-
Yalta Conference
Allied leaders meet in Yalta, Russia. They tried to decide the future of Germany, and what reparations were necessary. Russia promised free elections in Eastern Europe. -
United States first used atomic bomb in war
The atomic bomb finally gets the Japanese to surrender. Two bombs were dropped on Japan, Hiroshima and Nagasaki -
Russia Enters war against Japan
The Soviets invaded three fronts in the east of Japan just after japan had been bombed by the United States. The Soviets had to break the Soviet–Japanese Neutrality pact to invade. -
Japanese surrender, ending World War II
Italy and Germany had already surrendered, leaving Japan as the only Axis Power left in WWII. The droppings of the two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, combined with the Russian invasion of Japan finally made the Japanese surrender. -
Winston Churchill delivers "Iron Curtain" speech
Winston Churchill spoke about the Soviet Union's policies in Europe and how they drew an "Iron Curtain" across the continent. The "Iron Curtain" was the political and ideological barrier that the Soviet Union created to divide Central and Eastern Europe from the Imperialistic ideas of Western Europe and America. -
Truman announces Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was established to send aid to countries that are having communist outbreaks in order to suppress the expansion of communism. Turkey and Greece are the first countries to receive aid through the Truman Doctrine. -
Marshall Plan is announced
The United States' plan to send aid to help rebuild Europe. All countries in Europe were able to receive economic aid from the United States, even the Soviet Union. This was to stabilize European economies to prevent communist outbreaks. -
Communist takeover in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia was looking to restore a democratic society such as the one they had between WWI and WWII, and they wanted to accept aid from the Marshall Plan. If Czech. became a democracy, then the security of the buffer zone Stalin had created would be gone. Stalin made Czech. refuse the aid from the United States and a communist government was established. -
Berlin blockade begins
The Soviets instituted a blockade of Berlin because they declared that the western powers had no interest in uniting Germany and therefore had no legal right to participate in the administration of Berlin. Stalin cut off all supply lines and ways to get in and out of the city. This caused many people to come to the brink of Starvation in West Berlin. -
NATO treaty ratified
NATO was a democratic alliance consisting of The United States, Great Britain, West Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Greece, Belgium, The Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway. It was instituted to provide security against the Soviet Union. -
Berlin Blockade ends
The United States led the Berlin Airlift during the Berlin Blockade to provide food, medical supplies, and other necessities to people living in West Berlin. The Soviet Union didn't want to start an arms war with the United States so they finally ended the Berlin Blockade. -
Soviets explode first atomic bomb
This led to the policy of Brinkmanship – the willingness to go to the edge of war. The policy of Brinkmanship led to an Arms Race between the Soviet Union and The United States. -
Mao Zedong, a communist, takes control of China
Many soldiers from the Nationalist party deserted to the Communist party because the Nationalists were only benefiting the elite and wealthy in China. The Nationalists were forced to flee to Taiwan. -
Warsaw Pact
The Soviet Union felt that the creation of NATO was an act of aggression so they created an alliance of their own. The Warsaw Pact (named after Warsaw, Poland) consisted of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, East Germany, Poland, Albania, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria.
