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World War II
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U.S. enemies with Soviet Union
During WWII after Hitler invaded the Soviet Union the U.S. and Soviet Union have been enemies due to their ideologies. The Soviet government believed in Socialism, One-party rule and the social goal of Equality. The U.S. believed in Capitalism , Democracy , and Individualism. -
Yalta Conference
Conference at yalta in the soviet union, british prime minister Winston Churchill, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt , and soviet premier Josef Stalin agreed to end war and a subsequent joint occupation of Germany. -
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Yalta Conference
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Red Army
After the allies defeated Germany , Stalin established Soviet controlled govs in Eastern European countries occupied by his Red Army , including Poland . U.S. objected to these Totalitarian Communist regimes. -
Germany thrown into military rule
After being conquered by the Allies, Germany is thrown into a military rule. Two sides divided Germany from Berlin. East Germany (Soviets), and West Germany (Allies). -
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Germany enters military rule
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United States successfully tests worlds first atomic bomb
The U.S. successfully test the world's first A-bomb Alamogordo, New Mexico. -
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American Nuclear Monopoly
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Potsdam Conference
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Potsdam Conference
Conference in Potsdam, Germany, Soviet Union and U.S. agreed to recongnize each others influence over regions where their resective troops remained at the end of the war. -
Winston Churchill's "Iron Curtain" speech.
In one of the most famous orations of the Cold War period, former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill condemns the Soviet Union’s policies in Europe and declares, “From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the continent.” Churchill’s speech is considered one of the opening volleys announcing the beginning of the Cold War. -
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Greek Civil War
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Greece and Turkey fight off Communist rebellions.
By early 1947 Greece and Turkey had been fighting off Communist Rellelions with aid from Great Britain. However, Britain soon went broke and Appealed to the U.S. for help. As a result, the Truman Policy was ennacted and served as a policy for containment. -
Truman Doctorine
With the Truman Doctrine, President Harry S. Truman established that the United States would provide political, military and economic assistance to all democratic nations under threat from external or internal authoritarian forces. -
The Marshall Plan
Truman, being concerned now that the European countries were vulnerable to socialism or a Soviet-style-Communist Regime.The U.S. introduces the Marshall Plan in 1947 to provide $17 billion to aid the economic recovery in Europe. -
NSC 68 Drafted
In 1947 President Harry.S.Truman's National Security Council drafted NSC 68 which is noted as the blueprint for American policy in the Cold War. -
Berlin Airlift
The U.S. and its allies decided to supply their sectors of the city from the air. This effort, known as the “Berlin Airlift,” lasted for more than a year and carried more than 2.3 million tons of cargo into West Berlin. -
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Berlin Airlift
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Germany's new currency.
Monetary reform was urgently needed to facilitate the introduction of the Marshall Plan. The currency reform of June 20, 1948, introduced the Deutsche Mark (DM) in the Western occupation zones. -
Soviets protest, create blockade
Soviet Union blocks all road and rail traffic to and from West Berlin. The blockade turned out to be a terrible diplomatic move by the Soviets, while the United States emerged from the confrontation with renewed purpose and confidence. -
NATO
The U.S. joined other Western countries such as Canada, France, Great Britain, Italy, and the Netherlands to form the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's purpose was to form an alliance between each others to protect against the USSR -
Stalin reopens
Almost a year after the Berlin Airlift Stalin reopens all routes to Berlin, which however, still remains a divided city. -
American monopoly ends
In August 1949 the Soviet Union successfully detonated an atomic bomb, ending the American nuclear monopoly -
Communism in China
In 1949 Mao ZeDong, leader of the Chinese Communist Party, declares the constitution of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). -
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People's Republic of China.
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The Korean War
The Korean War caused concern for the rise of communism in Asia as Korea became divided at the 38th Parallel after WWII. North Korea supported by the USSR and South Korea supported by the U.N. -
Assistance from the West.
As Communist North Korea invades South Korea, the U.N. was quick to condemn the invasion and authorized the deployment of troops under General Douglas MacArthur's command. -
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Korean War
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America tests hydrogen bomb
The United States detonates the world’s first thermonuclear weapon, the hydrogen bomb, on Eniwetok atoll in the Pacific. The test gave the United States a short-lived advantage in the nuclear arms race with the Soviet Union. -
Korean War ends in stalemate
As the U.S. push the North Koreans back towards the Chinese border. China sent in 1 million "volunteers" to aid in the fighting. As a result, the U.S. lost their capital, Seoul. In addition, MacArthur declared: "In war there can be no substitute for victory." Truman disagreed and MacArthur was fired for taking his stand public. The Korean War ended in stalemate. -
Soviet Union develops hydrogen bomb
On August 8, 1953, Soviet Premier Georgy Malenkov announced that the United States no longer had a monopoly on the hydrogen bomb. Four days later on August 12, 1953, the first test of a Soviet thermonuclear device took place on a tower in central Siberia. -
Warsaw Pact forms
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. -
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Warsaw Pact
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Hungarian Revolution
Demanding more freedom from their Communist government, Hungarian citizens began rioting threatening to return to a parliamentary democracy if demands were not met. Shortly after, the rebellion was crushed through the dispatch of the Red Soviet Army. -
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Hungarian Revolution
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The Berlin Wall
Berlin, a divided city was soon divided further by the USSR's Berlin Wall. This wall served the purpose of preventing people from fleeing from East to West Berlin. -
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The Berlin Wall
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Prague Spring
On August 20, 1968, the Soviet Union led Warsaw Pact troops in an invasion of Czechoslovakia to crack down on reformist trends in Prague. Although the Soviet Union’s action successfully halted the pace of reform in Czechoslovakia, it had unintended consequences for the unity of the communist bloc. -
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Prague Spring
