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The Big Three
Allied leaders U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill meet at a conference in Yalta to make plans for post War order. This is significant despite the fact that the the war was still winding down and the leaders were still able to talk through the plans after the war. -
U.S. Drops a Bomb on Hiroshima, Japan
This is the first time that the U.S. uses atomic weaponry. Many say that though this ended WWII, it ignited the Cold War. The name of the airplane that dropped the bomb was the Enola Gay. -
U.S. Drops another Bomb, but this time on Nagasaki
Just two days after the first drop in Hiroshima, the U.S. drops "fat man" on the city of Nagasaki. -
Iron Curtain
Winston Churchill delivers his infamous speech about the imaginary boundary which divided Europe into two different areas. It stayed this way until the end of the Cold War -
Nuclear testing at Bikini Atoll
Nuclear testing starts in the South Pacific The code name for this is called Operation Crossroads. These were used as a demonstration to the Soviets. -
Truman Doctrine
President Truman announced his pledge to help any nation threatened by Communism. This officially establishes a sort of containment of Communism -
Marshall Plan
Secretary of State George Marshall proposes the Marshall Plan, which is a foreign aid package designed to help Europe recover from World War II. -
Berlin Blockade/Airlift
The Soviets impose the blockade, which stops rail and road access to the capital. The Berlin Airlift occurs on the same day, which brings supplies to the city by plane. -
NATO formed
NATO stands for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. This treaty basically stops Soviet expansion, bans the revival of Nationalist militarism in Europe, and encourages European integration -
East Germany founded
East Germany is founded in response to West Germany being founded. The country is led by Communist Walter Ulbricht. -
Eisenhower is elected
Dwight D. Eisenhower, the famous war general wins the race for presidency against Adlai Stevenson. -
Josef Stalin dies
The Soviet Union leader that held his position of dictator for 30 years dies. Stalin was known to cause the worst man-made famine to his people. -
Korean Armistice signed
An armistice is signed that ends the Korean war. This leads to creating a Demilitarized zone at the border between North and South Korea. -
Geneva accords signed
The Geneva accords are signed, which brings an end to the first Indochina war. This also splits the colony into three new nations; Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. -
Warsaw Pact
This pact was created to counter the NATO formation. This Communist military alliance was also called "The Treaty of Friendship".It includes Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the Soviet Union.
