The Cold War 1943-1991

The Teheran Conference

Nov 23, 1943

Ended: December 1st, 1943
Joseph Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill
Decisions:
A united nations organisation was to be set up.
The USSR was to wage war on Japan upon Germany's defeat.
A section of Eastern Poland was to be given the the USSR to act as a buffer zone.
UK and USA were to open up a second front against Germany in France in May 1944.

The Percentages Deal

Oct 9, 1944

The percentages agreement was an alleged agreement between Joseph Stalin and Winston Churchill about how to divide southeastern Europe into spheres of influence. Country, GB, USSR
Romania, 10%, 90%
Greece, 90%, 10%
Yugoslavia, 50%, 50%
Hungary, 50%, 50%
Bulgaria, 25%, 75%

The Yalta Conference

Feb 4, 1945

Ended: February 11.
Churchill, Stalin, Roosevelt.
Agreements:
Germany/Berlin was to be divided into four zones.
Nazi-war criminals were to be hunted down.
Liberated countries were to be given free elections.
To join the UN, to maintain peace after WW2. Disagreements:
How much Germany was to pay for reparations, they didn't want a repeat of the treaty of versailles.
How much control Stalin was going to have over Poland.

Harry S. Truman Becomes President

Apr 12, 1945

The Potsdam Conference

Jul 16, 1945

Churchill (replaced by Attlee due to the UK general elections during the conference), Truman (replaced Roosevelt after he died of a cerebral hemorrhage in april 1945), and Stalin.
Due to 2/3 of the big three being replaced, Stalin had two new people to contend with and it would be harder for them to come up with a conclusive decision.

United States First Use of The Atomic Bomb

Aug 6, 1945

By executive order of President Harry S. Truman, the US dropped the nuclear weapon "Little Boy" on the city of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, followed by the detonation of "Fat Man" over Nagasaki on August 9.
Although many people died in the initial bombings, survivors were left to survive under harsh conditions, most without families and many to eventually die a slow and painful death of radiation poisoning. HQ version of this event's image:
http://www.aasc.ucla.edu/cab/200708230009.html

Japan Surrenders, WW2 ends

Aug 14, 1945

The Japanese surrender brought WW2 to a close. With the shock from the nuclear bombings at Hiroshima and Nagasaki still on their minds and the soviets attacking (to fulfill their agreement from the Teheran and Yalta conferences) Emperor Hirohito intervened and ordered the Supreme Council for the Direction of the War to accept the terms for ending the war that the Allies had set down in the Potsdam Declaration. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrender_of_Japan

Churchill Delivers "Iron Curtain" Speech

Mar 5, 1946

Winston Churchill gave the his speech "the sinews of Peace", in which he talked about the separation of western and eastern countries, refering to those behind the curtain being a part of the "Soviet sphere". A full transcript of the speech can be found here:
http://www.historyguide.org/europe/churchill.html

Introduction of Cominform

May 1, 1947

(I was unable to find whhen during 1947 cominform was introduced, this is all I know)
The COMmunist INFORMation bureau was set up to co-ordinate communist parties throughout Europe.
Cominform was the Soviet response to the Truman doctrine. it was introduced to ensure that the states in Eastern Europe:
1. Followed soviet aims in foreign policy.
2. Introduced collectivisation and state control of industry.

Marshal Plan is announced

Jun 29, 1947

Rebuilding and creating a stronger economic foundation for the countries of Europe. The US policy of sending money and offering aid to european countries to recover from WW2. It's intent was to stop the spread of communism, because the poorer countries were becoming communist.

Communist Takeover In Czechoslovakia

Feb 8, 1948

1946: Communist party were the largest in the coalition government. They also had control over the police and the army.
1948: Supported by the Soviet Union, the communist party used the army to seize control. Rigged elections brought a communist victory. Soon after, all other political parties were banned.

[incomplete] Berlin Blockade Begins

Jun 24, 1948

[Incomplete] Mao Zedong, a communist dictator takes control in China

Sep 13, 1949

[Incomplete] Soviets Explode First Atmoc Bomb

Sep 16, 1949

Georgy Malenkov Becomes Leader of The USSR

Mar 5, 1953

Dwight D. Eisenhower Elected President

Mar 6, 1953

Nikita Khrushchev Becomes Leader of The USSR

Mar 27, 1955

[Incomplete] Warsaw Pact Formed

May 15, 1955

[Incomplete] Sputnik launched into orbit

Oct 4, 1957

[Incomplete] Cuba taken over by communist leader Fidel Castro

Jan 29, 1959

[Incomplete]Khrushchev visists the USA

Sep 8, 1959

John F. Kennedy Elected President

Jan 20, 1961

[incomplete]The bay of bigs fiasco

Apr 3, 1961

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/COLDbayofpigs.htm

[incomplete]The border between East and West Berlin closed

Aug 13, 1961

[Incomplete] Construction of the Berlin Wall begins

Aug 17, 1961

[incomplete]President Kennedy assasinated in Dallas

Nov 18, 1963

Lyndon B. Johnson becomes President

Nov 22, 1963

Leonid Brezhnev Becomes Leader of The USSR

Oct 14, 1964

[incomplete]Soviet troops crush Czechoslovakian revolt

Aug 24, 1968

Richard Nixon Elected President

Jan 20, 1969

[incomplete]Apollo 11 lands on the Moon

Jul 20, 1969

[incomplete] President Nixon extends Vietnam war to Cambodia

Apr 13, 1970

[incomplete]SALT I Agreement signed

Jul 15, 1972

[incomplete]End of the Vietnam War

Jan 28, 1973

[incomplete]President Nixon resigns

Aug 8, 1974

Gerald Ford Becomes President

Aug 9, 1974

Jimmy Carter Elected President

Jan 20, 1977

[incomplete]SALT II Agreeement signed

Jul 28, 1979

Ronald Reagan Elected President

Jan 20, 1981

Yuri Andropov Becomes Leader of The USSR

Nov 12, 1982

[incomplete]President Reagan proposes Strategic Defense Initiative

Feb 2, 1983

Konstantin Chermenko Becomes Leader of The USSR

Feb 13, 1984

Mikhail Gorbachev Becomes Leader of The USSR

Mar 11, 1985

[incomplete]Reagan and Gorbachev remove all intermediate nuclear missiles from Europe

Oct 14, 1986

[incomplete]Soviet troops withdraw from Afghanistan

Jan 2, 1989

[incomplete]The Fall of the Berlin Wall

Oct 3, 1989

-check if dates are right future David

[incomplete]Germany Reunited

Oct 3, 1990

[incomplete]Warsaw Pact ends

Apr 10, 1991