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Cold War Timeline

By gracemtate

  • Winston Churchill's "Iron Curtain" Speech

    Winston Churchill's "Iron Curtain" Speech
    • Britain's former Prime Minister gave this famous speech to inform citizens about the prominent divide between the USSR and the Western World
    • This speech ensured that everyone was aware of the conflict and gave the name "Iron Curtain" to the boundary between communist USSR and capitalist Western Europe
    • Set the precedent for world leaders addressing the people directly and providing them with details of global conflicts
    • It's important to remember that citizens have the right to be informed

  • Truman Doctrine

    Truman Doctrine
    • American foreign policy where Truman promised the US would support anyone attempting to resist communist takeover in an attempt to contain communism.
    • Began the American policy of containment that would lead the US into various military conflicts throughout the Cold War.
    • Showed US dedication to containing communism and the measures they would take to prevent it from spreading.
    • It's important to understand the justification for the US getting involved in the Korean and Vietnam Wars.

  • Marshall Plan

    Marshall Plan
    • The US' response the struggling European economy following World War II. The US announced that they would support European countries financially to help them rebuild.
    • The US feared that a weak economy would make it easier for communism to take over.
    • This support showed the alliance of the US with European nations attempting to avoid communism and got America involved financially.
    • It's important to study the economic policies of US history so we can make educated decisions in the future.

  • Berlin Blockade Begins

    Berlin Blockade Begins
    • Military blockade placed around Berlin in an attempt by the Soviet Union to stop force the Western Allied powers to relinquish their rule in West Berlin
    • Left citizens of Berlin without food, clothing, and medical supplies.
    • Let the US to the Berlin Airlift where British and American planes flew in food and supplies.
    • It's important to study ways of aiding nations in need without instigating a violent military conflict so we can avoid war in the future

  • Creation of NATO

    Creation of NATO
    • The creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was prompted by the fear of the spread of communism. The US and eleven other Western nations formed an alliance to fight the spread of communism.
    • It's important to study US alliances and understand when is an appropriate time to form alliances with other nations and when it is important to remain isolated from Europe.

  • China Falls to Communism

    China Falls to Communism
    • Mao Zedong becomes the leader of China, turning it into a communist nation called the People's Republic of China.
    • This is significant because China is a large nation with a strong global presence who falls to communism, showing the US' failure to contain communism.
    • It's important to understand how nations were able to fall under communism so we can work to prevent those circumstances from occurring again so we can prevent communism.

  • First Soviet Atomic Bomb Tested

    First Soviet Atomic Bomb Tested
    • The USSR tested their first successful atomic bomb which shocked the world. No one expected the Soviets to develop nuclear weapon knowledge so soon as it had taken the US much longer.
    • Led to the idea of Mutual Shared Destruction because both the USSR and the US knew that they each had the power to completely destroy each other
    • It's important to study how the knowledge of nuclear weapons affects everyday life and how quickly conflict can escalate.

  • Korean War Begins

    Korean War Begins
    • The war began when communist North Korea, aided by the USSR and China, invaded non-communist South Korea, aided by the US.
    • After 3 violent years of war, the two sides signed an armistice which ended the war; however, North and South Korea stayed divided and remain divided today.
    • It's important to study the effects of an international alliance and how US involvement in a war affects everyday life as well as international politics.

  • Geneva Conference Begins

    Geneva Conference Begins
    • The Geneva Agreements were signed by ***** which involved France taking their troops out of northern Vietnam and involved temporarily dividing Vietnam into North and South Vietnam along the 17th parallel.
    • This brought an end to the First Indochina War and ended the influence of France in Southeast Asia and led to the Second Indochina War which we refer to as the Vietnam War.
    • It's important to study the effects of peace agreements and assess whether they were effective and why,

  • Warsaw Pact Formed

    Warsaw Pact Formed
    • The Warsaw Treaty Organization was a military and political alliance that was formed between the USSR and other Eastern European countries as a response to the formation of NATO by the US and various Western European nations.
    • The alliance had a goal of spreading communism globally and was a direct opposition to American Capitalism. It came to be a symbol of Soviet dominance in Europe.
    • It's important to study the alliances of other nations against us so we can learn how and why they form.

  • Vietnam War Begins

    Vietnam War Begins
    • The Vietnam War was similar to the Korean War in that it was a conflict between the northern communist region of Vietnam and the southern non-communist region which was aided by the United States.
    • Also like the Korean War, this was considered a "proxy" war during the Cold War because the USSR and US did not go to war directly, however, they supported opposite sides of the conflict.
    • It's important to study the Vietnam War so we can learn how to prevent such brutal conflict in the future.

  • Hungarian Revolution Begins

    Hungarian Revolution Begins
    • The revolution of Hungary in 1956 was said to be a nearly spontaneous revolt of the citizens of Hungary against the Communist Party and the Soviet domination that was suppressing their people.
    • This event is significant as it signifies the struggle against the Soviet spread of communism and serves as an example of a nation resisting Soviet rule.
    • It's important to study the effectiveness of revolution in the past and to learn what prompts people to revolt.

  • Suez Crisis

    Suez Crisis
    • Army officer Gamal Abdel Nasser overthrew the British-controlled monarchy in Egypt, becoming the new leader of the Arab world. He seized control of the previous British operated Suez Canal which ends the British influence in Egypt.
    • This put the United Nations and NATO to the test as the US tried to support Britain in maintaining their territory.
    • It's important to study the effects of US international treaties and the conflicts that the US is pulled into as a result.

  • Sputnik Launched

    Sputnik Launched
    • The Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite, Sputnik, which intensified the arms race between the US and USSR and raised Cold War tensions.
    • The US feared that the Soviets were planning to use the satellite to spy on them or released atomic weapons. They were additionally upset that the Soviets were able to accomplish this feat before the Americans.
    • It's important to study the effects of scientific discovery on international conflict so we can continue similar discoveries.

  • Cuban Missile Crisis Begins

    Cuban Missile Crisis Begins
    • Nikita Khrushchev, the leader of the Soviet Union at the time, placed missiles in Cuba that had the potential to attack much of the United States. The US was initially unsure whether they should ignore the threat, form a blockade, or stage a surprise air raid.
    • Kennedy decided to form a blockade which prevented the nations from going to war and led to the removal of the missiles.
    • It's important to study this to learn how to effectively avoid violent conflict in the future.