrew the government in China. This was a massive blow to the US because of our cntainment policies, and the basis that we were supposed to not allow any other countries to fall to Communism. Our reaction to this, was to support the countries that were fighting against communism as much as we could, in order to stop the spread of communism. This was hard, because of the vast size of China and their sheer population of people. -
Korean War starts
The Korean War or the "Forgotten War" was a quick but bloody war between the United States and China. They were trying to bring communism to Kprea, but we were trying to contain communism. It ended in the splitting of Korea. -
Rosenberg Trial
Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were put on trial for “conspiracy” to commit espionage, selling nuclear secrets to Russia. The Rosenberg’s did believe in the idea of communism and that alienated them. There was more evidence that Julius was a spy but very flimsy evidence that Ethel was a spy. Because of the hysteria of the cold war, though, both were convicted. This shows to the Russians that many in America agreed with their way of life. This was significant because it added even more to hysteria. -
Eisenhower elected president
Dwight D. Eisenhower being elected was massive, because it added a new facet to this race. Having someone new in office will bring new ideas and thoughts on how to approach the tensions ahead. -
Joseph Stain dies
When Joseph STalin dies, this changes the course of the Cold War, because nobody knows how the new leader will handle things, -
Rosenberg executed
Julius Rosenberg was executed along with his wife Ethel, on account of espionage and conspiracy. Julius was confirmed as guilty, however Ethel was less conspicuous. This was in response to them feeding the Soviet Union information about nuclear weapons and new technological advancements. This was massively important because it clearly shows the direct relation with the hysteria in the US and the paranoia that was littered throughout the everyday streets. -
Geneva Conference
The meeting in Geneva was between "the Big 4", and it was geared toward moving towards peace. -
Suez Canal Crisis
The fight for the Suez Canal was between the Israelis and Britain and France. The United States played a critical role in policing the crisis, and ultimately ending it. -
Sputnik launches
Russia became the first to reach outer space. This was the first man made satellite launched into space. It was significant because of the introduce this quote below: “In the eyes of the world, first in space means first, period; second in space is second in everything.” Lyndon Johnson. This event was a huge deal because it served notice to the world that Russia was the most advanced country in the world. -
NASA created
The creation of NASA not only turned a corner in the Cold War, but also in everyday life as well. It signified the technological advancements that we were making and the rapid growth in the space race -
Krushchev visits the US
When Krushchev visits the United States, it is a sign of moving in the right direction. When he comes over here, he sees how good capitalism is, and we start trying to come up with compromises. -
U-2 Incident
Gary Powers was on a secret mission to photograph areas of Russia to provide intelligence to the United States about Soviet military bases. He was shot down over Russia and charged with espionage. He was held in solitary confinement as he was constantly interrogated. During the trial, Powers remained loyal to America at all times, even when his life was at stake. This even was important because it further strained relationship between the Unites States an Russia. -
Kennedy Elected
JFK also served in the navy during WWII. JFK ran on a platform of embracing new technology and the space age during a time when many felt America was falling behind Russia in these areas. JFK was seen by some as a dangerous choice because of his youth and inexperience. TV truly helped JFK win this election and Richard Nixon. JFK was a charismatic speaker who persuaded Americans that he could be a great leader. JFK helped turn the Cold War on its head, and go about things with a cool head. -
Bay of Pigs
The Bay of Pigs was a massive turning point in the Cold War. The plan was for the United States to arm some Cuban citizens to spark a revolution and overthrow Fidel Castro and his communistic ways, and his relations with the USSR. The idea was a good one, as it put almost no American lives in direct danger, but JFK was worried abut the USSR as taking this movement as an act of war. This event was a result of the USSR importing nuclear weapons and the overthrow of Cuba's elder government. -
Berlin Wall contructed
The Berlin Wall was constructed by the USSR in Berlin, Germany. The reason the wall was created, was to separate the communists in Berlin and the capitalists, and the United States said that there was nothing that communists could do, we would not back out (Containment). This was a massive deal because it made the Berliners feel very isolated and trapped by communism. This was a direct response to the US saying that we would never back down from the communist party. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was the most tense part of the Cold War. The Soviet Union were building nuclear launch sites on Cuba, well within reach of the United States. This put the United States in immediate danger, as the USSR could easily touch us. This was a result of the nonstop desire from both sides to become more technologically savvy than the other country. The US had to take immediate action in order for us to lessen the threat. Had the USSr refused, nuclear war could have occurred.
