-
Nuclear Arms Race
The nuclear arms race was a competition for power in nuclear warfare between the United States, the Soviet Union, and their allies that rested fear and competition between the superpowers, and led to the Cold War. -
Period: to
Yalta Conference
The Yalta conference took place in the Yalta in Crimea, Russia. The conference included US, UK, and Soviet Union. Together they established an agenda for the remaining wartime actions and postwar Europe and redrew the map of Germany and decided that Europe countries would be able to have free elections decide their own future. This affected the Cold War because it was the first event that lead to the Cold War and it was also made clear that Stalin didn't share common views with US and the UK. -
Period: to
Potsdam Conference
The Potsdam conference was held in Potsdam Germany, when US president Harry Truman and Stalin met with Churchill of Britain and his successor to officially reconstruct Germany, splitting it into four parts and force Japan to surrender. This affected the Cold War because it created the sphere of influences and split communism and democracy. Along with this, it caused Truman and Stalin to see each other as rivals, and a "War of Ideas" emerged. -
Hiroshima Bombing
The Hiroshima Bombing happened when the United States becomes the first and only nation to use atomic weaponry during wartime dropping an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima and killing 80,000 people. The dropping of the bomb on Japan marked the end of WW II, but it also ignited the Cold War. Because of this the Soviet Union also created their own nuclear weapons, which they threatened the United States with. It also affected the cold war because it started the Nuclear arms race. -
Molotov Plan
This was the system created by Soviet minister Vyacheslav Molotov to provide aid to rebuild eastern European countries that were allied with the SU. The plan was created as a response and rejection of US's Marshall plan. This plan was a system of bilateral trade agreements to create an economic alliance of socialist countries. This aid allowed countries in Europe to stop relying on American aid, and reorganize their trade to the USSR instead. It also resulted in Soviets sphere of influence. -
Truman Doctrine
President Truman established that the US would provide political, economic and military aid to all democratic nations under the threat of outside forces. This effected the Cold War as the US was able to build up a network of alliances in exchange to the US giving out free aid. It was also put in place to contain the spread of communism and stop the US rival the Soviet Union. This caused more tension between US and the Soviet's and led to the formation of NATO and American foreign policies. -
Marshall Plan
In 1948 US aid was offered to all postwar Europe countries (with conditions attached, such as conditions related to economic policies.) The Soviet Union denied this care, even though 25 million of their citizens were homeless, as they seen it as dollar imperialism. This affected the Cold War because it resulted in the Molotov plan, created by the Soviet's. -
Period: to
Brussels Treaty
The Brussels Treaty was created by five countries in Western Europe (France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and the United Kingdom) after World War II had weakened much of the military power of these countries. Its aim was to set out terms for cooperation, and self-defence. The Brussels Pact served as the basis for the establishment of the Western European Union, a defence union similar to NATO but excluding USA and Canada. -
Period: to
Berlin Blockade
The Berlin blockade happened when Stalin built a wall around Berlin, cutting off 2.1 Berliners from supplies. This was one of the first major crises of the Cold War. As a result the US landed hundreds of planes carrying supplies in Berlin over the year. Stalin did this as an effort to force US, GB and France to accept Soviets demands of postwar Germany. This caused fear for countries that bordered the SU, and they were now under particular pressure to maintain strong ties with the Soviets. -
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, also knows as NATO, was created in 1949, by the United States, Canada and other western European countries to provide security and protection against the Soviet Union. NATO was created as a response to further communist expansion in Europe. The main purpose of NATO was to strengthen western allies in case of invasion of by the Soviets and it's Warsaw Pact allies. -
Soviet Creation of Nuclear Weapons
The first Soviet atomic test was internally code-named First Lightning. It would only be a matter of months before the U.S.S.R. exploded its own atomic bomb. The Soviets successfully tested their first nuclear device, called RDS-1 or "First Lightning" at Semipalatinsk on August 29, 1949. This all happened as a result of the US atomic bombing, as it caused the SU to fear the US, which starts the nuclear arms race. This helped start the Cold War. -
Period: to
Korean War
The Korean War was a war between North Korea and South Korea. Canada contributed military forces to help South Korea push back the invading communist North Korea. This affected the Cold War because it split Korea into two, and created two spheres of influences. -
Death of Stalin
After Stalin's death in March 1953, the Cold War changed almost overnight. The Soviet Union embarked on a course of reconciliation. However, despite an end to the Korean War and progress on many other East-West questions, the Western world remained mistrustful of Soviet motives and policies and Soviet leaders remained suspicious of Western intentions. Less than a decade after Stalin's death the Berlin Wall was erected and the Cuban Missile Crisis brought the world close to nuclear war. -
Bombing of Nagasaki
hree days after the Hiroshima bombing another B-29 bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, killing an estimated 40,000 people. Japan’s Emperor Hirohito announced his country’s unconditional surrender in World War II. This caused the nuclear arms race, and was a major cause of the Cold War. -
Period: to
Vietnam War
The war was North Vietnam and the communist against South Vietnam and America. This war was intensified by the Cold War between the US and the SU. More than 3 million people were killed. The war ended with the withdraw of America in 1973 and then the combine of Vietnam into a communist country two years later. -
Period: to
