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Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference was the second meeting during the war with Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill, and Franklin D. Roosevelt. The three leaders agreed to demand Germany's surrender and made plans for the future after the war. Yalta became controversial once the United State's and the Soviet Union's alliance degenerated during the cold war. -
North Vietnam
In 1949 Bao Dai became the leader of the State of Vietnam. It was formerly known as Saigon until it was changed to the State of Vietnam. The State of Vietnam had claimed authority during the first Indochina war. The State of Vietnam claimed ALL of Vietnam. -
The Berlin Declaration
This was the first time the supreme commanders of the Western Powers met with their colleagues from the Soviet Union. They signed the Declaration that proclaimed the unconditional surrender of Germany and it caused them to assume That the four victorious powers had the supreme authority. This Declaration was signed in Berlin-Wendenschloss were the Soviet Union ran the meeting. -
Potsdam Conference
This conference was the last of the Workd War II meetings. It was held in Berlin from July 17th - August 2nd. This conference well because of the people that were involved in the meeting. The U.S. President Harry S. Truman, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin. -
Iron Curtain Speech
Churchill's speech was an extremely famous and important event in the Cold War. Churchill's "Iron Curtain" phrase was so popular that it become an official vocabulary word of the Cold War. Joseph Stalin wasn't very pleased with the speech and even called the speech "warmongering " and considered Churchill a racist. -
Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War was fought from 1946–49 between the Greek government army—backed by Great Britain and the United States—and the Democratic Army of Greecethe military branch of the Greek Communist Party (KKE), backed by Yugoslavia and Albania as well as Bulgaria. The result was the defeat of the Communist insurgents by the government forces. -
First Indochina War
This war was a struggle between the Viet Minh and the French for control of the country. This conflict allowed the defeat of Japan and the power struggle that had been present which followed their withdrawal from Vietnam. The Viet Minh saw the opportunity to possibly declare the Vietnamese Independence and took it. -
Containment Policy
An article in the July 1947 issue of Foreign Affairs magazine, signed X, proposed that the West adopt a policy of "containment" toward the Soviet Union. The article's author, George Kennan, who set up the U.S. embassy in Moscow in 1943, called on the United States to take steps to prevent Soviet expansion.The Containment Policy would adopt two approaches. One approach was military; the other was economic. -
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan generated a resurgence of European industrialization and brought extensive investment into the region. It was also a stimulant to the U.S. economy by establishing markets for American goods. Although the participation of the Soviet Union and East European nations was an initial possibility, Soviet concern over potential U.S. economic domination of its Eastern European satellites and Stalin’s unwillingness to open up his secret society to westerners doomed the idea. -
Berlin Blockade
The Berlin Blockade (1 April 1948 – 12 May 1949) was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War. During the multinational occupation of post–World War II Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway, road, and canal access to the sectors of Berlin under Western control. The Soviets offered to drop the blockade if the Western Allies withdrew the newly introduced Deutschmark from West Berlin. -
Berlin Airlift
After World War II, the Allies partitioned the defeated Germany into a Soviet-occupied zone, an American-occupied zone, a British-occupied zone and a French-occupied zone.In June 1948, the Russians–who wanted Berlin all for themselves–closed all highways, railroads and canals from western-occupied Germany into western-occupied Berlin. This, they believed, would make it impossible for the people who lived there to get food or any other supplies. -
NATO
The Cold War was in full swing, as the Soviet Union was rising to power, capturing satellite countries. Using their strong dynamic forces, the Soviet Union captured surrounding countries first to help protect them from any invasion. This tactic was used to imprison civilians and force them to join the Soviet military. As their armed forces greatly increased in numbers, other countries and nations feared that the Soviet Union would expand their control and take over other countries. -
Soviet Union Tests A-Bomb
At an unknown testing location in Semipalatinsk in Kazakhstan, the USSR successfully detonates its first atomic bomb. To be able to test the effects of the blast Soviet scientists built bridges, buildings, and other modern human structures in the area of the bomb. These scientists also placed animals in cages near the explosion to see how the radiation would affect the human-like mammals. -
Korean War - American involvement
