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% agreement
The percentages agreement was a secret informal agreement between British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin during the Fourth Moscow Conference in October 1944. It gave the percentage division of control over Eastern European countries, dividing them into spheres of influence. -
Bretton Woods Conference
agree on a system of economic order and international cooperation that would help countries recover from the devastation of the war and foster long-term global growth. At its conclusion, the conference attendees produced the Articles of Agreement for the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). -
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Yalta Conference
Germany / 4
USSR gains land from Poland
Stalin's declaration on liberated Europe -
USSR installs puppet gov in Romania
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Truman replaces Roosevelt
Roosevelt died -
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Potsdam Conference
Germany + 5Ds
Germany to become single economic unit
USSR received reparations from its own zone & 25% from western zones
Truman detonates A-bomb before but Stalin already aware of Manhattan Project -
bombing of H & N
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STALIN BLAMES WORLD WAR II ON CAPITALISM
In February 1946 Soviet leader Joseph Stalin delivered a speech to voters in a Moscow electoral district. He reflected on the Allied victory in World War II, the stability of the Soviet system and the performance of the Red Army. Most notably, he claimed that war was inevitable in any system where capitalism is dominant -
Zdhanov Doctrine
It proposed that the world was divided into two camps: the "imperialistic", headed by the United States; and the "democratic", headed by the Soviet Union. -
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Greek Civil War
October 16: Nikos Zachariadis, leader of the Communist Party of Greece, declares an end to the armed uprising. The declaration brings to a close the Greek Civil War, and the first successful containment of communism. -
Austria / 4
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Albania is liberated by USSR
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Kennan's Long Telegram
evaluating the political aims of the Soviet Union and making recommendations for American foreign policy- urges USA to adopt a globalist stance against the threat of Communism -
Fulton Speech
'Iron Curtain' descending on Europe
- physical division between east and west
- tensions HIGH -
Creation of SAC
Strategic Air Command
the Strategic Air Command (SAC) headed by General Curtis LeMay- this set up to serve as a primary defence system for the USA -its role was to provide 24 hour readiness to respond to an external nuclear threat -responsible for the deployment & management of the USA's growing nuclear force
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The US Congress approves a $US3.7 billion loan to Britain for post-war reconstruction.
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BYRNES’ ‘SPEECH OF HOPE’ ON GERMAN AUTONOMY
In September 1946 James F. Byrnes, the United States Secretary of State, addressed an audience in Stuttgart. This became known as the ‘Speech of Hope’ because it promised Germans an eventual return to self-government Byrnes tells German listeners that America is working for a self-governing and economically viable Germany. -
Bulgaria liberated
More than 95 percent of Bulgarians vote to abolish the monarchy and form a “people’s republic”. The following month they elect the communist Georgi Dimitrov as prime minister. Soviet interference and vote rigging is suspected in both elections. -
Clifford-Elsey Report
It aimed to analyze Soviet behavior in the aftermath of World War II and assess the challenges it posed to the United States- details breaches and violations of post-war agreements by the Soviet Union. It is believed to have significantly influenced US foreign policy during the early Cold War, potentially contributing to the development of the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan. -
Novikov Telegram
American quest for domination
Opportunistic
Soviet take on KLT -
Nehru asks the US and Soviet Union to abandon nuclear testing and commit to a program of nuclear disarmament.
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Bizonia formed
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X Article
widely introduced the term "containment" and advocated for its strategic use against the Soviet Union. -
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HUAC
The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) commences its investigation of communist influence and infiltration in Hollywood. HUAC is told that US State Department employee Alger Hiss was a communist in the 1930s. -
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was a pledge from the United States to provide political, military, and economic assistance to democratic nations around the world that were threatened by external or internal authoritarian forces. shift from isolationism -> global police containment of communism -
US financial aid to Greece & Turkey - $400mil
Truman addresses Congress and requests a military aid package for Greece and Turkey so their governments can resist a communist takeover. This speech is the first expression of the Truman Doctrine. -
Marshall Plan
$13.5 bil, 16 countries, 5 years- 80% loans, 20% importing American market goods economic and political ties laid the foundations for creation of European Economic and Steel Community in 1957 -
Romania liberated
King Michael of Romania is forced to abdicate by Communist Party chief Gheorghiu-Dej. The communists declare the birth of the Socialist Republic of Romania. Future dictator Nicolae Ceausescu is named agriculture minister in the new government. -
Organisation of American States created
formed in Colombia
purpose- interregional solidarity, social and economic cooperation between USA & central america -
Czechoslovakia liberated
The Communist Party assumes control of Czechoslovakia after Edvard Benes is forced to accept the resignation of non-communist politicians. -
the Treaty of Brussels
Brussels Treaty, agreement signed by Britain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, creating a collective defense alliance. It led to the formation of NATO and the Western European Union. -
Economic Cooperation Act, precedent of formalised Marshall Plan
Fanned by the fear of Communist expansion and the rapid deterioration of European economies in the winter of 1946–1947, Congress passed the Economic Cooperation Act in March 1948 and approved funding that would eventually rise to over $12 billion for the rebuilding of Western Europe. -
Deutsche Marke
backed by £ and $, stronger than Reichsmarke. Provoked the Berlin Blockade 3 days later -
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Berlin Blockade
the Soviet Union blocked all land and water access to West Berlin, effectively isolating the 2.5 million residents there.
Their motive was to force the Western Allies to abandon West Berlin or agree to Soviet demands, potentially including the unification of Germany under communist control = Berlin Airlift
involved flying in essential supplies eg food, fuel, and medicine
Over 2.3 million tons of supplies delivered on more than 270,000 flights -
Truman wins 2nd term as President
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Poland liberated
A communist government led by Boleslaw Bierut is elected in Poland. Bierut’s Polish Workers Party wins 394 out of 444, however, the elections are tainted by allegations of persecution and vote rigging. -
COMECON formed
It becomes known in the West as the ‘Soviet Marshall Plan’. -
NATO formed
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Trizonia formed
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FRG founded
Konrad Adenauer becomes the first chancellor of West Germany. -
USSR drop A bomb
marks end of US nuclear monopoly - security dilemma
The Soviet Union conducts its first successful atomic test, detonating a 22 kiloton bomb codenamed “Joe One” -
Communist China wins civil war
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Mutual Defence Assistance Act
first US Act of Congress dedicated to offering military aid to foreign nations The act signaled a major change in US foreign policy, moving towards active involvement in global affairs to counter Soviet influence. -
GDR founded