The UN and Origins of Cold War

By skim15

  • Yalta Conference

    Stalin, Roosevelt, Churchill met to discuss the post-war world. They decided to divide Germany into 4 zones of influence. Poland and other Eastern European nations allowed to have free and democratic elections. Stalin agrees to enter war against Japan and to join UN as a member of Security Council (VETO POWER) Roosevelt grants more land and influence inthe Far East Asia.

  • Start of the Cold War

    Politcal and Military tensions rise in the Western World between the US and the USSR.

  • Potsdam Conference

    Stalin(USSR), Atlee(Britain), Truman(US) met in the final conference of the warRelations between the Western powers and the Soviets = worsened after YaltaUS had tougher stance towards the USSR than beforeUS now has its nuclear powerit didn’t needed USSR anymore to attack JapanThey didn’t want Treaty of Versailles to repeat againUS/Britain openly argue with USSR about the details of how to divide Germany, the amount of reparations Germany had to pay and the Russian influence left in Europe

  • Truman Doctrine

    Support for countries that reject CommunismEx) $400 million to Greece and Turkey

  • The Marshall Plan

    provided $12.5 billion to help rebuild Western Europe - beneficial for US because it stops communism, get money back + interest, and want strong trade partners (going to trade with Western Europe after war)

  • Berlin Blockade

    in one of the first acts of Cold War aggression, the Soviets blocked off access to West Berlin, the Allied controlled zonetheir aim was to force the Western powers to allow the Soviet zone to start supplying Berlin with food and fuel, thereby giving the Soviets practical control over the entire cityin response, the Allies airlifted supplies into the city for nearly a year until the Soviets finally gave up the blockade of the city

  • Korean War (1950-1953)

    North Korea invades the South in 1950 with the use of Soviet weapons and suppliesthe US/UN forces come to the aid of South Korea and push NK back upwith defeat looking likely, Communist China commits 300,000 troops to NK and retake SeoulUS/UN troops push NK back to original borderafter 3 years of fighting the border between South and North Korea remains roughly the sameNK & SK government were uneasy with each otherStalin ordered Kim Il-Sung to unite the country with communism (June 1940)

  • Arms Race

    Soviets successfully test an atom bomb (1949)US vows to develop a more powerful nuclear weapon called a Hydrogen Bomb
    Created in 1952, the hydrogen bomb is 100 times more powerful that the atomic bombs used on Japan
    USSR tests its first hydrogen bomb and both nations start stockpiling nuclear weapons (1953)

  • The Space Race

    USSR develops Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICMBs) and launches the first ever satellite into space called “Sputnik”
    US launches their own satellite (1958)
    President John F. Kennedy promises to land a man on the moon by the end of the decade
    Soviet Yuri Gargarin becomes the first man to orbit the Earth (1961)John Glenn becomes the first American (1962)US lands on moon (1969)in the future, Soviets and US co-operate on space missions

  • Cuban Missile Crisis

    A US U-2 spy plane photographs missile sites being set up in Communist Cuba, only 100 or so miles from Florida, USA
    Soviet Union is secretly supplying and building what the US believes to be nuclear missile silos in Cuba
    the threat of nuclear war reaches an all time high

  • Vietnam War

    communist North Vietnam supported by the Soviets with weapons and money
    South Vietnam supported by US not only with weapons and money but also hundreds of thousands of troops
    US feared the spread of Communism and got directly involved in an unpopular war
    “domino theory” US thought if vietnam fell to communism rest of the southeast asian countries would fall to communism

  • Detente

    Relaxation in French and was the relation between 2 sides. They felt no need to continue the arms race, and decided to have peace to each other. US & USSR exhibits the Detente.

  • New Cold War Starts

    Another arms race is started by the Soviets. Soviets decide to replace their old missiles and US starts and prepares to make new weapons.

  • Change of Leadership in Soviet Union

    New party chairman becomes Gorbachev. His goal was to concentrate on country growing internal problems. Gorbachev meets the US president and talk.

  • Sighing of the INF

    Elimination missile in Europe with 3 yesrs! The press became more free, factories could manage their own affaires, better economy, allowed to vote for gov. organisations. Living standards improved in Western Europe but it remained low in the East.

  • Attempt to Overthrow Gobachev

    Events came to a head when old-style communists who opposed Gorbachev tried to overthrow him in a coup in 1991. The coup failed and its leader were arrested.

  • End of Cold War

    The Cold War officially ends at 1989. After all this war, peace finally comes in the hands of everyone.