On June 24, 1950, the North Koreans invaded South Korea. A few days later, Truman ordered U.S. troops to the aid of South Korea and convinced the United Nations (UN) to send military aid as well, in what was referred to in diplomatic circles as a “police action.” The UN troops, which were mostly American, were under the command of General Douglas MacArthur. Because the North Korean attack was such a surprise, the U.S. and South Korean forces were pushed into the far southern corner of the Korean -
Eisenhower Presidency
Bringing to the Presidency his prestige as commanding general of the victorious forces in Europe during World War II, Dwight D. Eisenhower obtained a truce in Korea and worked incessantly during his two terms to ease the tensions of the Cold War.Negotiating from military strength, he tried to reduce the strains of the Cold War. In 1953, the signing of a truce brought an armed peace along the border of South Korea. The death of Stalin the same year caused shifts in relations with Russia. -
Nikita Khrushchev
Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev publicized Stalin's crimes, was a major player in the Cuban Missile Crisis and established a more open form of Communism in the USSR.After Joseph Stalin’s death in 1953, Khrushchev deftly used his political skills to transfer or isolate political enemies who threatened his rise to party leadership. On February 24, 1956, he denounced the excesses of the Stalin era for several hours, stunning delegates attending the 20th Communist Party Congress. -
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, a married couple convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage in 1951, are put to death in the electric chair. The execution marked the dramatic finale of the most controversial espionage case of the Cold War. The Rosenbergs vigorously protested their innocence, but after a brief trial in March 1951 they were convicted. On April 5, 1951, a judge sentenced them to death. -
Warsaw Pact
The Soviet Union and seven of its European satellites sign a treaty establishing the Warsaw Pact, a mutual defense organization that put the Soviets in command of the armed forces of the member states. The treaty called on the member states to come to the defense of any member attacked by an outside force and it set up a unified military command under Marshal Ivan S. Konev of the Soviet Union. The introduction to the treaty establishing the Warsaw Pact indicated the reason for its existence. -
Suez Crisis
Israeli's armed forces forced themselves into Egypt towards the Suez Canal after Gamsl Abdel Nasser, the Egyptian president, nationalized the canal. This initiated panic in the Egyptian's mind and more importantly the Suez Crisis. French and British forces joined the Israeli armed forces, which almost brought the Soviet Union into this conflict. In the end the Israeli, French and British withdrew their troops. -
Hungarian Revolution
The Russian leader Khruschev attacked Stalin and his policies bitterly. The leader, Rakosi was forced to resign by Khruschev as a gesture to the Hungarians. The Hungarians were actually expecting more but the Russian leader Khruschev didn't deliver. This situation combined with a bad harvest, fuel shortages, a wet and cold autumn all created a horrendous situation. -
Sputnik
The Soviet Union inaugurates the “Space Age” with its launch of Sputnik, the world’s first artificial satellite. The spacecraft, named Sputnik after the Russian word for “satellite,” was launched at 10:29 p.m. Many Americans feared more sinister uses of the Soviets’ new rocket and satellite technology, which was apparently strides ahead of the U.S. space effort. The U.S. government, military, and scientific community were caught off guard by the Soviet technological achievement. -
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution was a revolt that was planned out and accomplished by Fidel Castro, a Cuban leader. Kicking Batista out of Cuban control was a necessity and once it was done government started to change. Once Batista was kicked out the government partook in communism and became another communist country. -
U-2 Incident
A crisis had broken out when the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics shot down an American U-2 spy aircraft in Soviet-owned areas and captured the pilot. President Eisenhower had to confess to the Soviets that the CIA was actually sending spy planes over the USSR for several years. The Soviets convicted Powers on espionage and sentenced him to ten years in prison. -
Kennedy Presidency
John F. Kennedy was the second American President to be assassinated. John F. Kennedy had a very short presidential term, it started in January 1961 and ended in November 1963. John F. Kennedy was a stern and strict president but at the same time the nation knows that they can rely on this cool young guy to always tell the nation the truth. -
First Man in Space
The Soviet Union and the United States were constantly competing for human kind's exploration of space. Obviously the Soviet Union defeated the United States, first by placing the first satelite, and second by sending the first man into space. Yuri Gagarin was the first man ever in space and experienced an 108 minute flight through space. -
Bay of Pigs
The CIA launched what its leaders expected to be a full on invasion of Cuba by 1,400 American trained Cubans who fled their homes when Castro took over. The invasion didn't go as planned, we were outnumbered greatly by Castro's soldiers. We were so outnumbered that we surrendered wishing 24 hours of fighting. -
Berlin Wall
