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Yalta Conference
It was the meeting between the British, US, and USSR leaders. At the conference it was decided that the leaders would demand the surrender of Germany, and then divide the country up into four sectors. The conference brought about the start of the Cold War, because the USSR was given control of Europe. It led to the USSR having more control, which meant that people lost their liberalism. It also led to the United States gaining more control and forcing liberalism on people. -
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Potsdam Conference
This was the last of the conferences held by the leaders of Britain, the soviet Union, and the United States. this was a continuation of the Yalta Conference. The conference discussed life after the war, what to do with Germany, and the division of land across the world. Similarly to Yalta, it increased the spheres of influence of both the USSR and US, and eventually brought about the Cold War. -
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Hiroshima Bombing
The world's first atomic bomb was dropped in the Japanese city of Hiroshima, the explosion killed about 80,000 people, and radiation killed thousands more over the days that followed. The dropping of the bomb was one of the reasons for the Cold War, Stalin was not informed and he grew more suspicious of the West. This event affected liberalism because innocent people were killed in order to bring about the end of the war, and also to eventually spread capitalism around the world. -
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Bombing of Nagasaki
After the bombing of Hiroshima a second bomb was deployed because the Japanese council had not yet agreed to surrender. After the second bomb was dropped Japan finally agreed to surrender, and the beginning of the end of the war began. This bomb also brought about the start of the Cold War, because the divide between the USSR and the US grew. It also took away liberalism because of the lives lost, but also provided liberalism because the Japanese people didn't have to live in constant fear. -
Molotov Plan
The Molotov Plan was an example of alignment, it provided countries aligned with the Soviet Union aid to rebuild their countries, and can be seen as the Soviet version of the Marshall Plan. The plan was symbolic of the growing divide between capitalist and communist countries, and happened at the beginning of the Cold War. Liberalism was affected because countries were given resources in order to be safe and secure. The plan was created by Vyacheslav Molotov. -
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was signed in order to provide political, economic, and military support to countries in need. This was done in order to stop the Soviet Union from gaining more control. The doctrine was an example of alignment, and was viewed by historians as the official start of the Cold War. Liberalism was affected because the Cold War was a star of constant fear of people. It was created by Harry S. Truman. -
Brussels Treaty
The pact was signed by: France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the United Kingdom. Its purpose was to rebuild the military defences of the countries after World War Two, and was the start of the European Union. This was Cold War related because countries had aligned themselves against the Soviet Union. Liberalism was affected because the European Union led to a more safe, and unified Europe. -
Marshall Plan
Another example of alignment was the Marshall Plan, which provided billions of dollars to Western European countries in order to rebuild after the second world war. It was created by the U.S. Secretary of State at the time, George C. Marshall. The plan also brought about the start of the Cold War. Liberalism was affected for the same reason as the Molotov Plan, countries were given resources in order to be safe and secure. -
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Berlin Blockade
The first major clash of the Cold War occurred when the Soviet Union tried to block the Allied countries from getting to their part of Berlin. In response the Allied countries airlifted food and supplies into West Berlin. This was an example of the USSR and US clashing during the Cold War. Liberalism was negatively affected because the freedom of the German people was discarded in the ongoing war. -
NATO Established
For most of the Cold War, the main military alliance against the Soviet Union was NATO. The countries involved were: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, and the United States. This was an example of alignment, and the Cold War was affected because of the alliances against the Soviet Union. This affected liberalism because it was the first peacetime military alliance the US had outside of the West. -
Soviet Creation of Nuclear Weapons
When the Soviets began to create nuclear weapons other countries became nervous, and soon other countries began to stockpile nuclear weapons. The world was seemingly on the brink of a nuclear war, which led to the Cuban Missile Crisis. The scramble for weapons became the Cold war arms race. People lived in constant fear that a nuclear war would occur, which negatively affected their liberalism. This is an example of deference. -
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Korean War
After World War Two Korea was divided into communist and capitalist sections. The Korean War began when North Korea (communists) invaded South Korea (capitalists), the US provided aid to the South Koreans. The war ended when an agreement was signed to fully separate the two sectors. This event was brought on by the Cold War and expansionism, the US and USSR wanted to expand their land and caused a war. Koreans either had liberalism taken away or forced on them. -
Stalin's Death
Stalin died at the age of seventy four after a stroke. After his death the Cold War became less rampant (and the new Soviet leader, Khrushchev called for peace between the East and the West), however it did not last very long. There was a time of peace so liberalism was given to the Russian people in the sense that they were not constantly scared of a nuclear attack, and life after Stalin's death was less brutal. -
Warsaw Pact
It was a treaty signed by: Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, east Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the Soviet Union. This treaty stated that if any other of the countries were in danger, the others would come to their rescue. The Cold War was affected because this was an example of alignment. People were given safety and security, and were less fearful. -
