The Cold War

Yalta Conference

Feb 4, 1945

https://history.state.gov/milestones/1937-1945/yalta-conf
The Yalta Conference took place in the town Yalta, where the big three:Churchill,Stalin and Roosevelt made important decisions on what they would do with Germany and postwar world. Much of the population saw that this was a victorious time for everyone around the world, but the three leaders knew that this was a difficult time and that rebuilding Japan and Europe would take effort.

Berlin Declaration

Mar 25, 1945

http://openaccess.mpg.de/Berlin-Declaration
The Berlin Declaration was a non-binding European Union text signed on the 25th of March. It was designed to provide renewed impetus to the process of the European Union. It also aimed for a renewed common basis.

Postdam Conference

Jul 17, 1945

https://history.state.gov/milestones/1937-1945/potsdam-conf
Sadly, after the Yalta Conference took place, Franklin D. Roosevelt had passed away in which Harry Truman took office. A few months later, the three met again in Postdam,Germany to determine the postwar borders in Europe, In this meeting, they focused mostly on Germany. This conference was interesting as well because Truman had informed Stalin about the dropping of the atomic bombs.

North Vietnam

Sep 21, 1945

http://openaccess.mpg.de/
North Vietnam was founded in September 1945 and was known as a Marxist-Leninist government. The government was led by a Communist Party. It had collapsed but France had tried to rebuild it. They had suffered even more than China did because of isolation and internal repression due to the Cold War.

Iron Curtain Speech

Mar 5, 1946

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/churchill-delivers-iron-curtain-speech
During this time, Winston Churchill delivers a speech on how the Soviet Union is being. He began by praising the United States and making it seem like we were on the pinnicle of world power. Truman and leaders knew that Soviet Union was on the edge of expansion , in which it needed to be stopped. The "iron curtain" was refered too the wall Stalin was putting in Europe.

The Greek Civil War

Mar 30, 1946

http://www.coldwar.org/articles/40s/GreekCivilWar1945-1949.asp
The Greek Civil War was fought during 1946-1949 between the Greek army which was backed up by Great Britain and the U.S. This fight was one of the first examples of postwar involvement in politics of a foriegn country. In the end, Greece was funded by the Marshall Plan and the Truman Doctrine

Marshall Plan

Jun 5, 1947

https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/marshall-plan
One of the consequences of war was the damage done to Europe and Japan.Secretary of State George C. Marshall issued a call for a comprehensive program to rebuild Europe. It was important and it encouraged Americans to help out as well. They transported goods over and overrall the cost to rebuild Europe was about 12 million dollars.

Containment Policy

Jul 22, 1947

http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=2&psid=3403
The containment policy basically was making sure that the spread of communism will not spread to others conutries. It was imortant to keep this from spreading because the Soviet Union was on a rage to keep communism going. They believed that if the communism stop, eventually their whole system would collapse. One approach was military and the other was economic.

Berlin Blockade

Apr 1, 1948

http://www.google.com/search?q=berlin+blockade&safe=active&
The Berlin Blockade was one of the major crisis in the Cold War. The Soviet Union tried to block the United States and Europe from getting into their sectors. Soviet Union soldiers went everywhere to make sure that no one got in or out. At the time, 36 days of food and 45 days of coal, they were on the edge of hunger. The U.S. eventually saw that they needed help.

Berlin Airlift

Jun 24, 1948

http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/berlin-airlift
Because of the Berlin Blockade, the Allies noticed that they were not allowed to go inside Berlin at all. They could have cared less since they had organized the Berlin Airlifts, which were airplanes that carried more than 2.3 million of cargo into West Berlin. The Soviet Union noticed what was going on but it needed to happen, the people were going to survive on just 48 days of food. They ended up letting it happen.