The communist government of the German Democratic Republic built a barbed wire and concrete wall in Berlin. This wall was called an Antifascistischer Schutzwall or antifascist bulwark. The original purpose of this wall was to keep western fascists from entering East Germany and undermining the Socialist state. -
JFK Assassination
John F. Kennedy was assassinated while passing through Texas. Lee Harvey Oswald allegedly fired three shots toward the presidents convertible from the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository Building which fatally struck Kennedy and injured Connally. John F. Kennedy was pronounced dead thirty minutes after he was struck. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
This gave broad congressional approval for the expansion of the Vietnam war. Military planners had created many designs for major attacks on the North but President Lyndon B. Johnson wouldn't let the military planners go through with this plan. Lyndon B. Johnson was worried that the public would disagree with this plan of theirs. -
Vietnam War - American Involvement
The United States had faced very brutal foes at this time from the Vietnamese soldiers. In the end the United States helped North Vietnam and South Vietnam reunite once again. We helped a nation that was crumbling come back into a whole nation again with less tension and passive aggressive fighting. -
SALT 1
The United States announced that it would begin the deployment of an AntiBallistic Missile system. The Soviet Union and the United States were in competition to make the most defense systems first. The Soviet Union beat us in the race to space so this was surely important that we beat them in this race. -
Tet Offensive
70,000 Vietnamese and Viet Cong launched a coordinated series of vicious attacks on 100 cities and towns in South Vietnam. This was called the Tet Offensive and it was named after the lunar new year holiday called Tet. General Vo Nguyen Giap planned the offensive in the attempt to foment the rebellion amongst the South Vietnamese population and to encourage the United States to scale back its support of the Saigon regime. -
Prague Spring
The Soviet Union answered Dubcek's reforms with invasion of Czechoslovakia by 600,000 Warsaw Pact troops. Prague was not eager to give in but the scattered student resistance was no match for the Soviet Union's tanks. Dubcek's reforms were all repealed and the leader was replaced. -
Nixon Presidency
President Richard M. Nixon was famous for being the only president to ever resign from office. Nixon did in fact run for a second term but resigned halfway through it in 1974. Nixon also described himself as an introvert doing an extrovert's occupation. -
Apollo 11
Neil Armstrong and "Buzz" Aldrin were the first people to ever walk on the surface of the moon. The Soviet Union and The United States were already in a race to space and since the Soviet Union had defeated the United States by sending a satellite into space so it was crucial that we sent people to the moon. We were victorious in this competition of humans landing on the moon. -
Nixon Visits China
President Richard M. Nixon took a dramatic step towards normalizing relations with the communist People's Republic of China. President Richard M. Nixon went to Beijing for a week of talks with the People's Republic of China. Nixon's visit began the long process of re-establishing diplomatic relations between the United States and communist China. -
Iran Hostage Crisis
A group of Iranian students stormed the United States Embassy in Tehran, they took more than sixty Americans hostages. The cause of this action was President Jimmy Carter's decision to allow Iran's deposed Shah, a western autocraft who had been expelled from his country some months before, to get cancer treatment in the United States. The hostage taking was more than medical care, it was an expressive way for the student revolutionaries to declare a break from Iran's past. -
Tiananmen Square Massacre
For seven weeks the Tiananmen Square was filled with students who were pro-democracy protestors. These protestors wanted freedom of the press and government accountability. The Chinese government made a bloody and extremely violent decision to forcefully remove protesters. This resulted in about 500 to 2,500 people. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was torn down when the head of the communist party announced that citizens of the GDR could cross the border whenever they wanted. The Berlin Wall was torn down by the citizens who were now free to roam the city. People have collected pieces of the Berlin Wall and now the wall is considered a valuable collector's item. In fact, I have a piece of the wall myself. -
Gulf War
Saddam Hussein ordered the invasion and wanted to occupy their neighbors, Kuwait in August. Fellow Arab powers such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt were alarmed by these actions so they called on the United States and several other Western Nations to interfere. Saddam Hussein didn't listen to the United Nations Security Council's demand to withdrawal from Kuwait by mid January. -
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
Christmas Day was the last day that the Soviet flag flew over the Kremlin in Moscow. Eleven representatives from the Soviet Republic met in the city of Kazakh in Alma-Ata and announced that they would no longer be part of the Soviet Union. These representatives instead decided that they would establish a commonwealth of independent states.
