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Yalta Conference
Before the Yalta Conference, the Allies had already decided that Germany would be divided into occupied zones administered by U.S., British, French, and Soviet forces.They declared that the German military industry would be abolished or confiscated and they agreed that major war criminals would be tried before an international court which subsequently presided at Nuremberg (Yalta Conference). The determination of reparations for these war criminals was assigned to a commission. -
Yalta Conference 2
Great Britain and the United States supported a Polish government-in-exile in London that was created in 1939 (Yalta Conference). The Soviet Union supported a Communist-dominated Polish committee of national liberation that was formed in Lublin, Poland in 1944 when the Soviet Union began liberating Poland from Nazi rule (Yalta Conference). The Yalta Conference happened because the leaders of the Allied Countries gathered at Yalta in Crimea to plan the final defeat of Nazi Germany. -
Yalta Conference 3
The effects of the Yalta Conference was that Stalin didn’t keep his promise that free elections were held in Poland Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria (Yalta Conference). Communist governments were established in those countries (Yalta Conference). Political Parties became suppressed (Yalta Conference).. Genuine democratic elections were never held (Yalta Conference). -
Potsdam Conference
During the Potsdam Conference they discussed peace settlements but they didn’t want a peace treaty to be made. The main issue of the conference was the control of Germany and how to win against Japan in the war. While they were in Potsdam President Truman told the Soviet union about the Atomic bomb (Potsdam Conference). The Potsdam Conference happened because the war was close to ending and the allies needed a plan to end the war. -
Potsdam Conference 2
The impact of the Potsdam Conference made Germany have four occupied zones which the allied countries could take reparations from the zone they occupied (Potsdam Conference). The impact on Poland was that they were given part of Germany (Potsdam Conference). The overall impact of this conference led the Potsdam Conference to be the last conference where everyone was able to work together which then led to a division between the Soviet Union and the U.S. (Potsdam Conference). -
Truman Doctrine
On March 12, 1947 the U.S. president Harry S. Truman declared immediate economic and military aid to the government of Greece through the Truman Doctrine (Truman Doctrine). During the time when the U.S. was making the Truman Doctrine the U.S. and the Soviet Union struggled to reach a balance of power during the cold war that followed WWII (Truman Doctrine). Great Britain announced that it could no longer afford those countries. -
Truman Doctrine 2
The purpose of the Truman Doctrine was so the U.S. could stop the Mediterranean countries from falling under Soviet influence (Truman Doctrine). An effect of the Truman Doctrine was that the U.S. spent $400,000,000 for this purpose (Truman Doctrine). -
Marshall Plan
During the time of the Marshall Plan the United States feared that Poverty, unemployment and dislocation of post WWII period were reinforcing the appeal of Communist parties to voters in western Europe (Marshall Plan). On the basis of a unified plan for western European economic reconstruction presented by a committee representing 16 countries, the U.S. Congress authorized the establishment of the European Recovery Program, which was signed into law by President Harry S. Truman on April 3, 1948. -
Marshall Plan 2
Aid was originally offered to almost all the European countries including those under military occupation by the Soviet Union (Marshall Plan). The U.S. made the Marshall Plan because they wanted to rehabilitate the economies of 17 western and southern European countries in order to create stable conditions in which democratic institutions could survive. An effect of the Marshall Plan was the western european countries involved experienced rise in their gross national products of 15 to 25%. -
Marshall Plan 3
Truman extended the Marshall Plan to less developed countries throughout the world under the point four program (Marshall Plan). -
NATO 2
In the third period the allies increased cooperation and trade with the Soviet Union and they signed the SALT treaties. The effects of NATO led to the Berlin wall falling in 1989 (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). It made reunited Germany join NATO in 1990 (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). Nato made the Warsaw Pact dissolve in 1991 (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). Nato made the governments of Warsaw Pact countries collapse (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). -
NATO
NATO was established in 1949 as a defense against the Soviet Union (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). Nato changed its membership and goals following the Soviet breakup in 1991 (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). They are located in Brussels, Belgium. During the early period of Nato the members built bases, airfields and pipelines (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). In the second period the alliance emphasized building military strength (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). -
Korean War
One June 1950 the North Koreans attacked the 38th parallel which started the war (Korean War). After the invasion the United States Security Council called for immediate cease fire. North Korea ignored the United States Security Council’s resolution of the war. Two days after the resolution the Security Council urged United Nations members to assist South Korea in repelling its invaders. The U.S. and 15 other countries sent troops to stop the war so that Communism wouldn’t spread. -