NATO

Apr 4, 1949

http://www.nato.int/nato-welcome/
N.A.T.O stands for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It is a intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on 4 April 1949, which was the same day it was formed. The organization is to constitute a system of defense and agree to a mutual defense between countries. In total their are 28 countries involved,

Soviet Union tests A-Bomb

Aug 29, 1949

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/soviets-explode-atomic-bomb
On August 29, a test site at Semipalatinsk in Kazakhstan, the USSR successfully tests out its first atomic bomb, code name “First Lightning.” They wanted to see how big the blast would be and how effective, so they built builidings homes, to check the bomb's power. Sadly, they also placed animal in cages nearby to test the radiations, so it can be used for human. It destroyed all the builidings and desenegrated them.

Second Red Scare

May 29, 1950

http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/red-scare
The Second Red Scare happened after World War 2 ended. It was known as the "McCarthyism" after its most famous supporter, Senator Joseph McCarthy. Remember that the Red Scare was about the spread of the communist party. McCarthy also confessed to spying for the Soviet Union and also during the Korean War. It wsa important not to spread it because then the Soviet Union would take over power.

Korean War

Jun 25, 1950

http://www.history.com/topics/korean-war
The Korean War was a war between the North and South Korea. The United States fought for the South while China and the Soviet Union fought for the North side. Korea was ruled by Japan in 1910 but when World War 2 came around, they lost control of them when the Soviet Union with the assistance of the U.S. fought Japan, eventually they surrendured. The U.S. had supported the South Korean government.

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg

Mar 6, 1951

www.atomicarchive.com
Julius Rosenberg and Ethel Rosenberg were American citizens who were accused of being spies or committing espionage, giving out information of the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union. Julius had joined the Army Signal Corps in New Jersey in 1940, but then was fired when the U.S. Army noticed his membership in the Communist Party. The trial of the Rosenbergs took place on March 6, 1951. They were the only ones to be executed during the Cold War, the court knew already.

Eisenhower Presidency

Jan 20, 1953

http://millercenter.org/president/eisenhower/essays/biography/1
Dwight D. Eisenhower has impacted the United States in so many ways. He was one of the greatest military commanders and became the 34th President. He won many awards to recognize his acomplishments, even though his mother was pacifist, she did not stop him from joining the army. He went to Washington D.C. where he stated he was a Republican and would run against Nixon. Everyone liked him, he even had a nickname "Ike".

Nikita Khrushchev

Mar 29, 1953

http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/nikita-sergeyevich-khrushchev
NIkitia Khrushchev was the leader of the Soviet Union during the Cold War. He actually was for peace, but still insisted on the Cuban Missile Crisis in which he placed nuclear weapons 90 miles away from Florida, a definately close range to most of the United States. He also was part of a revolt in Hungary and approved the construction of the Berlin Wall.

Warsaw Pact

May 14, 1955

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-warsaw-pact-is-formed
The Soviet Union and seven other European countries had agreed to the Warsaw Pact which was a mutual defense and gave power to the Soviet Union. It was signed in Warsaw which is why it got that name. The treaty meant if any outside force tried to hit they would form a defense. Since Western Germany was still being remilitarized, they ended up adding the country to NATO.

Hungarian Revolution

Nov 10, 1956

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_Revolution_of_1956
The Hungarian Revolution in 1956 wsa actually very spontanous, which was a revolt against the government of the Hungarian People's Republic and its Soviet-imposed policies. It lasted from 23 October until 10 November 1956, not as long as the Cuban Revolution. Even though they had no leader, it was the first threat against the Soviet Union in a long time, well someone besides the United States. The revolt spread quickly.

Sputnik

Oct 4, 1957

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/sputnik-launched
On this day, the Soviet Union had launched the "Sputnik". It was the size of a volleyball which was a satellite that circled the earth every hour and 36 minutes. It was actually visible sunset and sunrise with binoculars. In January 1958, the outside had deteorated and it exploded in space. America got very competitive about this and went straight into business.

Cuban Revolution

Jan 1, 1959

http://latinamericanhistory.about.com/od/historyofthecaribbean/p/08cubanrevo.htm
The Cuban Revolution was a revolt led by Fidel Castro. President Batista was very Communist during his first term in office but then he became very strongly against it, which gained military support from the United States. Fidel Castro was a lawyer who wanted to overthrow Batista out, and accused him of tyranny. This ended up as a revolutionary time many died as well, they were still accused of communism.