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw pact started when Soviet Union signed the treaty in Warsaw, which formed alliances as a counterbalance to the NATO, a collective security alliance concluded between the United States, Canada and Western European nations. This formed a potential militaristic threat, as a sign of Communist dominance, and a definite opponent to American capitalism. The signing of the pact became a symbol of Soviet dominance in Eastern Europe. -
Period: to
Hungarian Revolution
Hungary was controlled by SU once WWII had ended, and forced into communism.They weren't happy with this change of gov't. The revolution started as a student demonstration and thousands of people followed.It showed the dislike with totalitarianism.The fight continued, but Hungarians continued to be under the control of the SU.It greatly influenced the Cold War, and showed the first distinct tear in the Iron Curtain. Also leading to the SU loss of authority over Eastern Europe. -
Period: to
NORAD
The North American Aerospace Defense Command also known as the NATO, is a combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and protection for Northern America. it protected the American sphere of influence, and protected the democratic countries from air attacks. -
Period: to
Fidel Castro Taking Over
Castro took over Cuba in 1959, and implemented social programs, arrested opposing political forces and declared himself a socialist dictator and Cuba a communist state. Castro also formed a strong relationship with the Soviet Union, which affected the relationship Cuba had had with the United States. This caused the bay of pigs and further built up tension between the Soviet Union and the United States. -
Bay of Pigs
CIA launched a full-scale invasion of Cuba by 1,400 American-trained Cubans who had fled their homes when Castro took over. However, the invasion did not go well: The invaders were badly outnumbered by Castro’s troops, and they surrendered after less than 24 hours of fighting. 114 people were killed and 1100 people were taken as prisoners. The bay of pigs made Cuba much stronger and continued to raise tension between US and the Soviet Union and their spheres of influences. -
Period: to
The Creation of the Berlin Wall
Communist government built a concrete, barbed wire wall.The purpose of the wall was to keep out fascists from entering east germany and undermining the socialists state.The Soviets owned the eastern half and the other allies owned the western half.The Soviets were determined to drive the US, Britain and France out of Berlin.Within two weeks after the Premier approved the wall the police, army and construction workers had it built to stop the emigration.Separated the communist from the fascist. -
Period: to
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a direct and dangerous confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War, when the two superpowers came closest to nuclear conflict. Eventually this ended when they reached an agreement ending the immediate threat of nuclear war. Russian leader Khrushchev agreed to dismantle all missiles based in Cuba and ship them back to the Soviet Union in exchange for a promise from the United States to respect Cuba's territorial sovereignty. -
Period: to
Czechoslovakia Revolution
When reformist Alexander Dubček was elected to the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia the SU and other members of the Warsaw Pact invaded the country to halt the reforms.The Prague Spring reforms were a strong attempt by Dubček to grant rights to the citizens of Czechoslovakia. After national discussion of dividing the country into a federation of three republics,Dubček oversaw the decision to split into two, the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic. This affected the unity of the communist party. -
Nuclear Arm Treaty
Commonly known as the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT, is an international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and to further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament. This helped to end the Cold War. -
SALT Treaty
Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty was written to limit the amount of military power and nuclear weapon production of the USSR and US. GASPIRE theme: political: the treaty was to keep the peace between US and USSR. The treaty has impacted our society because both countries are not producing nuclear weapon massively. -
Period: to
Afghanistan/ Soviet War
The war started when leaders of the SU became concerned that Afghanistan's president was having discussions with the US.On December 24, 1979 the SU invaded Afghanistan.They had Afghanistan's president killed and installed their own president.The war continued with little success, the SU's army no longer seemed invincible to the rest of the world.When Gorbachev became leader of the SU he realized the war was costing troops and hurting their economy.He signed a peace treaty to end the war in 1989. -
Period: to
Solidarity in Portland
The first non-communist party Labour Union who controlled the trade union in a Warsaw Pact country, which caused the workers of the shipyard to unified. Solidarity was a broad anti-bureaucratic social movement, using the methods of civil resistance to advance the causes of workers' rights and social change.The government tried to destroy the union by the martial law in Poland, but later had to negotiate with solidarity. Helped with the fall of the Soviet Union. -
Period: to
The End of the Cold War
The Soviet economy faced the continuously escalating costs of the arms race. Attempted reforms at home left the Soviet Union unwilling to rebuff challenges to its control in Eastern Europe. During 1989 and 1990, the Berlin Wall came down, borders opened, and free elections ousted Communist regimes everywhere in eastern Europe. In late 1991 the Soviet Union itself dissolved into its component republics. With stunning speed, the Iron Curtain was lifted and the Cold War came to an end. -
The Berlin Wall Falling
The head of the East German Communist Party announced that the GDR could cross the border. That night crowds swarmed the wall. Some crossed freely into West Berlin, while others brought hammers and picks and began to chip away at the wall itself. To this day, the Berlin Wall remains one of the most powerful and enduring symbols of the Cold War, ending the split of the communist Soviets and the western democrats in Berlin, and became one of the events that ended the Cold War.