-
The Yalta Conference
It was a meeting between Chuchill Roosevelt and Stalin (aka The Big Three) to determine a way to govern Europe after WWII. This was significant because they ultimately dedcided that the original governments will be restored to the invaded countries. -
V - E Day
After Hitler's suicide, the next leader of the Nazi's authorized the surrender of the Nazi's. This day marked the day that WWII officially ended. The result was crowding of the streets across the globe in celebration -
Potsdam Declaration
This was a statement that called for the surrender of all Japanese armed forces during WWII. It was written by Truman, Churchill and the representative of China. It was originally meant as a transition for the people from their current form of government, but was used as an "or else" ultimatum before the bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki -
Hiroshima & Nagasaki Bombings
Hiroshima was the first target where a nuclear bomb would be dropped. It had killed approximately 80,000 people. Nagasaki was the second nuclear bomb dropped on August 9th. For this bombing, casualties were unclear so it was estimated from 22,000 to 75,000 were effected. After the war in Europe was over, the war against the Japanese continued because they refused to accept terms of surrender. This was the United States' way of finding a quick way to end the conflict before things got worse. -
VJ Day
Shortly after the bombings on Hiroshima and Nagaskai, the Soviet Union also declared war on Japan. This forced Japan into surrender, but it took time to come to terms. This was significant because with the European Axis powers already having surrendered, it ended WWII altogether -
Iron Curtain Speech
The "Sinews of Peace" address, given by Winston Churchill contained this famous phrase: "an iron curtain has descended on Europe. This "iron curtain" was used to describe the divide in Europe on which nations are led by Soviet influence. -
Truman Doctrine
The purpose of this doctrine was to attempt to stop the further expansion of Soviet power. In the document he says that any democratic nation that military, political or economic support that are threatened by authoritarian nations. This was significant because it gave the United States the image of the overseer, mediator, or policeman. -
Formation of West Germany
After the Yalta Conference, Germany was split into four different zones. As the Cold War progressed, there were two German states that emerged. One was birthed in the Allied (West) half of Germany. Meanwhile, the other was birthed on the Soviet (East) half of Germany. West Germany was formed by the British, US, and French portions of Germany. -
Berlin Blockade
After the formation of West Germany, Russia responded by blocking all the roads and rails that entered into West Germany. This hurt the people here because it made them unable to recieve food supplies. The US and UK worked together to drop supplies from planes to feed the people. These were called airlifts. The blockade ended in May 1949. -
Start of the Korean War
After WWII, Japan still had power in Korea. In 1945, the Soviet Union declared war against Japan and occupied the northern portion of Korea. Afterwards, they invaded South Korea, which influenced the UN to support the South from the North and its Soviet powers. The importance of this war is that one of the terms of the armstice was that there had to be a demilitarized neutral zone in between the two nations, which is still in effect today. -
Geneva Accords
This is a set of documents that was created to seperate Vietnam into a North and South state. It ultimately ended the French War with the Vietminh. These accords are important because the terms of them were broken shortly after, which led to the start of the Vietnam War. -
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact was a defense agreement amoung eight communist states througout Europe. It was formed in reaction to the formation of West Germany and NATO. This group wanted to have control over the military in East Europe. -
Space Race
Sputnik II was launched by the USSR with Laika the dog on board. This launch marked the day that the first living creature went into space. The space race was significant because it showed the technological progress of the nations and the underlying need to beat the others because of the possibility of a missle that can be launched from one end of the world and then sent to the other with a nuclear payload. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
The Bay of Pigs was a failed attack where the objective was to overthrow Fidel Castro and his government. This was because Eisenhower was unsure where Castro's allegiance would lie. While Castro had ties with the US, he was inclined towards Soviet as well and his direction was unsure. The failed attempt led to Castro having a better position with the USSR as well as strengthen his reign as a dictator. It later led to the Cuban Missle Crisis -
Cuban Missle Crisis
A US spy plane was flying over Cuba when it reported seeing a Soviet nuclear missle base there. After the Bay of Pigs, Castro's motives were already in question so this threw a red flag. JFK created a blockade to stop any other missles being put on Cuba. The nations were on the brink of war until the Russians agreed to remove their missles from Cuba, like JFK demanded. -
JFK Assassination
During a motorcade with his wife, JFK was shot in the head by a sniper in Dealey Plaza, Texas. At the time this happened, it was speculated that it was in ties with the Cold War and it was part of a larger plan. Later, it was found that Lee Harvey Oswald was responsible for the assassination.
