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Yalta Conference
The WWII meeting of the heads of government of the U.S., the UK, and the Soviet Union to discuss Europe's post-war reorganization. This was an important stride regarding the future progress of the war and the postwar world. -
Victory in Europe
Germany surrenders its armed forced. This was the defeat of Nazi Germany. -
Hiroshima & Nagasaki
The United States drops atomic bombs on both Hiroshima (Aug. 6) and Nagasaki (Aug. 8). This marked the end of WWII and ignited the Cold War. -
The Iron Curtain
Churchill delivers his Iron Curtain speech. This marked the advent of the Cold War between Russia and the West. -
Truman Doctrine
President Truman makes a promise to aid any country facing a Communist threat. This was a major step in the beginning of the Cold War. -
The Marshall Plan
An economic program offered by the U.S. to any European country. This sparked economic recovery and restored confidence in the European people. -
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization formed with Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The primary purpose was to strengthen the Western Allies'. -
Stalin's Death
Joseph Stalin dies at 74 and is succeeded by Nikita Khrushchev. Caused temporary than in Cold War tensions. -
Geneva Accords
The set of documents that ended the French war with Vietnam. The principal provision was for a cease fire along the 17th parallel. -
Warsaw Pact
A pact formed with East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Albania, Bulgaria, and the Soviet Union. The counteraction to NATO and a militaristic threat. -
Space Race
USSR Sputnik II carries the first living animal into space. -
Paris East/West Talks
Talks between Khrushchev and Eisenhower concerning the fate of Germany break when a USA spy plane is shot down over Russian airspace. Marked a deterioration of the U.S.'s relations with the Soviet Union. -
Space Race Pt. II
Yuri Alekseyvich Gagarin becomes the first human in space -
The Bay of Pigs
Cuban exiles trained by the CIA aided by the U.S. government attempt to invade Cuba and failed. -
Border Created
The Berlin Wall is built and borders between East and West Germany are created. This signified the difference between the western and the eastern communists and inner conflict. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
A U.S. spy plane reports sighting the construction of a Soviet nuclear missile base in Cuba causing President Kennedy to set up a naval blockade demanding the removal of the missiles. May have been the closest the Cold War came to a nuclear war. -
Space Race Pt. III
The U.S. launches Apollo 8, the first manned orbit around the Moon. -
Space Race Pt. IV
Apollo 11 lands on the Moon and Neil Armstrong becomes the first man on the Moon. -
The Fall of the Wall
The Berlin Wall is torn down. The fall of the wall signified the end of communist rule. -
Malta Summit
The meeting between Gorbachov and Bush; the beginning of the end of the Cold War. Provided an opportunity to discuss the changes taking place in Europe with the Iron Curtain being lifted. Some view this as the end of the Cold War. -
Reunification
Eastern and Western Germany is reunited as one country. The end of the division was a historical milestone in European history and signified hope for a newer peaceful era. -
START
The Strategic Arms Reduction treaty is signed between the U.S. and Russia. Aimed at reducing the countries' arsenals of nuclear warheads and of the missiles and bombers capable of delivering such weapons. -
The Soviet Union Ends
Russia formally recognizes the end of the Soviet Union
