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Yalta Conference
This 8-day summit between President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin was held to discuss the potential post-war status of Germany. They also created the United Nations. -
President Roosevelt Dies; Harry S. Truman Takes Over
Vice President Truman takes over the U.S with little knowledge of the diplomatic efforts, the atom bomb, and a STRONG bias against Russia -
The World's First Atom Bomb Was Dropped On Hiroshima
Image: Hiroshima (left) and Nagasaki (right) -
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Potsdam Conference
A meeting between the Big Three (Churchill, Truman, and Stalin) to decide the fate of defeated Germany and what to do with the captured German officials (to put them on trial--Nuremberg Trials) -
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Greek Civil War
War between the Kingdom Of Greece (U.S, U.K backed) and the Communist Party of Greece (Yugoslavia and Albania backed; USSR indirectly) -
"The Iron Curtain"
At Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, USA, thousands of people gathered to watch their president and Prime Minister Winston Churchill address the school. In this speech, Churchill famously warns of the "Iron Curtain" descending across Europe. This "Iron Curtain" analogy referenced the divide between European countries and Soviet-occupied ones. -
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The Cold War
The Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union was a period of time where the two countries increased tension with each other, but never declared war on each other. -
The Marshall Plan
The U.S sends aid to war-torn countries. U.S Secretary of State George Marshall outlined the plans. This plan aggravated the USSR because it appeared like the U.S were attempting to control or gain allegiance from these countries...which they were. -
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Berlin Blockade + Operation Vittles
The USSR in an attempt to stem the flow of U.S aid coming into Germany (per the Marshall Plan) blocked Berlin. The U.S responded by sending air support with fuel and food. Operation nickname? "Operation Vittles" -
Republic of Korea declared by the U.S.
The U.S declares the Republic of Korea as the official government of Korea. -
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is declared by the Soviet Union
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The U.N. creates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
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North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Was Formed
This treaty was formed between the Western powers in case of Russian attack. The Western powers were Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the U.K, and the U.S. -
Mao Zedong Took Over China
Despite the high-death-tolls of both Stalin and Hitler's regimes, Zedong's has the highest recorded death toll of all: 45 million people (1958-1962) due to his Great Leap Forward policy. -
Soviet Union tests their first atomic bomb
American codename: Joe-1 or RDS-1 -
USSR vetoes the U.N membership of several countries
At the United Nation's creation, countries were given the power to veto any security measure put before the council--significantly reducing the council's effectiveness. These countries are still China, the U.S, the U.K, France, and Russia. -
The Soviet Region of Germany is declared the "German Democratic Republic"
After WW2, Germany was split into somewhat equal sections. Great Britain in the northwest, France in the southwest, the United States in the south and the Soviet Union in the east. This change from the USSR eventually lead to Germany being split into East Germany and West Germany. A gaping divide. -
President Truman announces the development of a hydrogen bomb
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"McCarthyism"
In February of 1950, Senator John McCarthy claimed that communists had infiltrated the U.S. This lead to a country-wide search for communists, Many famous names were involved in the investigation including Lucille Ball, Albert Einstein, Orson Wells, Leonard Bernstein, Danny Kaye, Langston Hughes, and Charlie Chaplin (among others). It damaged a lot of professional reputations (especially in the arts industry), but found virtually no communists. -
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Korean War
War between North Korea and South Korea, where tensions still haven't fully eased. North Korea was supported by China and the Soviet Union while South Korea was supported by the United Nations, principally the United States. 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 -
Mutual Security Act
President Truman announces that the U.S would provide military aid to "free peoples" directing their comments at the communist parties in Europe. -
Operation Hurricane
The U.K sucessfully tests its first atomic bomb making their country the third nuclear power in the world after the U.S and the Soviet Union. -
Dwight D. Eisenhower Becomes U.S President
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U.S launches the world's first nuclear-powered submarine
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Vietnam War
This 20-year war was fought between North and South Vietnam. North Vietnam was backed by communist forces like the Soviet Union and China, while South Vietnam was supported by anti-communism forces like the U.S and most European powers. U.S involvement ended in 1973. -
"On the Personality Cult and its Consequences"
Russian leader Nikita Khrushchev addresses the CPSU with a speech criticizing Stalin's regime and revealing many of its secrets to the world. This speech marked the beginning of Russian "De-Stalinization."