Korean War 2
Meanwhile, the North Korean army drove the South Koreans and early U.S. forces back to the southeast tip of the Korean Peninsula. Then fresh U.S. troops arrived to help. On October 1, 1950, the North Koreans had retreated to the north of the 38th parallel (Korean War). South Korea and its allies then advanced into North Korea which angered China (Korean War). On November 25, 1950, the Chinese troops had entered the war. By December 15, they had driven the allies back south of the 38 parallel. -
Korean War 3
On December 31, 1950, the Chinese and North Koreans began a second invasion of South Korea (Korean War). Peace talks began in July of 1951 (Korean War). Finally on July 27, 1953, representatives of both sides signed an agreement (Korean War). The boundary between North and South Korea was set very close to the front line of June 1951 (Korean War). It extended from just the south of the 38th parallel on the west to just north of the parallel on the east. -
Korean War 4
The Korean War happened because North and South Korea fought over Communism. The effects of the war took the lives of about 1,300,000 South Koreans, 1,000,000 Chinese, 500,000 North Koreans, and 37,000 Americans (Korean War). Korea remained divided into the 21st century (Korean War). -
Warsaw Pact
What Nato did for the east the Warsaw pact did the same thing for the west. The Warsaw Pact was signed on May 14, 1949 by the Soviet Union, Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia,etc. Albania withdrew in 1968. East Germany withdrew in 1990 (Warsaw Pact). The treaty was renewed for 10 years in 1975 and for 20 more years in 1985. On July 1 1991 the Warsaw Pact was dissolved. In 1955 Soviet Union wanted to establish a strong defense alliance with rearmed West Germany as a member of Nato. -
Warsaw Pact 2
The Warsaw Pact was made to strengthen the hold of the Soviet Union over eastern Europe. The Warsaw Pact was made because the Soviet Union wanted something like Nato for the Soviet Union and eastern Europe so they made the Warsaw Pact. The effects of the Warsaw Pact made an uprising happen in Hungary which was put down by the Soviets. In November of 1990 Warsaw Pact and Nato leaders declared they weren’t enemies with each other which ended the cold war. -
Vietnam War
In the early 1900s the country was part of a French colony (Vietnam War). Japan seized the colony in 1940 and held it until 1945 (Vietnam War). There was a Vietnamese group called the Viet Minh that declared Vietnam’s independence (Vietnam War). But the French still wanted to rule Vietnam as a colony (Vietnam War). The two sides fought an eight-year war that was called the French Indochina War. The Viet Minh defeated the French in 1954. -
Vietnam War 2
The Vietnamese who had supported the French got control of South Vietnam (Vietnam War). Ngo Dinh Diem who opposed Communism led South Vietnam (Vietnam War). The French then soon left the country (Vietnam War). By 1957 Communist rebels in South Vietnam had begun fighting Diem’s government (Vietnam War). These Communist rebels were called the Viet Cong (Vietnam War). The U.S. supported Diem because the U.S. leaders hated Communism. -
Vietnam War 4
In 1975 the North Vietnamese launched a massive invasion on South Vietnam (Vietnam War). On April 30, 1975 North Vietnamese troops entered Saigon which is the capital of South Vietnam (Vietnam War). The war was over and the Communists won. The Vietnam War happened because North Vietnam wanted to reunite the country under Communism but South Vietnam fought back from making that happen. The effects of the Vietnam War were in 1976 they combined North and South Vietnam into one country, Vietnam. -
Vietnam War 3
In August of 1964 the North Vietnamese attacked a U.S. warship in a waterway called the Gulf of Tonkin (Vietnam War). By 1968 the United States had more than 500,000 troops in Vietnam (Vietnam War). Small infantries from South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, and the Philippines also helped the South Vietnamese people (Vietnam War). In 1969 Richard Nixon began removing U.S. troops from Vietnam (Vietnam War). In August 1974 the United States cut back its military aid to the south. -
Suez Crisis
The Suez Crisis started when Britain and France feared that Nasser might close the canal and cut off shipments of petroleum flowing from the Persian Gulf to western Europe (Suez Crisis). When diplomatic efforts to settle the crisis failed, Britain and France secretly prepared military action to regain control of the canal and if possible to overthrow Nasser (Suez Crisis). They found an ally in Israel, whose hostility toward Egypt had been aggravated by Nasser’s blockage of the Straits of Tīrān. -
Suez Crisis 2
On October 29, 1956, 10 Israeli brigades invaded Egypt and advanced toward the canal routing Egyptian forces (Suez Crisis). Britain and France following their plan demanded that the Israeli and Egyptian troops withdraw from the canal and they announced that they would intervene to enforce a cease-fire ordered by the United Nations (Suez Crisis). On November 5 and 6, British and French forces landed at Port Said and Port Fuad and began occupying this canal zone (Suez Crisis). -
Suez Crisis 3
This tactic was soon met by growing opposition at home and by U.S. sponsored resolutions in the UN which quickly put a stop to the Anglo-French action (Suez Crisis). On December 22 the U.N. evacuated British and French troops and Israeli forces withdrew in March of 1957 (Suez Crisis). The Suez Crisis happened because the crisis was provoked by an American and British decision not to fund Egypt’s construction of the Aswan High Dam as they had promised. -
