-
Cold war
yalta conference 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 -
Potsdam Comference
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. -
Marshall Plan
This was a programme of economic aid offered by the United States to any European country. The plan was rejected outright by Stalin and any Eastern Bloc country considering accepting aid was reprimanded severely. Consequently the aid was only given to Western European Countries. -
Berlin Blockade
Russia's response to the merger of the French, USA and UK partitions of Berlin was to cut all road and rail links to that sector. This meant that those living in Western Berlin had no access to food supplies and faced starvation. Food was brought to Western Berliners by US and UK airplanes, an exercise known as the Berlin Airlift. -
NATO formed
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation formed with member states Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States -
End of Berlin Blockade
Russia ended the blockade of Berlin. -
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact was formed with member states East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Albania, Bulgaria, and the Soviet Union. -
Berlin Wall
Berlin wall built and borders sealed between East and West Germany. -
Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia
Warsaw Pact forces entered Czechoslovakia in a bid to stop the reforms known as 'Prague Spring' instigated by Alexander Dubcek. When he refused to halt his programme of reforms Dubcek was arrested. -
Four Power Agreement Berlin
The Four Power Agreement made between Russia, USA, Britain and France reconfirmed the rights and responsibilities of those countries with regard to Berlin. -
Cambodia Killing fields
The Khmer Rouge attacked and took control of Cambodia. Any supporters of the former regime, anyone with links or supposed links to foreign governments as well as many intellectuals and professionals were executed in a genocide that became known as the 'killing fields'. -
Carter President
Jimmy Carter became the 39th President of the United States -
Iranian hostage crisis ended
The Iranian hostage crisis ended 444 days after it began -
Tiananmen Square
Anti Communist protests in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China were crushed by the government. The death count is unknown. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
The Berlin wall was torn down -
Malta Summit
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. -
German reunification
East and West Germany were reunited as one country. -
End of Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact which allied Communist countries was ended -
Gorbachev resigned
Mikhail Gorbachev resigned. The hammer and sickle flag on the Kremlin was lowered -
End of the Soviet Union
Russia formally recognised the end of the Soviet Union
