-
Period: to
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin was a Soviet leader during World War II and the Cold War. After World War II, he thought that the countries in Europe should be communist, and he took control of surrounding nations. This alarmed the United States and started the Cold War. -
Period: to
Harry Truman
President Harry Truman approved the Manhattan Project and the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He spurred the United States into action against communism with the Truman Doctrine. -
Period: to
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong started the Communist Revolution in China and became dictator. He gained great power very quickly and changed his nation's culture. He also forged an alliance with the Soviet Union. -
U.S. Drops Atomic Bombs on Japan
The United States ended World War II by dropping the atomic bombs on Japan, but they began the Cold War and the nuclear weapon race with the Soviet Union. The bomb demonstrated the power of the United States to create one, and the destruction that a bomb could cause. Because of that, the Soviet Union began to develop their own nuclear weapons to be able to possibly defend themselves from the U.S. So, the Cold War began. -
World War II Ends
After the end of World War II, the Soviet Union's and the United States' partnership to end Hitler's regime was crumbling. Without a common cause, the two nations didn't need to be united. They both wanted to extend their kind of government to the war-torn countries in Europe, and in doing so, their beliefs clashed. -
The Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was a speech delivered by President Truman to convince Congress to aid Turkey and Greece in their fight against communism. President Truman feared that communism would spread to the Middle East if Greece and Turkey were conquered, and he believed that the United States had to protect the countries' democratic freedom. This was the first move the United States made in the battle against communism. -
The Marshall Plan
Under the Marshall Plan, the United States gave $13 billion to countries in Western Europe to help them recover after the destruction of World War II. The countries' economies, especially France and Italy's, were very unstable, and converting to communism was an attractive option for them. The United States feared the spread of communism, so they helped Western European countries could rebuild their economies and therefore not turn to it. -
Formation of NATO
NATO, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was an alliance between several Western European countries, the United States, and Canada in response to the spread of communism in Europe. The countries, especially the ones in Europe, were concerned by the threat that communism posed to the stability of their delicate economies and governments. They wanted a way to defend themselves. NATO agreed that if any of them was attacked, then the other nations would step in and help. -
Soviet Union Tests First Atom Bomb
Ever since the United States developed their atomic bombs, the Soviet Union had been trying to make one too. They soon successfully detonated their first one. When the United States soon discovered that the Soviet Union had nuclear weapon capability, they panicked. They. started building up their own nuclear weapon arsenal to be able to defend themselves from Soviet attack. The Soviet Union's threat to the United States became more real and American's became paranoid. -
The Communist Revolution in China
The Communist Revolution in China was a cultural movement in China initiated by Mao Zedong, where Mao seized power from the Nationalists and established himself as a communist dictator. The revolution scared many Americans about the spread of communism and increased paranoia about the Soviet Union. -
Formation of the Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact was an agreement between the Soviet Union and other Eastern European countries in response to the formation of NATO. The Soviet Union was alarmed by NATO's power, as West Germany had joined the organization on May 9. Unrest about communism was also brewing in Eastern Europe. The Warsaw Pact enabled the Soviet Union to control the countries and more closely unite itself with them. -
Period: to
John F. Kennedy
President John F. Kennedy initiated the Bay of Pigs invasion to overthrow Fidel Castro and negotiated with the Soviet Union about nuclear weapons. He also sent more U.S. troops to fight in Vietnam and strongly supported the anti-communist movement there. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
Because of their growing fear and mistrust of Fidel Castro, the United States trained a group of Cuban exiles to incite a rebellion against him. The plan failed, and reflected poorly on President Kennedy. In response to his attempted assassination, Fidel Castro asked the Soviet Union to help him. Cuba received nuclear weapons for defense against the United States, and they caused the Cuban Missile Crisis. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a 13-day period where the Soviet Union and the United States were the closest they had ever been to a nuclear war. It was the climax of the Cold War. The world was anxious and frightened of the possible destruction that could be caused. However, the Soviet Union agreed to remove the missiles in exchange for the United States not attacking Cuba. The Soviet Union also changed its foreign policies to create peace, and the tension between the two nations decreased. -
SALT I Treaty
The SALT I Treaty decreased tension between the Soviet Union and the United States. It limited the amount of nuclear missiles that the nations could each have. Both the citizens in the United States and the Soviet Union had less fear of nuclear war, and detente began. -
Period: to
Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro was a communist leader of Cuba. The United States tried to dispose of him, because they didn't trust him to help the United States. He allied with the Soviet Union and agreed to store nuclear weapons which caused the Cuban Missile Crisis. -
Soviet-Afghan War
Detente ended when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan and took control. The United States was very alarmed, and the fear of the Soviet's power and agenda resurfaced. The U.S. increased their nuclear stockpile and negotiated with the Soviet Union to try and get them to withdraw. The conflict raised tensions between the two nations and prolonged the Cold War. -
Period: to
Ronald Reagan
President Ronald Reagan ended the United States' detente with the Soviet Union. He sent U.S. troops to fight the Soviet Union in Afghanistan, and increased America's nuclear weapons. However, by the end of his presidency, the Cold War had almost ended. -
Collapse of Communist Regimes in Eastern Europe
The first sign of the collapse of the communist regimes was the fall of the Berlin Wall. Then, the Soviet Union slowly relinquished their hold on Eastern Europe and the countries that were once communist adopted democratic government. The tension between the Soviet Union and the United States decreased very quickly, and the Cold War finally seemed to be coming to a close. -
START Treaty
The START I Treaty was an agreement between the Soviet Union and the United States that decreased the amount of nuclear weapons that the two nations had. The countries destroyed some of their nuclear weapons, which eliminated the threat of nuclear war. The treaty expired in 2009, and a new START Treaty was signed to replace it. The tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States had nearly dissolved. -
Collapse of the Soviet Union
Until now, the Soviet had still been a communist nation, with Mikhail Gorbachev as its leader. After relinquishing his hold on the Eastern European nations, Gorbachev created reforms to move his country towards democracy and to decrease the power of communism. Finally, Gorbachev resigned his position, and the Soviet Union officially became Russia. The Cold War came to an end.
