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Long-term tensions - Bolshevik Revolution
This was when the people overthrew the monarchy in Russia and established communism in the country, bringing a red scare across the US. The people were not satisfied with how the monarchy was ruling the nation and the country was also going through economic hardship due to losses in WWI. -
Long-term tensions - Chinese Civil War
This was a major war that had started in the 1930s but continued after WWII. Fighting was between the Nationalists led by Chiang and the Communists led by Mao Zedong. By the end of 1949, all of mainland China was under communist rule, while the nationalists retreated to the once Japanese-controlled Taiwan. China was not a communist state and the US would not recognize it. -
Long-term tensions - Recognition of the USSR
At the beginning, Roosevelt felt that Communists could not be trusted. However, he decided to ultimately recognize the Soviet Union to grow American commercial interests in their nation. -
Long-term tensions - Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact
This was a pact that was signed between the Soviet Union's leader Joseph Stalin and the dictator of Germany Adolf Hitler. It was significant because it was the agreement between the two nations to divide up Eastern Europe. -
Long-term tensions - USA and USSR join WW2
The United States entered into WWII because of the attack on Pearl Harbor in December of 1941. The USSR entered WWII because Nazi Germany it in June of 1941. The USSR sided with the US and UK for the time being to fight against Nazi Germany. -
Cracks start to show - World Bank and United Nations
There was a new bank called the International Bank for Reconstruction, but is now more commonly known as the World Bank. This was created at the Bretton Woods Conference in 1944. It provided aide to countries rebuilding after WWII. The Soviets were offered participation, but they turned it down because they felt that it was too capitalist. (through 1945) -
Cracks start to show - Yalta and Potsdam
These were a series of postwar negotiations on what to do next with Central and Eastern Europe. These discussions were between the US, UK, and USSR. Roosevelt thought that diplomacy would keep Stalin in check, but Truman was suspicious of the Soviets the very moment he took office. (through 1945) -
Cracks start to show - Korea Divided
Japan was in control of Korea, but the Soviets moved in and divided the country at the 38th parallel while US forces occupied the territory to the south as Japanese forces left their former colony. -
Cold War in Asia - Philippines
The Philippines became an independent republic on July 4, 1946, but the United States retained important naval and airbases there throughout the Cold War. These bases made the Pacific Ocean look like an "American Lake." -
Cold War in Europe - Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe was now under Communist control, and the creation of new Satellite States occurred. Communist dictators in each country became more loyal to Moscow. Satellite nations included, Poland, Romania, Albania, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia. (through 1948) -
Cold War in Europe - Iron Curtain Speech
In Fulton, Missouri, Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister of Britain, declared that an Iron Curtain has descended across the continent of Europe. The Iron Curtain is a metaphor to refer to the division of Western and Eastern Europe. This speech called for support from democratic nations to stop the spread of Communism. -
Cold War in Asia - Japan
Japan was solely under the control of the United States and General Douglas MacArthur was in charge of reconstruction in Japan. Seven Japanese generals were tried for war crimes and executed. The emporer gave up his claims to divinity, new policies announced limited military ability, and the Security Treaties gave up Japan's claims to Korea and other Pacific islands. -
Cold War in Europe - Containment Policy
This was designed to prevent Soviet expansion without starting a war. The plan would guide US foreign policy for decades to come, and was created by George Marshall, Dean Acheson, and George F. Kennan. -
Cold War in Europe - Truman Doctrine
Truman implemented the containment policy in response to a Communist-led uprising in Greece and Soviet demands for some control of a water route in Turkey. In the Truman Doctrine, the president asked Congress for $400 million in economic and military aid to assist the "free people" of Greece and Turkey against totalitarian regimes. It gained bipartisan support. -
Cold War in Europe - National Security Act
The National Security Act of 1947 provided a centralized Department of Defense, the creation of the National Security Counsel (NSC), and the creation of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). This gave the government more central control of the army, navy, and air force, along with a better way to gain intelligence about other nations. -