Kennedy Presidency

Jan 21, 1960

http://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/john-f-kennedy
John F. Kennedy was the youngest president to take office at 43 years old and was also a Catholic. He was born into one of the wealthiest families and had grown up with an elite education. He was married with two children and became the glamour of the era. His presidency will forever be remembered as well as the dealing with the Cuban Missile Crisis. He was assasinated Nov. 22,1963.

U2 Incident

May 1, 1960

http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/u2-spy-incident
On May 1st, a U2 plane was shot down in Soviet Union territory, and had captured the pilot Francis Gary Powers. Eisenhower had to confess that they had been spying on them for several years. They senteced him to prison for ten years but after two years he was released when he also captured a Russian pilot. This was the first ever spy-exchange, but this also raised a lot of tension between the two of them during the Cold War.

First Man in Space

Apr 12, 1961

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-man-in-space
On April 12,1961 a man aboarded the Vostok 1, who was Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin, became the first man to enter space's orbit. He was from Russia, and he was also the first man to orbit the world in 89 minutes. He was only 27 years, which is pretty young. This made history and news like no other, but America also wanted to have a part in this. They too started on space goals.

Bay of Pigs

Apr 15, 1961

http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/bay-of-pigs-invasion
In January, FIdel Castro and his army went to overthrow the President of Cuba, Batista. The CIA was pushing Castro out of power in a invasion of 1,400 Cubans who had fled the country when Casto started this. The invasion did not go as planned, they were badly outnumbered and surrendured less than 24 hours of combat. So they tried again, the first thing was to destory the airforce so the invaders can enter. Then the Cuban Missile Cr

Checkpoint Charlie

May 29, 1961

www.history.com
Checkpoint Charlie or also known as Checkpoint C was the best known border crosser in the Berlin Wall which let people go through East or West. It became a symbol of the Cold War as well, just like the Berlin Wall itself. It showed the seperation between the East and West, and many did try to use it to emigrate over.The 3.5 million East Germans who had left by 1961 totaled approximately 20% of the entire East German population

Berlin Wall

Aug 13, 1961

http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/berlin-wall
On August 13, the Communist government of the Soviet Union went ahead and started the construction of the Berlin Wall, which would seperate East and West Berlin. The wall first started with barbed wire and concrete. They wanted to seperate the fascists, in West Berlin. On Novemeber 9, 1989, the Communist Party stated that anyone can cross the border. That night, many went through as pleased as others got hammers and started chipping the wall.

JFK Assasination

Nov 22, 1963

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/john-f-kennedy-assassinated
On this day, John F, Kennedy was assasinated on a open-top convertible while driving through Dallas,Texas. First Lady, Jacqueline Kennedy accompanied him on the parade, and so did the Conalleys. They where passing the Texas School Book Depository Building at 12:30 p.m. when two bullets hit the president, in the head and neck. Lee Harvey Oswald was taken away for the assasination of the president when Jack Ruby shot him.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

Aug 7, 1964

http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/gulf-of-tonkin-resolution
The Gulf of Tonkin gave broad congressional approval for expansion of the Vietnam War. Military planners were already planning to hit the North first, but President Johnson and his advisors feared that the public would not agree with the expansion. By the summer, they had control of the South. President Johnson made sure not to go into the war anymore agressive.

Vietnam War

Aug 7, 1964

http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/history/vietnam-war-us-involvement.html
In 1961, South Vietnam signed a treaty with the U.S. for support during the war, U.S. support troops and the formation (1962) of the U.S. Military Assistance Command. No one was able to put control in South Vietnam until 1965 and U.S. military aid also increased. They also started air raids on North Vietnam.

SALT 1

May 26, 1967

https://history.state.gov/milestones/1969-1976/salt
The Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) were two rounds of bilateral talks and corresponding international treaties involving the United States and the Soviet Union. The strategic number of nuclear missiles in the Soviet Union were lowering, and so did in the United States. Negotiations lasted until 1969.

