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Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference took place in February of 1945. The Big Three (Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin) met in Yalta to discuss the end of World War II. These three discussed what would become of the Old War and organizing a new international peacekeeping organization, the United Nations or UN. Several negotiations were made between the Big Three that were supposed to be upheld after the war, and would later backfire leading up to the Cold War. -
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The Cold War
During this time the USSR and the US were having tension issues and created an arms race against two world powers. -
The United Nations
The United Nations was first proposed in February of 1945. Later that year, the Atlantic Charter was ratified by the five permanent members, France, China, Britain, the Soviet Union, and the United States, plus 46 other countries. The organization was created in order to keep international peace diplomatically. This also meant that these nations were held to obligations, yet it did not mean that they would not hold up to them and would lead to tension between the Soviet Union and the US. -
Marshall Plan
In 1947, George F Kennan created the "containment doctrine", part of it was the Marshall Plan. The Marshall Plan served to encourage nations to protect themselves from the Soviet Union. This plan then led to tension building up between the Soviet Union and the United States. This would later lead to the armsrace known as the Cold War. -
Containment
"Containment" was created by George F Kennan in 1947 to curb the USSR's power and abiltiy to expand. The "containment" strategey consisted of three goals, resoration, reduction, and modification. All of them were aimed at trying to reduce the USSR and stop them from expanding. This plan obivously led to an insulted Stalin and tension between both countries grew rushing the Cold War farther. -
National Security Act
The National Security Act was enacted by Congress in 1947. It created the National Security Council (NSC) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Both organizations would focus on foreign and internal intel against communism. This act was only enacted because of the threat of communism spreading and the tension caused by the Cold War with the USSR. -
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was enacted on March 12, 1947. It stated that the US should aid any counrty trying to fight off communism. This bold law led to greater tension between the US and the USSR. It meant that America was calling a war on communism and the USSR, obviously provoking the Cold War. -
North Atlantice Treaty Organization (NATO)
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was a group between the European nations and the US. It stated that any attack on any of those that signed the charter was an attack on all. This meant that if the USSR attacked the US or vice versa, the other European nations would join in the fight, This, would lead to the solidifcation of the Cold War because neither nation could do anthing without involving the rest of the world. -
Collapse of Nationalist China
Late 1949, Generalissimo Jiang Jeishi and his government was forced to flee China to the island of Formosa, Taiwan. Nationalist China fell too communism and Mao Zedong. This event meant that a quarter of the world's population had fallen to communism. It also meant that the US would not be safe and would become even more wary of the USSR's expansion and communism aiding the Cold War along. -
Korean War
North Korea, controlled by the USSR and communism, invaded South Korea, controlled by the US, on June 2, 1950. This was the first battlefeild confrontation between the US and the USSR during the Cold War. In immediate response, the US aided South Korea, Truman doing so without approval. It showed the aggression between both nations and was a fight with democracy against communism. -
NSC-68
The NSC-68 was reccomended by the NSC in immediate repsonse to the North Korean invasion of South Korea. It called for the quadrupling of the US' defense spending and build up troops that would be sent for aid to South Korea. The document also represented the change in American foreign policy and the new possibilities after WWII. -
General MacArthur Gets the Pink Slip
On September 15, 1950, General MacArthur was able to push the invading forces back behind the 38th parallel, the border of South and North Korea. Though, he was then pushed back by Chinese "volunteers" and other UN forces were attacked. Since MacArthur disobeyed the Joint Cheifs of Staff and increased the war's size, Truman was forced to remove MacArthur from duty on April 11, 1951. This event signified a little victory for the USSR and showed how much the Cold War was affecting the world. -
The H-Bomb
In September of 1949, the USSR dropped its first atomic bomb. Truman, in response to the possibility of nuclear war, ordered the development of the hydrogen bomb or H-Bomb. The first H-Bomb was dropped in 1952. One year later, the USSR dropped its first H-Bomb. With this new, highly destructive weapon, it put the Cold War at a stand still, both sides having enough potential to attack.