Cold War in Europe - Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was a $17 billion European Recovery Program, in which $12 billion was approved for distribution to countries of Western Europe over a four-year period. This plan helped Western Europe achieve self-sustaining growth by the 1950s and ended any real threat of Communist political success in the region. This plan was offered to the USSR, but they turned it down because they feared that it would lead to Soviet dependence on the US. (through 1948) -
New Red Scare - Loyalty Review Board
The Truman administration set up a Loyalty Review Board to investigate the background of more than 3 million federal employees due to Republican pressure. A large amount of officials resigned or lost their jobs because of this. -
Cold War in Europe - Berlin Airlift
The Soviets blocked all access to Berlin by land in 1948. Truman was not going to withdraw from Berlin, nor open up the roads to the city through force. He found a solution, and ordered US planes to fly in supplies to the people of West Berlin. Truman also station 60 bombers in England, but Stalin decided not to challenge the airlift. Truman's stance on Berlin was partly responsible for his 1948 victory. -
Cold War in Europe - Truman re-elected
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Cold War in Europe - Selective Service System
It was instituted in 1948 along with a peacetime military draft. This was a program that set up a way to create a draft incase of a threat of war or national security in the future. -
New Red Scare - Alger Hiss Case
Hiss was a prominent official in the State Department who had assisted Roosevelt at the Yalta Conference. He denied accusations that he was a Communist and had given secret documents to Chambers (Star witness for HUAC who was a communist). Hiss was convicted of perjury and sent to prison. Some people wondered if the higher levels of government were infiltrated with Communist spies. -
New Red Scare - HUAC
The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) was established in 1939 to seek out Nazis, and was reactivated in the postwar years to find Communists. It investigated federal workers along with other organizations that could have Communist influence like the Boy Scouts and Hollywood film industry. (through 1953) -
Cold War in Asia - Two Chinas
By the end of 1949, all of mainland China was controlled by Communists. Chiang and the nationalists had retreated to an island once under Japanese rule, Formosa, also known as Taiwan. The US supported Chiang and refused to recognize Mai Zedong's regime in Beijing. In the US, Republicans blamed Democrats for the "loss of China" to communism. The Sino-Soviet pact was signed between the USSR and China. -
Cold War in Europe - East Germany
East Germany was a Soviet Satellite that was under control of the Communist regime. This was home to the epicenter of the Iron Curtain, Berlin. -
New Red Scare - Rosenberg Case
Many Americans were convinced that spies had helped the Soviets steal the technology from the US to develop their atom bomb. One British scientist admitted to giving secrets about the A-bomb to the Russians. The FBI traced it to Julius and Ethel Rosenberg as well. After the trial, the Rosenbergs were found guilty of treason and executed in 1953. Civil rights groups opposed that anti-Communist hysteria was responsible for the conviction and execution of the Rosenbergs. -
Cold War in Europe - NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a military alliance for defending all members from outside attack. Truman selected General Eisenhower as NATO's first Supreme Commander and station US troops in Western Europe as a deterrent against a Soviet invasion. -
Cold War in Europe - USSR Nuclear Weapons
The USSR and the US were in a competitive arms race. The US was the only nation with atomic bombs until the Soviet Union developed theirs in 1949 which was a thousand times more powerful than the one that hit Hiroshima. This was significant because the USSR now had the means to cause mass casualties and catastrophic destruction. -
Cold War in Asia - Sino-Soviet Pact
This was an agreement between Stalin and Mao Zedong which guaranteed China with security protection while growing economic activity between the USSR and China. This added to fears of a worldwide Communist conspiracy. -
Cold War in Asia - Korean War
In June of 1950, North Korean forces surprised the world and invaded South Korea. The North Korean forces pushed South Korean and US forces to the southern tip of the peninsula, but they then counterattacked and pushed all the way back into North Korean Territory with the help of UN forces. However, Chinese forces aided the North Korean forces and forced the South Korean forces and their allies back into South Korea. This was one of the main proxy wars of the Cold War. (through 1953) -
New Red Scare - McCarran Internal Security Act
Over Truman's veto, Congress passed the McCarran Internal Security Act, which made it unlawful to advocate or support the establishment of totalitarian government, restricted the employment and travel of those joining Communist-front organizations, and authorized the creation of detention camps for subversives. -
