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Battle of Stalingrad
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Battle of Stalingradd
- Constant close quarters combat and air raid that killed civilians.
- Nazi Germany and their allies fought the Soviet Union for control of Stalingrad.
- Single bloodiest battle in warfare history.
- Extreme German lost of soldiers caused them to withdraw soldiers from the West to replace them in the East. German offinsive to capture Stalingrad began in 1942.
- In mid 1942, Germans pushed back the Soviet Union to the banks of the Volga River.
- After 5 months the German army surrendered.
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Postdam Conference
- Final wartime meeting of the leaders of the allied "Big Three".
- July 26, USA and British leaders issued a surrender to Japan.
- Russians took about $20 billion from their zone of Germeny.
- Allies reached agreement on the three d's, democratization, denazification, and demilitarization.
- No peace treaty was signed between the allies and Germany.
- Agreement was reached over the surrender of Japan.
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Beginning of The Cold War
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Beginning of The Cold War
- "Iron Curtain" dividing Europe, ran through Germany, cutting the nation into 2.
- At the end of the war Germany was divided into four occupation zones.
- Truman issued an airlift into the city defying the blockade.
- 1948, Stalin backed down but his feelings remained the same.
- US leaders adopted a more organized plan in order to help stop communism.
- $13 billion in economics aid to help rebuild the nations of western Europe.
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Berlin Blockade
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Berlin Blockade
- massive transfer of essential supplies into Berlin.
- Soviet forces began to harass ground transport that connected West Berlin to West Germany.
- Restricted access to Berlin by closing water and railway transport.
- US General Curtis E. Lemay led the airlift.
- Stalin lifted the blockade.
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U-2 Incident
- Soviet socialist Republics shot down an American U-2 spy plane.
- The plane was conducting espionage over sovient union.
- It was equipped with state- of- the- art photography that could take high resolution pictures, news paper as it flew over.
- The plane disappeared on May 1, the pilot was captured, very much alive.
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Berlin Wall
- Physical barrier that seperated West and East Berlin.
- Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev, declared the 1944 London Protocol.
- East Germany's implimantation of socialism led to a constat flow of refugees.
- Berlin border became permeable.
- Berlin became an obstacle in attempts to flee into West Berlin.
- Berlin wall was taken down, East Germany gave into pressure.
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Cuban Missile Crisis
- Climax of the Cold war between the soviet union and the US.
- Standoff between JFK and Nikita K.
- Khruschev withdrew nuclear arms if US would not attack Cuba.
- The Soviet Union had a window ofoppurtunitiy to expand communism.
- The Platt ammendment allowed US intervention in Cuban affairs.
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Vietnam War
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Vietnam War
- Massive disruption in Southeast Asia and the US.
- Ended with communism taking over. -A result of endochina wanting independence, Geneva conference in 1954.
- 1961, JFK increaed military in South Vietnam to help with Civil War agaisnt communism.
- August 2nd, 1964, North Vietman attacked USS Maddox, causing the US to get involved.
- TET offensive was biggest battle and the turning point.
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Glasnost/ Perestroika
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Glasnost/ Perestroika
- Soviet Union began economy was falling apart, lacked technology, and used inefficent.
- Perestroika: reconstruction of the political and economic system.
- Glasnost means "openess", social and politcial refors through freedom of expression.
- 1985-1991: policies in effect.
- Perestroika and Glasnost helped cause the fall of the Soviet UNion and the end of the Cold War
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Fall of Communism
- All 11 republics became independent states.
- Soviet Union was more of a state than a federation.
- Death of Lenin in Jan. 1924.
- Stalin diedd in the 1930's.
- Gorbachev tried to solve issues by introducing reforms.
- He resignedd in December 1991, and the collaspe was complete.
