Cold War: Superpowers Faceoff

By nelsodo1

  • Soviet Union signs nonagression pact w/Germany

    Soviet Union signs nonagression pact w/Germany
    U.S. is upset that Soviet leader Joesph Stalin signs an agreenment with Hitler. Stalin and HItler agree that neither Russia nor Germany would attack each other.
    Russia distrusts U.S. for not invading Germany sooner and preventing a German attack on Russia.
    Distrust on both sides fuels the beginning of a Cold War

  • Operation Barbarossa

    Operation Barbarossa
    Germany launches attack on one of its allies, Russia. As a result, Russia and U.S.become allies in the fight against the Nazis. Image: Map showing the German attack on Russia.

  • Yalta Conference

    Yalta Conference
    Leaders of US (F. Roosevelt), Britian (Churchill), and Russia (Stalin) agreed to:
    - keep Germany divided in order to prevent a unified Germany from attacking Russia again
    - Russia would alllow free elections in Eastern Europe Photo (L to R): Churchill. Roosevelt, Stalin

  • Potsdam Conference

    Potsdam Conference
    As WWII came to a close a major goal of Russia was to prevent another invasion from the west, so the Soviets occupied a strip of Eastern European coutries as a buffer from future atttack.
    In July 1945, Americans, Soviets, and British gathered at the Potsdam Conference to decide how to punish defeated Nazi Germany.
    At the conference Stalin refused to grant free elections in Eastern Europe.
    Photo:Clement Attlee (Britiain), Harry Truman (US) and Joseph Stalin (Russia) at the Potsdam Conference

  • WWII Ends

    WWII Ends
    Working together as allies, the USSR and US bring an end to WWII with the surrender of Germany on May 9th and with the surrender of Japan on Sept. 2nd, 1945. The surrender of Japan was brought on by the dropping of nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagaski. As a result of the war, Europe is economically devasted, leaving the US and USSR as the only remaining world superpowers. Photo: Atomic bomb mushroom clouds over Hiroshima (left) and Nagasaki (right)

  • Iron Curtain Speech

    Iron Curtain Speech
    After WWII, Europe was divided between communist east and mostly democractic west. In addition to the counry of Germany being split, so was it's capital, Berlin. In a speech on March 4th, 1946 Winston Churchill described this division as an "ron curtain" Image: The Iron Curtain is painted as a black line.The black dot is Berlin.

  • Truman Doctrine

    Truman Doctrine
    U.S. President Harry Truman stated in a speech on March 12, 1947, that the U.S. would support Greece and Turkey with economic and military aid to prevent them from becoming communist. The aid came in the form of loans, which were repaid to American banks.
    Some consider this to actually mark the beginning of the Cold War, and the start of America's policy of containment.
    Photo:President Harry S. Truman addressing Congress and asking for $400 million in aid to Greece and Turkey.

  • The Marshall Plan

    The Marshall Plan
    Was the American policy to aid Europe, in which the United States gave economic support to help rebuild European economies after the end of World War II. The reason for the aid was to prevent the further spread of Soviet Communism Image: Amount of aid given by country

  • Berlin Airlift

    Berlin Airlift
    The U.S. and Soviet Union clashed on what to do with Germany. The Soviets wanted to keep Germany weak and divided in order to prevent future attacks. The U.S. and its allies pulled out of Germany, breaking its promises at Yalta.
    Soviets respond by blocking all supplies routes into West Berlin, hoping that Americans would withdraw their plans of reunifying the German.
    Americans and British flew supplies into West Berlin, until Soviets lifted the blockade.

  • NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

    NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
    Russia's actions in Berlin, created fear of future Soviet aggression. In response, ten western European nations joined with U.S.and Canada in a defensive alliance. An attack on one member would result in armed force by all member nations.

  • Russia Tests Atomic Bomb

    Russia Tests Atomic Bomb
    America's monopoly on atomic weapons ended when President Truman announced, on September 23, that the Soviets had successfully detonated an atomic bomb. As a result, the nuclear arms race, that was to last until 1990, was born.

  • Warsaw Pact

    Warsaw Pact
    Soviets saw NATO as threat and formed its own military alliance in 1955.
    An attack on one member would result in armed force by all member nations.