McCarthyism
McCarthy used many tactics including unsupported accusations about Communists in government to keep the media focus on himself and to discredit the Truman administration. It was like a witch hunt for Communism, and he went so far as saying members of the army were Communist spies. He mainly targeted democrats. (through 1954) -
New Red Scare - Dennis et al v. United States
This was a case in which the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Smith Act of 1940, which made it illegal to advocate or teach the overthrow of the government by force or to belong to an organization with this objective. -
New focus - Eisenhower elected
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New focus - USA nuclear weapons
Dulles wanted to challenge China and the Soviet Union, and declared that these nations would back down if they were pushed to the brink of war because of American nuclear superiority. This became known as brinkmanship. However, Eisenhower prevented Dulles from carrying his ideas to an extreme. -
New focus - brinkmanship and massive retaliation
Dulles believed that the US should rely on more nuclear weapons and air power and spending less on conventional military forces, as he believed that this may help balance the federal budget. However, this policy of massive retaliation did not prevent superpower involvement in small wars in Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. -
New focus - Stalin
Stalin died in March of 1953, resulting in a call for a slowdown in the arms race between the US and USSR. His death also led to less tension between the two nations as well. -
New focus - Soviet Union nuclear weapons
The Soviet Union was still in high tensions with the US in the arms race. Both nations started to focus on nuclear weapons. However, following the US's development of their hydrogen bomb, the USSR developed its own hydrogen bomb. The USSR also developed a nuclear bomb significantly more powerful than the US's atomic bomb. -
New focus - Atoms for Peace and "spirit of Geneva"
Eisenhower called for a slowdown in the arms race and presented an "atoms for peace" plan to the UN. The USSR also wanted to reduce Cold War tensions, and they withdrew their troops from Austria after the country had agreed to be neutral in the Cold War and established peace with Turkey and Greece. The Spirit of Geneva produced the first thaw in the Cold War. (through 1955) -
New focus - Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact was formed by the Soviet Union in opposition of the formation of NATO. This pact was a military alliance for the defense of the Communist states of Eastern Europe. -
End of the thaw - Eisenhower re-elected
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New focus - Khrushchev "peaceful coexistence"
Nikita Khrushchev promoted peaceful coexistence with the West and denounced the crimes of Joseph Stalin. This was a turning point in the Cold War, as tensions had been significantly lowered. -
End of the thaw - Hungarian Revolt
In 1956, Hungary succeeded in overthrowing a Moscow-backed government. The liberal leaders of Hungary wanted to pull out of the Warsaw Pact, but the Kremlin could not handle this, and sent tanks to Hungary. The US took no action in fear of setting off a major European war. This ended the first thaw in the Cold War. -
End of the thaw - Sputnik
In 1957, the Soviet Union surprised the US by launching the first satellites into space, Sputnik I and Sputnik II. This was embarrassing to the US, as it had lost a crucial part of the space race and the rockets made to duplicate this Soviet accomplishment failed repeatedly. -
End of the thaw - NDEA and NASA
Many critics attacked American schools for their math and science instruction and failure to produce more scientists and engineers as a result of the Sputnik launch. Congress responded with the creation of the National Defense and Education Act (NDEA). Additionally, Congress also created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to direct the US efforts to build missiles and explore outer space. -
End of the thaw - Berlin crisis
With new confidence from the Sputnik launch, Khrushchev pushed the Berlin issue. He gave the West six months to pull its troops out of West Berlin before turning over the city to the East Germans, and the US refused to yield. To defuse the crisis, Eisenhower invited Khrushchev to Camp David in 1959. -
End of the thaw - Castro and Cuba
Fidel Castro overthrew the Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959. Once in power, Castro nationalized American-owned business and properties in Cuba. However, Eisenhower opposed this by cutting off US trade with Cuba. Cuba then turned to the Soviet Union for support. He soon then set up a Communist state. The CIA began training Cuban exiles to invade Cuba and overthrow Castro. -
End of the thaw - U-2 incident
Two weeks before the planned meeting in Paris, the Russians shot down the U-2, which was a spy plane used to gain information about the Soviet Union, that was cruising through Soviet airspace. Eisenhower took full responsibility after the U-2 incident, but Khrushchev denounced the US and walked out of the Paris summit. This temporarily ended the thaw in the Cold War. -