Prague Spring

Jan 5, 1968

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/prague-spring-begins-in-czechoslovakia
Alexander Dubcek, a Slovak who supports liberal reforms try to increased freedom of speech and the rehabilitation of political dissidents. He puts a big part in effort to establish “communism with a human face” was celebrated across the country, and the brief period of freedom became known as the “Prague Spring.” He send 600,000 troops to invade Czechoslovakia.

Tet Offensive

Jan 31, 1968

http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/tet-offensive
On this day some 70,000 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces launched the Tet Offensive (named for the lunar new year holiday called Tet), a coordinated series of fierce attacks on more than 100 cities and towns in South Vietnam. The United States and South Korea have been able to hold off the communism party, and it marked a big point in the Vietnam War.

Nixon Presidency

Jan 20, 1969

http://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/richard-m-nixon
Richard Nixon was the 37th President is best remembered as the only president to step out of office, almost like qutting. He gave up in the middle of his second term, because he did not want to admit to some scandels about a Watergate. He did serve two terms as Vice President under Dwight D. Eisenhower. Nixon lost to John F. Kennedy. He did achieve things like tying knots with China and withdrawing troops from the Vietnam War.

Apollo 11

Jul 20, 1969

http://www.history.com/topics/apollo-11
American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin became the first humans to land on the moon, and six hours later, they were the first humans to step on the moon. This would forever change the world just as he said "one step for man and a giant leap for mankind". The Apollo mission happened eight years after JFK, but he had plans to do this as well, during that time they were still tangled up with the Soviet Union.

Nixon visits China

Feb 21, 1972

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/nixon-arrives-in-china-for-talks
One of the things that Nixon did was go to Beijing,China for a week to talk about thins regarding both of them. The Republic of China, who were communists re-establish relationships with the United States. This was a big step taken from the U.S., but many were caught in suprise since they had just gotten out of the Vietnam War. The two nations had been bad enemies, but with small steps, things change.

Fall of Saigon

Apr 30, 1975

http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/fall_saigon.htm
On April 30, Saigon the capital of South Vietnam, fell to North Vietnam. The fall of Saigon marked the ending of the Vietnam War, after President NIxon introduced the Vietnamisation, the United States slowly started taking back troops out from South Vietnam which probably brough them down alot. By 1975, what was left of the South's army would not with stand the North.

Iran Hostage Crisis

Nov 4, 1979

http://www.history.com/topics/iran-hostage-crisis
On November 4th,1979, a group of Iranian students stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, taking more than 60 Americans hostaged.The immediate cause of this action was President Jimmy Carter’s decision to allow Iran’s deposed Shah, a pro-Western autocrat who had been expelled from his country some months before, to come to the United States for cancer treatment. It was more than the medical care though, they wanted to show revolutionaries.

Tiananmen Square Massacre

Jun 4, 1989

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/tiananmen-square-massacre-takes-place
On May 29,1989 Chinese troops storm through Tiananmen Square in the center of Beijing, killing and arresting thousands of pro-democracy protesters. This shocked the West and brought the attention of the Unitied States. Million of Chinese students crowded around, but thousand of soldiers stormed through Tiananmen Square, firing indiscriminately into the crowds of protesters. Tens of thousands died and many fled.

Fall of the Berlin Wall

Nov 9, 1989

http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/berlin-wall
On November 9,1989, the Cold War began to slowly come down as a spokesperson from the Communist Party announced a change in the city's relationships with the West. Starting at midnight at that day they were able to cross the border freely. At that time hundreds of crowds gathered instead to bring down the border, with hammers and such. More than 2 million joined to celebrate. This became a big part of history and marked as a symbol.

Dissolution of the Soviet Union

Dec 29, 1991

http://www.coldwar.org/articles/90s/fall_of_the_soviet_union.asp
In December of 1991, the world watched as Soviet Union seperated into 15 different countries. It collapsed from the triumph of West Berlin, which was a triumph of democracy over totalitarianism, and evidence of the superiority of capitalism over socialism. The United States rejoiced to celebrate this because it officially meant that the Cold War wa finally over. The Soviet Union's try for communism never ended up sticking.