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Period: to
End of WWII and Cold War
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Potsdam Conference
Before the end of WWII, Allied Powers had begun to plan for Germany's future even before fighting ceased. At the Potsdam conference in the summer of 1945, Allied powers were in conflict with each other in regards to Eastern Europe. Soviet Dictator Joseph Stalin promised to respect East Europe's democracy, but soon broke that promised and made it clear he was against this form of government. -
The "Iron Curtain"
The "iron curtain" is a descriptive image used to illustrate the sharp division of Europe that was the result of the Soviet actions. British Leader Winston Churchill gave a speech in the United States, in which he coined this term, "iron curtain". Berlin was divided into West and East; the NATO powers held the west and the Warsaw Pact countries controlled the East. This "curtain" would last from 1946 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. -
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was a pledge to provide economic and military aid to oppose the spread of communism. American President Truman announced this plan after Soviet-backed communists were threatening the governments of Greece and Turkey. Hundreds of millions of dollars in aid were sent to Greece and Turkey. -
Marshall Plan
In 1948 the U.S. government launched a massive program of economic aid because they believed if conditions in Europe grew worse, Europeans might turn to communism. Therefore, the Marshall Plan was created. (it was named after U.S. Secretary of State George Marshall.) -
Berlin Airlift
After the Soviets put the "iron curtain" in place, they blocked off land, rail, and water routes into West Berlin, so all the resident's suffered. However, Western leaders organized the Berlin Airlift, a massive effort to supply West Berlin by air. At one point, a cargo plane was taking off from or landing in Berlin every 30 seconds! -
War in Korea
In June 1950 the North Koreans attacked the South Koreans. Their goal was to unite the country under a Communist government. The UN formed a military force with troops from 17 nations and sent them to Korea. However, this action didn't change much because in 1953 both sides agreed to an armistice. After 3 years of fighting and over 4 million casualties, North Korea remained a Communist state and South Korea was an ally of the West. -
Sputnik (Crisis)
The Sputnik crisis was the American reaction to the success of the Sputnik program. The Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial Earth satellite. The launch of Sputnik 1 and the failure of its first two Project Vanguard launch attempts rattled the American public; President Dwight D. Eisenhower referred to it as the “Sputnik Crisis”. Although Sputnik was itself harmless, its orbiting scared the people of the US. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
The U.S. government, seeking to overthrow Cuba's leader Castro, secretly trained an invasion force of approximately 1,500 Cubans who had fled Castro's regime. In April 1961 this force came ashore at Cuba's Bay of Pigs, in hopes it would start a massive Cuban uprising against Castro. Instead, the invaders were quickly defeated. -
Berlin Wall
In 1961, Communist East Germany began erecting a tall barrier, (known as the Berlin Wall) between the two halves of the city. Many east germans would leave everyday to got to work in West Germany, so communists stopped this exodus. If anyone attempted to cross the heavily guarded wall, they risked being shot by East german guards. For 28 years it kept East Germans from fleeing to the West. -
INF Treaty
Ronald Reagan was elected president in 1980 and took aggressive position against the Soviet Union. In 1988, Reagan and Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev ratified the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, which called for the elimination of certain types of missiles. This improved the relationship between the Soviet Union and the United States after many years of conflict. -
*Fall of Berlin Wall
Communism began to falter in Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia in 1988 and 1989. On November 9, 1989, people gathered at the boarding crossings and guards reopened the borders, allowing people to cross freely. The wall ceased to function from that day forward, and people were soon chipping away at it, eventually knocking it down. The falling of the wall symbolized the end of the cold war and the end of the Iron Curtains dominance. -
Soviet Union Comes to an End
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was formally dissolved by declaration of the Soviet of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. This declaration acknowledged the independence of all fifteen republics of the Soviet Union. The day before this, on Dec. 25 1991, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev had resigned, declaring his office extinct.