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Vietnam War
The Vietnam War occurred when American soldiers went into Vietnam to turn them against communism, and become capitalist. At the end of the war North and South Vietnam were reunited. The war was fought because America wanted to stop the spread of communist, so the Cold War started the Vietnam War. Liberalism was forced on Vietnam, as the people wanted to be communist. -
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Hungarian Revolution
The event first occurred when citizens protested for more liberalism, and to be free from USSR rule. In response the USSR arrived in Hungary in order to stop the uprising. Thousands of Hungarians were killed and even more fled the country, during the conflict the US did nothing to help. The Hungarian people asked for liberalism, and in response they were killed. The revolution showed just how bad things were in the Cold War, people could not even protest without fear of severe consequences. -
NORAD
Both America and Canada were fearful of a Soviet attack during the Cold War and combined their air defence units. This was an example of alignment. The Cold War was a time of constant fear, and people were given peace of mind with the knowledge they had protection. -
Fidel Castro Taking Over
Fidel Castro took power through revolution, and led the first communist state in the West. While he was in charge Cuba was heavily dependant on the Soviet Union, and Cuba and the United States had a strained relationship. Cuba becoming a communist country was an example of expansion, as the Soviet Union gained more territory, the Cold War was affected by this also because of the new territory gained by the USSR. The Cuban people had their liberalism taken away, and they had no say. -
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Bay of Pigs Invasion
The CIA trained a group of Cuban refugees so the could go back to Cuba in order to overthrow Fide lCastro. The US did not like Castro because of his alignment with the USSR and the fact he was anti-American. The attack was a failure with people dying and being captured. The US gave liberalism back to the Cuban people after it had been taken away. The invasion was apart of the Cold War, because the US sent people in in order to stop the spread of communism. -
Creation of the Berlin Wall
The Berlin wall was created when the East side of Berlin, the communists, wanted to keep capitalists from West Berlin out. The wall was not only a literal divide between the two ideologies but also a metaphorical one that symbolized the space between the communists and capitalists, as well as an indicator of how bad the Cold War had gotten. The wall also took away liberalism, as the citizens had no say in getting separated. -
End of the Cuban Missile Crisis
The event first occurred when an American pilot saw that Cuba was assembling a missile very close to the US. President Kennedy's response was to deliver an ultimatum to get rid of the missile, and to set up a blockade. The event was one of the biggest of the Cold War, it finally ended when the Soviet and American leaders came to an agreement. Liberalism was affected because people had no idea if they were going to survive the standout between the two countries. This was brinkmanship. -
Nuclear Test Ban Theory
Starting in the 1950's the US, UK, and USSR began to discuss putting a ban on nuclear weapons due to danger for everyone involved. After the Cuban Missile Crisis, leaders began to realize the severity of the nuclear weapons and once again got together to discuss a solution. This is an example of detente. The Cold War was affected because this was the beginning of the end for nuclear weapons. This affected liberalism because people felt more safe when the treaty was signed. -
Arms and Nonproliferation Treaty
This one of a few nuclear treaties signed, and was an example of detente in the Cold War. This agreement limited country's nuclear weapons. The treaty really began to take off after the Cold War. -
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Afghanistan and Soviet War
The war began when the Soviet Union entered Afghanistan in order to spread communism, and continue with expansionism. Rebel groups popped up, and they gained foreign support from capitalist countries. Liberalism was take away because the people in Afghanistan were invaded and had their liberalism taken away. After the war, the country was split which eventually led to the Taliban takeover. The Cold War caused this conflict as it led to the Soviet Union wanting more control. -
The Beginning of Solidarity in Poland
Solidarity in Poland began with a peaceful strike protesting the increased food prices. However, the Soviets did not agree with what the Polish were doing, and they were punished. The Polish people thought they had liberalism, which should have allowed them to protest, but learned they did not. The Cold War was affected because the Warsaw Pact issued a statement that Poland had "present difficulties". -
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Czechoslovakia Revolution
The Czech people protested for liberalism, and to be free of communist rule, the revolution was called the Velvet Revolution. Activist organized protests and public demonstration, eventually the revolution led to the beginning of a democratic government in the country. This event affected liberalism because, unlike the Hungarian revolution, the Czech people protested and were rewarded with liberalism. This event affected the Cold War because it showed that communism was becoming less prevalent. -
The Fall of the Berlin Wall
When the Cold War began to end the people of Germany were free to travel the East or West. The reunification was a huge party, which led to people chipping off parts of the wall. The fall of the wall signified the end of the Cold War. When the wall fell, Germans had liberalism returned to them as they were finally allowed to travel and reunite with those they had lost. -
The End of the Cold War
The Cold War drained the resources of both the Soviet Union and the United States. The fall of the Berlin Wall, and the increasing emergence of democracy over Europe all ended the Cold War. People had peace of mind after the end of the war, but many countries were negatively affected by the war, and after it ended the countries were never the same.