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WW2 Ends
The Second World War comes to an end as the Red Army moves into Berlin. -
Period: to
USSR Completes Annexation of Eastern European Satellite States.
The USSR asserts control over the territory of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldovia, Western Ukraine, bringing them into the SSR. Rigged elections in East Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and Albania create communist satellites. -
USA Commits to Support of the New West Germany
Facing a food crisis in Germany that could lead to a Western European fall to communism, the USA seeks to bolster the German economy and create a "stable and prosperous Germany". -
USA Supports Greece and Turkey Against Communist Partisans
Guerillas in Greece and Turkey threaten stability against the USSR; Harry Truman convinces congress to send support to both nations. -
Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov & Stalin Reject Talks for an Economically Self-Sufficient Germany
Amid mounting tensions, meetings to agree on a plan for German economic support are rejected by Molotov and Stalin, who seek an economically disadvantaged Germany unable to start a war, and more likely to completely fall to communism. -
Marshall Plan Announced by USA, Stalin Rejects Assistance
The Marshall Plan, designed to provide assistance to all European countries in need after WW2, is rejected by Stalin, fearing Western influence in the USSR. -
Berlin Blockade
After the Marshall plan, the USSR blockades Berlin, cutting off all road access to the city. The USSR stops sending food to West Berlin, and supplies can only arrive through 3 small air corridors. The blockade is only lifted in May 1949 -
NATO Forms
The USA, Britain, France, Canada, Denmark, Portugal, Norway, Belgium, Iceland, Luxembourg, Italy and the Netherlands join NATO. -
USSR Tests First Soviet Atomic Device
This marks the beginning of the nuclear arms race between the two superpowers. -
Mao Proclaims the PRC
Mao Zedong proclaims the People's Republic of China, a communist nation. The USSR began supporting the communist party almost immediately. -
USSR Invades South Korea, Korean War Begins
Divided after WW2 along the 38th Parallel, the US-supported South opposed a communist North. Kim Il Sung. The USA commits soldiers to defend the South and prevent a fall of East Asian buffer states to communism. -
USA Develops Hydrogen Bomb
The new fusion device is announced. -
Stalin Dies After a Stroke
Stalin dies after possible poisoning leading to a stroke. His insistence that North Korean forces keep fighting was continuing the Korean War, and the cult of personality he created in the USSR defined Soviet society. -
Korean War Ends in Armistice.
After Stalin dies, North and South Korea sign an armistice to end the Korean War as it began, with the peninsula divided along the 38th Parallel. North Korea became a brutal dictatorship under Kim Il Sung. -
USSR Develops Hydrogen Bomb
