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Yalta Conference
This event is cited as the start of the Cold War. This happened when the Big Three got together and discussed German terms of surrender and post-war occupation of Germany. This lead to Stalin promising free elections in Eastern Germany, causing more tention. -
Potsdam
During this event Truman demanded free elections in Eastern Europe just a year before the war started. This was a major event in the process of the Cold War because Stain wanted buffer of Communist states in Eastern Europe causing tension among everybody. -
Japanese Surrender 1945
Aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, Japan formally surrenders to the Allies, bringing an end to World War II. The invasion of Japan was one of the bloodiest seaborn attack of all time. This left Japan's economy and country in devastation going into the cold war. -
Creation of the Iron Curtain
The Iron Curtain was the Nickname used to refer to communist nations of Europe. " An iron curtain has descended across the continent." -Winston Churchill -
Truman Doctrine
This was the United States' statement saying they would provide military and economic aid to countries threatened by communism. This was important to the war because it showed the US wouldn't wait until the problem came to them, that they would go after it. -
The Soviet Occupation of Eastern Europe
The Soviets occupied Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. This is considered a major event in the Cold War because the United States hated the Soviets Communist ideas and didn't want them to spread. -
Marshall Plan
This is when the US helped Europe recover economically from war by giving them 13 billion US loans. This showed loyalty and help for alliances in the war. -
Policy of Containment
This is the United States policy of keeping communism within it's existing boundaries. This was an important in the Cold War because George Kennan became a leader and came to be known as the "Father of Containment." -
Berlin Air Lift
This is when the United States and British airplanes flew supplies into West Berlin. This was important in the Cold War because of the use of advanced technology and the ability to transport 1.5 million tons of supplies in 200,000 flights. -
Division of Germany
This is when Allied Powers divided Germany into four zones with the Soviet union controlling the East and the Allies controlling the West. The division of Germany spit up the people and set boundries for the war. -
Berlin Blockade
Soviets blocked entrances to Berlin which cut off Allied supplies to West Berlin. This was the way common people helped the war, changing every ones point of view. -
Arms Race
The USA and USSR compete in building nuclear weapons. In 1949, the USSR exploded their first Atomic Bomb, changing the United States perspective on the war. -
Korean War
The UN forces sent in to stop Communism aggression and expansion. Due to this, the USSR supplied war material to North Korea. -
Stalin's Death
After Stalin died Nikita Khrushchev became the soviet leader and removed harsh policies of Stalin's government, changing the Cold War completely. -
Nikita Khruschev
After Stain died in 1953, he became the new Soviet leader. He removed all of Stalin's harsh polices. This made the Soviets love and respect him until he is out of power in 1964. -
Rosenberg Spy Cases
They were American communists who were convicted and executed in 1953 for conspiracy to commit espionage during a time of war. The charges related to them was the accusation of passing information about the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union. This was the first execution of civilians for espionage in United States history. -
Massive Retaliation
This is when President Eisenhower aknowledged that any Soviet advance in Europe met with full use of United States nuclear weapons. This helped countries realize where the United States stood with everyone. -
KGB Formed
The KGB was an agent for the USSR from 1954 to the end of the Cold War. The Russians didn't trust everyone in the USSR so the KGB were always making arrests on suspects who they believed to be spy's. -
Vietnam War
The cold war was between the US and the USSR over resources. South Vietnam was an allie of the US and North Vietnam was an allie of the USSR. This was important because the US feared if North Vietnam won the war, communism would spread. -
Hungarian Revolution
Anti-Soviet demonstrations in Hungary. Khruschev crushed the revolt and Soviet tanks rolled through Budapest. -
Space Race
The launch of Sputnik showed the United States that the Soviets had advanced technology and that they were capable of launching missiles changing the war completely. -
Vostok 1
This was the spaceship that Yur Gagarin orbited in for one hour and forty eight minutes. This was significant in the Cold War because he was the first Russian Cosmonaut during the Space Race -
Cuban Revolution
This is when the Cuban dictator Fulgencio Bastista overthrew Fidel Castro, the Communist forces seize control of Cuba. This was a major event because the Soviets supported the government set up in Cuba, making things complicated with the United States. -
U-2 Incident
This event was when USSR shot down the American spy plane U-2, so they got information from the pilot Gary Powers. They resolved this issue by swapping captured spies. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
Cuban exiles would invade Cuba and lead revolt against Castro. This was Americas way of getting their dirty work done for them without going to war with Cuba. -
Berlin Wall
The purpose the Berlin Wall was to keep Western fascists from entering East Germany and undermining the socialist state, but it served the objective of stemming mass defections from East to West. The Berlin Wall stood until November 9, 1989, when the East German Communist Party announced that citizens could cross as they please. -
Cuban Missel Crisis
The Cuban missle Crisis was a timetensions in the Cold war. It concerned the placement of Soviet missiles in Cuba what were well within striking distance of the USA. This is important because it the closest that the USA and USSR came to open conflict during the Cold War. -
Prague Spring
This was a period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia during the era of its domination by the Soviet Union after World War II. This started when a reformist was elected the First Secretary of Communist Party of Czechoslovakia and when the Soviet Union and members of the Warsaw Pact invaded the country to halt the reforms. -
Mikhail Gorbachev comes to power
He introduced major changes in the government and international relations after he became the general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Within five years, his ways communist governments throughout Eastern Europe from power and brought an end to the Cold War. -
INF Treaty
This event required the US and Soviet Union to eliminate their missiles with ranges of 500 to 5,500 kilometers. This was a major part of the war because they were willing to destroy their weapons to come to an agreement for the first time in a long while. -
Dissolution of the USSR
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was formally dissolved on 26 December 1991 because of the Soviet of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union.
