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Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference was held after World War II when the heads of government of the United States, United Kingdom and the Soviet Union got together to discuss Germany and Europe's postwar reorganization. -
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Potsdam Conference
The leaders of The Soviet Union, The United States and The United Kingdom gathered to discuss how to administer Germany who decided to surrender a few week before and to take care and establish postwar order, peace treaty issues, and the effects of the war. -
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Hiroshima and Nagasaki Bombing
During the final stages of World War II, The United States dropped two nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing 129,000-226,000 civilians. Japan officially surrendered days after. -
Molotov Plan
Involved bilateral trade agreements that helped to consolidate the economics of Poland, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania- solidifying the Soviet presence in Europe. -
Truman Doctrine
A foreign policy introduced by president Harry S. Truman with the purpose to counter the Soviets geopolitical expansion during the Cold War. It continued into the year 1948 when he committed to contain Greek and Turkish threats. -
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Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan is officially known as the European Recovery Program, which helped bring aid to Western Europe. The United States gave over $12million in order to help rebuild European economies. Some of their goals included to rebuild torn regions, remove trade barriers, modernize industry, improve European prosperity, and prevent the spread of communism. -
Brussels Treaty
A treaty signed by Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Netherlands and the United Kingdom, founding the Western European Union. This treaty promised military, economic, social, and cultural cooperation as well as mutual defence clause between these states. -
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Berlin Blockade
The Berlin Blockade is known to be one of the first major international crisis during the Cold War. The Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies’ railways, roads and canal access to the sectors of Berlin. The Soviets offered to drop the blockade if the Western Allies withdrew the newly introduced Deutsche Mark from West Berlin. -
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was a military alliance established by the North Atlantic Treaty. It's primary purpose was to unify the Western Allies' military response for a possible attack between Western Europe by the Soviet Union and it's Warsaw Pact allies. -
Soviet Creation of Nuclear Weapons
The Soviets successfully tested their first nuclear device called RDS-1 or "First Lightning" on August 29 1949. As the Cold War escalated both the Soviet Union and the United States rapidly developed their respective nuclear arsenals. The Soviet Union then initiated their own hydrogen bomb program. -
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Korean War
The Korean War invasions were the first military actions taken in the Cold War. It began when soldiers from North Korea poured across the boundary between the Soviet-backed Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to the north, and the Pro-Western Republic of Korea to the south. Other countries feared it was a first step in a communist campaign to take over the world. -
Stalin's Death
After Stalin's death in 1953, the Cold War was described as an "overnight change". Although the world remain mistrustful of the countries motives, and the Soviets remained mistrustful of Western Intentions, the Soviets embarked on a course of reconciliation and geartor openness. -
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Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact included the Soviet Union, Albania, Poland, Romania, Hungary, East Germany, Czechoslovaki, and Bulgaria as members. The member states had to come to the defence of any member attacked by an outside force and it set up a unified military command under the Soviet Union. -
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Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a long conflict that pitted the government of North Vietnam which was supported by The Soviet Union, China, and other communist allies, against South Vietnam who was supported by anti-communist countries like the USA, South Korea, and Thailand. The war ended when communist forces seized control of South Vietnam and the country was unified as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. -
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Hungarian Revolution
This was a nation wide revolution against the Hungarian People’s Republic and its Soviets imposed policies. This being the first major threat to the Soviet control since the Red Army during WWII. -
NORAD
The North American Defence Agreement was a pact placed in 1957 between the American and the Canadian governments. Both countries feared a long-ranged attack by the Soviet Union, therefore, they would integrate their air-defence forces and work together to ensure continental protection. -
Fidel Castro Taking Over
Fidel Castro was a communist revolutionary and politician who worked to overthrow Fulgencio Batista. During the Cold War, Castro aligned with The Soviet union and allowed them to bring in nuclear weapons into Cuba, which was a big factor in the start of the Cuban Missile Crisis. -
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Bay Of Pigs
This failed military invasion of Cuba started when Fidel Castro drove his army into Havana and overthrew General Fulgencio Batista, who was America’s-backed president. A counter revolutionary military group trained and funded by the CIA intended to overthrow the increasing communist government of the Fidel Castro. -
Creation Of The Berlin Wall
The Berlin wall was created to separate East Berlin which was under the control of the Soviet Union, from West Berlin who was allied with Britain, France and the USA. It was also a way to prevent people from fleeing a communist government to a democratic one. It started out as a wired fence, that became a 12ft high and 4ft wide concrete wall. -
End of the Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis came to an end when the leader of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev, agreed to remove Russian missiles from Cuba as long as the United States respects Cuba's territorial sovereignty. After the missiles were removed, tensions between the Soviets and the United States ended before provoking a nuclear conflict. Relations between the Soviet Union and Cuba were shaky since Castro accused the Soviets of backing down from the Americans and deserting the Cuban revolution. -
Nuclear Arms Treaties
The purpose of The Nuclear Arms Treaty was to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology in order to achieve useful and peaceful uses for nuclear energy. The countries involved in testing nuclear explosive devices before 1968 were, France, Britain, China, America and the Soviet Union -
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Afghanistan/Soviet War
The Soviet- Afghanistan war lasted over nine years when Afghanistan’s communist party took power initiating a series of radical modernization reforms throughout the country. Groups known as the Mujahideen and Maoist, who were backed by the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan faught against the Soviet army and the democratic republic of Afghanistan government, making it a cold war proxy war. -
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Solidarity in Poland
Solidarity in Poland meant an independent self governing trade union. The Polish trade union became the first independent labour union in country that belong to the Soviet bloc. Solidarity sub-sequentially formed a coalition government with Polands United Workers Party, after which its leaders dominated the national government. -
Berlin Wall Falling
The idea was first brought up in 1987 during President Ronald Reagan's speech in Berlin, when he asked the leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, to tear down the wall. As the Soviet Union began to collapse in 1989, the official announcement to tear down the wall was made, finally letting people move freely between East and West Berlin. -
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Czechoslovakia Revolution
It is also known as The Velvet Revolution, it included students and older dissidents. It was a non-violent revolution that peacefully ended the communist regime as well as the dismantling of their planned economy and converting to a parliamentary republic. -
End of the Cold War
The Cold War came to an end when the Berlin Wall was torn down and borders were opened. Free elections ousted Communist regimes in eastern Europe and Russia formally recognized the end of the Soviet Union.