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Yalta Conference
Meeting between Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin to decide what would happen at the end of the war. Topics discussed included Partitioning of Germany, Fate of Poland, The United Nations, German reparations -
V E Day
Victory in Europe as Germany surrenders to the Russian army -
Potsdam Conference
The Potsdam Conference formally divided Germany and Austria into four zones. It was also agreed that the German capital Berlin would be divided into four zones. The Russian Polish border was determined and Korea was to be divided into Soviet and American zones. -
V J Day
The Japanese surrendered bringing World War Two to an end -
Vietnam Independence
Ho Chi Minh proclaimed Vietnam an independent republic -
Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech
Churchill delivers his ‘Sinews of Peace’ speech which contain the famous phrase “..an iron curtain has descended on Europe” -
Truman Doctrine
President Truman promised to help any country facing a Communist takeover -
Marshall Plan
This was a programme of economic aid offered by the United States to any European country. The plan was rejected outright by Stalin and any Eastern Bloc country considering accepting aid was reprimanded severely. Consequently the aid was only given to Western European Countries. -
Cominform
The USSR set up Cominform (Communist Information Bureau) which was the Information Bureau of the Communist and Workers’ Parties responsible for the creation of the Eastern bloc. -
Formation of West Germany
The French, USA and UK partitions of Germany were merged to form West Germany -
Berlin Blockade
Russia’s response to the merger of the French, USA and UK partitions of Berlin was to cut all road and rail links to that sector. This meant that those living in Western Berlin had no access to food supplies and faced starvation. Food was brought to Western Berliners by US and UK airplanes, an exercise known as the Berlin Airlift. -
NATO formed
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation formed with member states Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States -
End of Berlin Blockade
Russia ended the blockade of Berlin. -
Korean War
The Korean war began when North Korea invaded South Korea. -
Death of Stalin
Joseph Stalin died at the age of 74. He was succeeded by Nikita Khrushchev. -
Korean War
The Korean war ended. North Korea remained affiliated with Russia while South Korea was affiliated with the USA. -
Geneva Accords
This set of documents ended the French war with the Vietminh and divided Vietnam into North and South states. The communist leader of North Vietnam was Ho Chi Minh while the US friendly south was led by Ngo Dinh Diem. -
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact was formed with member states East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Albania, Bulgaria, and the Soviet Union. -
Hungarian Revolution
This began as a Hungarian protest against Communist rule in Budapest. It quickly gathered momentum and on 24th October Soviet tanks entered Budapest The tanks withdrew on 28th October and a new government was formed which quickly moved to introduce democracy. The Soviet tanks returned on 4th November encircling Budapest The Prime Minister Imre Nagy made a World broadcast that Hungary was under attack from the Soviet Union and calling for aid Hungary fell to Russia on 10th November 1956 -
Space Race
USSR Sputnik II carried Laika the dog, the first living creature to go into space. -
Paris East/West talks
Talks between Nikita Khrushchev and Dwight Eisenhower concerning the fate of Germany broke down when a USA U2 spy plane was shot down over Russian airspace.
April 12th 1961 Space Race -
Space Race
Russian cosmonaut Yuri Alekseyvich Gagarin became the first human being in space. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
A force of Cuban exiles, trained by the CIA, aided by the US government attempted to invade Cuba and overthrow the Communist government of Fidel Castro. The attempt failed. -
Berlin Wall
Berlin wall built and borders sealed between East and West Germany. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
A US spy plane reported sighting the construction of a Soviet nuclear missile base in Cuba. President Kennedy set up a naval blockade and demanded the removal of the missiles. War was averted when the Russians agreed on 28th October to remove the weapons. The United States agreed not to invade Cuba. -
JFK Assassination
JF Kennedy was assassinated while on a visit to Dallas. Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested for the murder but there has always been speculation that he was not a lone killer and that there may have been communist or CIA complicity. -
USSR
Nikita Krushchev removed from office. He was replaced by Leonid Brezhnev. -
Vietnam War
150,000 US troops sent to Vietnam. -
Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia
Warsaw Pact forces entered Czechoslovakia in a bid to stop the reforms known as ‘Prague Spring’ instigated by Alexander Dubcek. When he refused to halt his programme of reforms Dubcek was arrested. -
Space Race
US launched Apollo 8 – first manned orbit of the Moon. -
Space Race
US Apollo 11 landed on the Moon and Neil Armstrong became the first man on the Moon. -
Vietnam War
President Richard Nixon ordered US troops to go to Cambodia. -
Four Power Agreement Berlin
The Four Power Agreement made between Russia, USA, Britain and France reconfirmed the rights and responsibilities of those countries with regard to Berlin. -
SALT
Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty signed between the US and USSR. -
Vietnam
The Paris Peace Accords ended American involvement in Vietnam. -
Vietnam
North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam. The capture of Saigon by the North Vietnamese led to the whole country becoming Communist -
Apollo-Soyuz Test Project
Joint space venture between USA and USSR heralded as an end to the ‘Space Race’ -
Carter President
Jimmy Carter became the 39th President of the United States -
Iranian hostage crisis
A group of Iranian students and militants stormed the American embassy and took 53 Americans hostage to show their support for the Iranian Revolution. -
Afghanistan
Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan -
Iranian hostage crisis ended
The Iranian hostage crisis ended 444 days after it began -
START
During a summit in Geneva Reagan proposed Strategic Arms Reduction Talks -
Govbachov leader of USSR
Mikhail Gorbachev became leader of the Soviet Union -
Glasnost and Perestroika
Mikhail Gorbachev announced his intention to follow a policy of glasnost – openness, transparency and freedom of speech; and perestroika – restructuring of government and economy. He also advocated free elections and ending the arms race. -
Afghanistan
The last Soviet troops left Afghanistan -
Malta Summit
This meeting between Mikhail Gorbachov and George H W Bush reversed much of the provisions of the Yalta Conference 1945. It is seen by some as the beginning of the end of the cold war. -
German reunification
East and West Germany were reunited as one country. -
End of Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact which allied Communist countries was ended -
START
The Strategic Arms Reduction treaty was signed between Russia and the USA -
Gorbachev resigned
Mikhail Gorbachev resigned. The hammer and sickle flag on the Kremlin was lowered -
End of the Soviet Union
Russia formally recognised the end of the Soviet Union