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Yalta Conference
A conference that happened just before World War II ended involving "The Big Three" (Soviet Union, United States, United Kingdom). These three countries all met on an island called Yalta locate on the Black Sea. All of these superpower planed to split Europe into communist and capitalist ideolegies. The Soviet Union wanted mass control with comunism and the capitalist being the US,UK and France wanting to stop the growing of communism. -
Potsdam Conference
A conference that happened in Postdam, Germany after the surrending of Germany. It was a contuniation of Yalta, including the same coutries, United States, Soviet Union, France and United Kindom. It solidified chosing the split between countries in Germany and also negotiated terms of the end of the Second Woeld War. -
Hiroshima Bombing
The US dropped a bomb on a Japanese city, Hiroshima. This was still during World War II and the US wanted to spare American lives from the war. This put quick stop to all of the conflict but sadly killing many thousands of people including civilians. This nuclear weaponry was also used to show the Soviet Union just how much power that US had and what they were capable of. It acted a threat to scare them. -
Bombing of Nagasaki
Another bombing over a Japanese city, Nagasaki again by the US. They did it again because they needed Japan to surrender so that American democracy could have power over the country and keep communism out of the area. The US used this to showoff the US's military power and how strong it really was. It was a technique used to scare everyone standing in the way of expansionism. -
Molotov Plan
A plan Stalin (USSR) came up with to exand his influence world wide. It was a trade agreement to help the Soviets have communist presence further into Europe. It help economies in places such as, Poland, Czechoslavakia, East Germany, Hungary, Bulagria, and Romainia. This benifited the Soviet Union by creating allies to trade with making them more likey to side with the USSR. (Expansionism) -
Truman Doctrine
President Truman created this policy that involved countries that supported American beliefs of a democratic society and dealing with threats from the communists. This policy soon lead to the making of NATO -
Brussels Treaty
A treaty signed by Britain, France, Belgium and the Netherlands that created a defence alliance as a collective. This agreement soon lead to the creation of NATO -
Marshall Plan
A plan the US come up with to create allies to expand their ideology across Europe to stop communist spread. President Truman of the US planned to recover countries after the second world war. Whether they were communist countries or capitalist the US offered a free market support for European aid and economies. The Soviet Union rejected the ideas of free marketed economies and tried to stop this influence. -
Berlin Block Aid
One of the starting points of the Cold War, was the Blockage of Germany's capital, Berlin. The Soviet Union power in East Germany put up a blockage that kept people from coming in or leaving the area. This was because Berlin was split into four parts including parts of the Western ideology, making a higher chance of democracy to be spread into communist territory. With this blockade in place it left the parts of Berlin that were capitalist to be oppressed. They were forced to be airlifted goods -
NATO
Also known as North Atlantic Treaty Organization or the North Atlantic Alliance. This alliance has 30 members and they focus on the protection of all 30 of them. NATO was used.as a defence and protection from the Soviet Union when they posed as a threat to any of it members. It is a type of peacekeeping military organization favoured toward Americans. -
Soviet Creation of Nuclear Weapons
After seeing the bombing the US was capable of the soviets decides that they need to get more advance weaponry to compete with the Americans. Though the USSR wanted to match there military as defence the also want this weaponry so they could not attack without destroying themselves in the process. Soviets main goal was to get a melty advantage like the US and ten sass them so the USSR held the power the American thought they had. -
Korean War
At the time Korea was split into the north and south halves, one being democratic, controlled by the US (south) and the other being communist controlled by the USSR (north), also known as a proxy war. The war started by North Korea invading the south trying to expand the spread of communist culture. The US got support from the UN to stop the spread of communism because the Soviets were supplying the North. This war was unsuccessful and the boarders still stand in modern time. -
Stalin’s Death
Joseph Stalin, leader of the USSR had sudden passing in the middle of the Cold War. He suddenly passed after having either a heart attack or a series of multiple stokes that left his health is terrible condition. After his death Nikita Khrushchev came into power and continued to try and spread communism through out the world. -
Fidel Castro Taking Over