End of the thaw - Kennedy elected
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End of the thaw - Berlin Wall
Kennedy met with Khrushchev in Vienna in the summer of 1961. Khrushchev threatened Kennedy by renewing Soviet demands that the US pull its troops out of West Berlin. Kennedy denied it so Khrushchev built a wall around West Germany to prevent East Germans from fleeing west. -
End of the thaw - Bay of Pigs invasion
Kennedy approved a plan to use Cuban exiles to overthrow Castro's regime/ In April 1961, CIA trained forces landed in the Bay of Pigs. The invasion failed to set off a general uprising, and Castro used the failed invasion to get more aide from the USSR and to grow his power. -
Steeping back from brinkmanship - flexible response
Kennedy rethought Dulles's massive retaliation and reliance on nuclear weapons. Kennedy and his Defense Secretary Robert S. McNamara increased spending on conventional arms and mobile military forces. This flexible-response policy reduced the risk of using nuclear weapons and increased the urge to send elite special forces into global combat. (through 1963) -
End of the thaw - Cuban Missile Crisis
This was the most dangerous moment in US-Soviet relations, which was in October of 1962. In response to the Bay of Pigs invasion, Castro started building underground missile sites that could launch offensive missiles which were capable of reaching the US in a matter of minutes. Kennedy imposed a blockade, which could have resulted in nuclear war if Soviet ships responded to this. Missiles were removed after 13 days of tension between the two nations. -
Steeping back from brinkmanship - Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
Because of the Cuban Missile Crisis, telecommunications between Washington and Moscow were established so the two leaders could directly talk to each other in the crisis. However, in 1963, both nations signed the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which would end the testing of nuclear weapons in the atmosphere (above ground testing). This was disrupted by a new round in the arms race to develop new missiles and warheads. -
Steeping back from brinkmanship - Kennedy Assassinated (Johnson takes office)
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Steeping back from brinkmanship - Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
in July 1968, the US, UK, and USSR signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in which these nations agreed to not help other countries develop or acquire nuclear weapons. This would reduce the threat of other nations potentially gaining control of nuclear weapons. -
Steeping back from brinkmanship - Nixon elected president
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Steeping back from brinkmanship - SALT I
Nixon used his new relationship with China to try and get the Soviets to limit antiballistic missiles (ABMs). The US got the Soviets to freeze on the number of ballistic missiles carrying nuclear warheads following the first round of Strategic Arms Limitations Talks (SALT I). This did not end the arms race but it did bring about détente and reduced Cold War tensions. -
Steeping back from brinkmanship - Détente
Détente was a deliberate reduction of Cold War tensions brought by Richard Nixon through taking advantage of the Chinese-Soviet rivalry. Even after Watergate, critics still stated that he reduced tension and enhanced world peace. -
Steeping back from brinkmanship - Nixon visits China
Nixon was a large critic of Communism, which allowed him to visit China, which was under the Communist regime led by Mao Zedong, without being criticized of being soft on Communism. He traveled to Beijing in February of 1972 to meet with Mao. -
Steeping back from brinkmanship - End of the Vietnam War
The Communist north of Vietnam took control of the South, leading to its fall under a Communist regime. The country was at peace once again. In the US, Americans lost trust in their government following the Watergate Scandal, and Congress opposed any further military interventions. -
Steeping back from brinkmanship - Carter elected
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Steeping back from brinkmanship - SALT II
Jimmy Carter was attempting to continue moving forward with the Nixon-Ford policy of détente with China and the Soviet Union. The US ended its recognition of the nationalist state of Taiwan as the official government of China. The détente also planned to move forward with the Soviet Union signing the 1979 SALT II Treaty. This would limit the size of each superpower's nuclear delivery system. Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan, and Carter protested in many ways including boycotting the Olympics. -
Steeping back from brinkmanship - US recognizes China
Following Richard Nixon's visit to China in 1972, the US officially recognized the Communist government in China in 1979. This was because his visit started diplomatic exchanges with China.