Suez Crisis 4
The effects of the Suez Crisis led to Nasser becoming a victor and a hero for the cause of Arab and Egyptian nationalism (Suez Crisis). Israel didn’t win freedom to use the canal but it regained shipping rights in the Straits of Tiran (Suez Crisis). Britain and France lost most of their influence in the middle east as a result of this crisis (Suez Crisis). -
Space Race/Sputnik
On October 4, 1957 the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the world’s first artificial satellite (Sputnik). The Soviets getting ahead of the U.S. in technology fed fears that the U.S. military had generally fallen behind in developing new technology (Sputnik). The launch of Sputnik served to intensify the arms race and raise Cold War tensions (Sputnik). During the 1950s, the United States and the Soviet Union were working to develop new technology. -
Space Race/Sputnik 2
The U.S government suffered a setback on December of 1957 when it launched the Vanguard satellite but it exploded on the launch pad (Sputnik). Finally on January 31, 1958, the United States succeeded in launching its first satellite called the Explorer into orbit (Sputnik). The Space Race happened because the Soviet Union wanted to beat the U.S. in launching the first satellite. The effects of the Space Race made fear finds it’s way into the U.S. -
Space Race/Sputnik 3
The fear in the U.S. made their policy makers accelerate space and weapons programs (Sputnik). In the 1950’s Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev boasted about Soviet technology superiority of ICBMs so the U.S. made it’s own ICBMs to counteract them (Sputnik). This whole race of building weapons just increased the arms and space race. The Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 served to remind both sides of the dangers of the weapons they were developing (Sputnik). -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis started when the pilot of an American U-2 spy plane making a high-altitude pass over Cuba on October 14, 1962, photographing a Soviet SS-4 medium-range ballistic missile being assembled for installation (Cuban Missile Crisis). On October 16, President Kennedy was then briefed about the situation and he immediately called together a group of advisors and officials which was known as the executive committee. -
Cuban Missile Crisis 3
Then on October 27, an American reconnaissance plane was shot down over Cuba, and a U.S. invasion force was readied in Florida (Cuban Missile Crisis). On October 26, Khrushchev had sent a message to Kennedy in which he offered to remove the Cuban missiles in exchange for a promise by U.S. leaders not to invade Cuba. Kennedy accepted the terms. On October 26, Khrushchev sent a message to Kennedy in which he offered to remove the Cuban missiles in exchange for a promise that U.S. doesn't invade. -
Cuban Missile Crisis 2
The U.S. became scared because the missiles were installed at the south of Florida which was so close to them and that the missiles could be capable of reaching them (Cuban Missile Crisis). President Kennedy then decided to enforce a blockade on the island to prevent additional missiles and military equipment (Cuban Missile Crisis). On October 24th, when the Soviet ships that were bound for Cuba neared the line, there were U.S. vessels there enforcing the blockade (Cuban Missile Crisis). -
Cuban Missile Crisis 4
The Cuban Missile Crisis happened because the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev wanted the U.S. to not invade Cuba. An effect of the Cuban Missile Crisis was that it convinced the Soviets to increase their investment in an arsenal of intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the U.S. from Soviet territory (Cuban Missile Crisis). -
Vietnam War 5
They renamed Saigon as Ho Chi Minh City in honor of Ho who had died in 1969 (Vietnam War). The biggest effect was that more than 1.3 million Vietnamese soldiers and about 58,000 U.S. troops were killed. More than 2 million civilians also died (Vietnam War). -
Glasnost
Mikhail launched glasnost following his introduction of perestroika which is a program aimed at restructuring Soviet and economic and political policy (glasnost). Mikhail Gorbachev believed that the opening up of the political system-essentially democratizing it was the only way to overcome inertia in the Soviet political and bureaucratic apparatus which has a big interest in maintaining the status quo. Video -
Glasnost 2
Also he believed that the path to economic recovery for the Soviet Union required the inclusion of ordinary citizens in the political process. Mikhail made the Glasnost program because he wanted it to democratize the Soviet Union. The effects of the Glasnost program helped to enlarge individual freedom of expression in the country (glasnost). It gave the media greater freedom of publish (glasnost). The power of the communist party reduced. Multicandidate elections took place. -
Perestroika
After Gorbachev became head of the Soviet government in 1985 he introduced the concept of Perestroika (Perestroika). Gorbachev was seeking to bring the Soviet Union up to economic par with capitalist countries such as Germany, Japan and the United States (Perestroika). He decentralized economic controls and encouraged enterprises to become self-financing. He made Perestroika program because he wanted it to be a program of moderate and controlled reform that would revitalize the Soviet economy. -
Perestroika 2
The effects of the Perestroika program are that in 1988 a new parliament called the Congress Of People’s deputies was created (Perestroika). For the first time elections to these bodies presented voters with a choice of candidates including non communists (Perestroika). Though the Communist Party continued to dominate the system (Perestroika). Video