When Fidel Castro became leader of Cuba, communism was a strong influence in the country making them allies with the USSR. The USSR had the advantage here and store there weapons on Cuba because it was easier to reach the US from there. This is were the Cuban missile crisis started. With all the weapons close to America it caused risk for total destruction and expansion of communism in the Western Hemisphere. Castro also told the soviets if they needed he would sacrifice his people for the USSR. -
Warsaw Pact
Much like NATO the Warsaw Pact was a treaty alliance but for the Soviet Union. It was a a defence system made for protection of the Soviet Union and all of it allies in communism. Secretly the pact was aimed to be used to insert the dominance of communism throughout Easter Europe in hopes for expansionism. -
Vietnam War
Vietnam was divided into north and south sides. North being communist controlled and the south being US controlled creating another proxy war. Once again the North troops invaded South Vietnam causing the US to get involved. American troops were drafted to fight with South Vietnam to insure the best results, but the USSR seen this as an advantage. They planned to take out the US's troops leaving their military even stronger and made sure of US defeat. -
Hungarian Revolution
In Hungary the people decided to have a peaceful transition into a democratic government style. The Soviet Union disliked this because it meant that they were could not have control of that area and expand they communism. This lead to Soviet troops and tanks to insert themselves into Hungarian society, killing thousands and imprisoning others to convert them to communism. After the invasion many migrated to western society ran countries making the revolution again the USSR successful. -
NORAD
Also know as the North American Air Defence Command which was a bi-national command that had air defence who's main purpose was to control the threat of Soviet bombing by monitoring the air. This was a pact made in the hight of the Cold War. -
Bay of Pigs
Cuba being a communist country of the Western Hemisphere made a target on the democratic majority of the west. The Bay of Pig invasion was an attempt to topple communist Fidel Castro, leader of Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis. As an attempt of defence because they felt in danger having them be so close with nuclear weapons. This attempt ending it total failure as Castro had been concerned of US intentions since he was in power. -
Creation of the Berlin wall
The Berlin Wall was a concrete wall that separated Berlin's east and west sides. This was due to the slip of communism and capitalism in the city. The Soviets claim this was to keep capitalist from entering eastern Germany and brainwashing them into believing in their ways as well as keep the prevent there communist from escaping Soviet control. -
End of the Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis ending in an agreement that the USSR would take they weapons off Cuba so they could lessen some of tension of the feud but the US had to comply too not invade Cuba in return of this favour. -
Afghanistan and Soviet War
A proxy war that started because the Soviet Union decided to invade Afghanistan. The US once again jumped in to help and push the communist out of the area. Afghanistan believed in an anti communist Muslim culture that had spread widely through the country. The soviets didn't like to so anti communist ideology because to worsened there plan to expand communism further, opposing the democratic society on the west. -
Solidarity in Poland
Poland consisted of many strikes for an anti-communist control. The USSR didn't care like they did with the conversions of Hungary and Czechoslovakia. Soviets said to the government to deal with it but the protests turned into revolutions. This turned to be a success and communism in Poland collapsed completely. -
Nuclear Arms Treaties
Also known as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty was an agreement between nuclear and non-nuclear countries to have cooperations to avoid future conflict. The US and USSR were also required to reduce there military weapons of any kinds especially nuclear ones. -
Czechoslovakia Revolution
Czechoslovakia created a slow transition into a democratic government and having good relations with the Western countries due to the transition. The Soviets disliked feeling powerless as Czechoslovakia had been a communist country for a long time. The USSR then took action and divided Czech's government. This revolution was unsuccessful and they ended up staying under communist control -
Berlin Wall Falling
The tensions of the Cold War started to slowly fade across Europe due to the fall of communism and there control. There was no longer a need for the wall as the east and west relations where starting to align. The falling of the was was symbolic to the War coming to an end and a essential part of Germany reuniting as a country. -
End of the Cold War
After Berlins walls came down, boarders opened up and the communist regimes were driven out of Eastern Europe. The tensions were dissolved and the competition of the Cold War came to an end.