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Yalta Conference: February 4, 1945 – February 11, 1945

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Yalta Conference: February 4, 1945 – February 11, 1945

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The Yalta Conference met in Crimea, Russia to discuss relations and decisions about the post World War II world. In attendance were Franklin D. Roosevelt (the US President), Winston Churchill (Britain’s Prime Minister), and Joseph Stalin (Russia’s dictator). At Yalta, it was decided Germany would be split up into 4 occupying zones, the northwest would be controlled by Great Britain, the southwest would be controlled by France, the south would be controlled by the US, and the east would be controlled by the Soviet Union (Berlin would also be split into zones similarly). Stalin promised Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria would have free elections and many hoped this would eventually lead to a more democratic Russia, however Stalin broke this promise.

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George Kennan’s “Long Telegram”: February 22, 1946

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George Kennan’s “Long Telegram”: February 22, 1946

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American diplomat, George Kennan, sent a telegram from Moscow, Russia to Washington D.C., stating that Russia was becoming increasingly dangerous and must be met with violence before the “traditional way of life” in the US was destroyed.  The “Long Telegram” highlighted the growing tensions between the US and USSR and spurred debate among American leaders that would eventually lead to the policy of containment.

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Proclaimed by US President Harry S. Truman in a speech to Congress, the Truman Doctrine stated that the US would provide military, economic, and policial aid and protection to countries threatened by communism. It made the US a clear opponent to the Soviet Union, whose goal was to spread communism, and introduced the guiding policy of containment (containing communism and preventing its expansion) which would be extremely important in the coming decades.

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The Korean War was a war fought between North and South Korea, with the North receiving aid from the USSR and China, and the South receiving aid from the US and United Nations. The main goal of the US was to prevent communism from spreading into South Korea. The Korean War is the first “hot” war of the Cold War, and the first time the two superpowers, the US and USSR, went to war against each other. This became a “proxy war,” where two superpowers fought in a third country, and ultimately resulted in between 2-4 million deaths, with approximately 70% of them being civilians.

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The “Space Race” was a competition between the United States and Soviet Union during the Cold War to make advancements in aerospace, (this included developing artificial satellites, human spaceflight, and space probes). The Space Race fueled tensions between the US and USSR, and, in essence, was a public contest to demonstrate which country had the best scientific, technological, and economic advancements.

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Vietnam War: November 1, 1955 – April 30, 1975

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Vietnam War: November 1, 1955 – April 30, 1975

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The Vietnam War was a war officially, between North and South Vietnam, with the North's main goal being to reunify Vietnam under communist rule. The US was a major ally to the South, wanting to protect it from communism, while the North received aid from China and the USSR, who wanted to spread communism. The US was unprepared for Vietnam’s guerilla fighting (unorganized, chaotic, fighting) and the swampy, hot, conditions of Vietnam. US soldiers were drafted, public opinion of the US shifted after the Tet Offensive, and US morale heavily decreased.

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Bay of Pigs Invasion:  April 17, 1961 – April 20, 1961

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Bay of Pigs Invasion:  April 17, 1961 – April 20, 1961

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The Bay of Pigs Invasion was a failed attempt by the United States to overthrow communist leader Fidel Castro and establish a non-communist government in Cuba. The United State’s CIA trained immigrants who had been exiled from Cuba to lead a rebellion against the Cuban government with the promise of US military aid. The day of the invasion, President Kennedy canceled US airstrikes that were crucial for the invasion, leaving the Cuban’s who were fighting in the rebellion to be massacred on the shores along the Bay of Pigs. The failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion made the US government and the Kennedy administration look inept, and caused Cuba to turn to the Soviet Union as an ally.

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Establishment of the Berlin Wall: August 13, 1961 - November 9, 1989

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Establishment of the Berlin Wall: August 13, 1961 - November 9, 1989

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The Berlin Wall was a physical border between communist East Berlin and non-communist West Berlin. Fear grew that people who traveled to the West wouldn't return to the East. The Wall restricted mobility, limited migration, separated families, overall leading it to become the universal symbol of the Cold War.

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Cuban Missile Crisis: October 16, 1962 – October 28, 1962

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Cuban Missile Crisis: October 16, 1962 – October 28, 1962

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The Cuban Missile Crisis was a standoff between the US and the USSR over Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba that lasted 13 days and nearly resulted in an all out nuclear war. It ended with the agreement that the USSR would remove their missiles from Cuba and the US would secretly remove their missiles from Turkey. The Cuban Missile Crisis is considered the most dangerous confrontation in the Cold War, further increased Soviet and US tensions, but demonstrated that both superpowers were reluctant to use their nuclear weapons.

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The Paris Peace Accords, formally titled “An Agreement Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam,” ended the US military involvement and established a cease-fire in Vietnam. The US abruptly leaving left South Vietnam unstable and vulnerable. Two year laters the South was conquered by the North and all of Vietnam became communist. The Vietnam War is widely credited as a loss for the US, who lost 58,220 troops, and didn’t prevent the spread of communism.

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Cambodian Genocide: April 17, 1975 – January 7, 1979

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Cambodian Genocide: April 17, 1975 – January 7, 1979

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Cambodia found itself a battleground of the Vietnam War when neighboring fighting spilled over onto their land. This, and decolonization, left the country impoverished and unstable, giving way to Cambodian communist guerrillas (known as the Khmer Rouge) to overthrow the government, turning Cambodia communist. Under this new government Cambondians were slaughtered, starved, and worked to death, and about ⅓ of Cambodia’s population died. The Cambodian Genocide was a direct result of the Cold War and Vietnam War.

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Perestroika and Glasnost: Roughly 1985–1991

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Perestroika and Glasnost: Roughly 1985–1991

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Perestroika, the policy of restructuring/reforming the economic and political system, was first proposed by Leniod Brexhne (hoping to increase Russia’s efficiency, automation, and labor), prompted a greater awareness of economic markets and ended central planning in Russia. Perestroika was followed by Glasnost, initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev, Glasnost was the policy of an open consultative government and increased accessibility to uncensored information. This led to freedom of speech, the privatization of companies, and a relearning of Russian history, however, citizens no longer knew how to take care of themselves without the help of the government and people struggled to get food.

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The Chernobyl Disaster was a nuclear accident in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, located by the city Pripyat in the Soviet Union, that occured when a reactor malfunctioned and released radioactivity into the atmosphere. Although the true death count will probably never be known, the UN estimates around 50 people died, making Chernobyl the world’s worst nuclear disaster in both cost and casualties. The Chernobyl Disaster changed the Soviet Union's view on nuclear war, as stated by Soviet defense minister General Dmitri Yazov, “Until Chernobyl, I was convinced we could fight a nuclear war and prevail.”

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Fall of the Berlin Wall: November 9, 1989

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Fall of the Berlin Wall: November 9, 1989

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On November 4, 1989 half a million people gathered in East Berlin to protest the Berlin Wall (the “Iron Curtain”), that divided communist Eastern Germany from Western Germany, and 5 days later the wall fell. This was a turning point in history, marking the end of communism throughout Eastern Europe and the beginning of Germany’s reunification.

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Dissolution of the Soviet Union: December 1991

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Dissolution of the Soviet Union: December 1991

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The Soviet Union dissolved from one communist superpower to numerous separate nations. On December 25, 1991 the Soviet sickle flag was lowered for the last time, and subsequently replaced by the Russian tricolor. Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as president of the Soviet Union, allowing Boris Yeltsin to take over as president of the new independent nation, Russia. The collapse of the Soviet Union resulted in an increase of crime and corruption in Russia, as well as an increase in the United State’s global power and authority.