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the "Big Three" leaders—Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin—seated together at the Livadia Palace in Crimea

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Feb. 4th-11th, 1945

This conference involved the 3 biggest leaders in the world at the time, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin. The conference aimed to discuss post-WWII plans for Europe. The discussion at the conference was vague and led to misunderstandings between Western allies and the Soviet Union. This Conference not only created ideas for NATO but also set the stage for the Cold War.

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View of the conference table at Cecilienhof Palace, scene of the Potsdam Conference in Potsdam, Germany

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Jul. 17th - Aug. 2nd, 1995

Similar to the Yalta Conference, the Potsdam Conference brought together the Allied leaders to negotiate plans for post-war Germany, such as the 4 occupation zones. However, tension between the US and USSR started to form due to conflicting opinions on political influence in Germany.

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Damage done by bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

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Aug. 6th & 9th, 1945

The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki showcased the United States' power. It was intended to force Japan to surrender, but also showed the Soviet Union what the US was capable of. The USSR viewed the United States' access and use of atomic bombs as a threat, adding to the distrust and starting a race to see who could compile the most world-ending weapons.

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Winston Churchill standing with President Harry S. Truman at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri

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Mar. 5th, 1946

The "Sinews of Peace" speech by former Prime Minister Winston Churchill is most popular for using the metaphor "Iron Curtain" to describe how Europe had been divided into 2 different areas of political influence. Churchill warns the American nation of the expansion of communism, sparking the ideas of containment. This speech caused nationwide fear of communists and communism, and caused the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan to go into action.

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President Harry S. Truman addressing a joint session of Congress

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Mar. 12th, 1947

The Truman Doctrine speech by Harry S. Truman was intended to establish a new policy to contain communism. In the speech, Truman introduced the policy of containment, which stated that it was the United States' responsibility to support nations threatened by communism. This new policy was a complete flip of their previous policy of isolationism. The Soviet Union saw this as a challenge to its influence, and tensions continued to rise as the USSR took notice of the United States' effort to contain them through its new framework of foreign policy.

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General George C. Marshall delivering his speech at Harvard University 

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Jun. 5th, 1948

The Marshall Plan was a plan to aid Western Europe by helping rebuild after the destruction of WWII. The US saw that helping would not only solidify Western Europe being on the United States' side, but also form a front against the USSR. The Marshall Plan also caused Europe to further show the "Iron Curtain". Western Europe had rapid growth and recovery, whereas Eastern Europe was still experiencing the effects of WWII. The Soviets saw that this caused communism to look weak, so they created their economic plans to continue to spread communism.

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U.S. Air Force airplane landing in Berlin while children, standing on a pile of rubble, watch

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Jun. 24th, 1948

The first significant confrontation between the Soviet Union and the United States was the Berlin blockade and airlift. The USSR blocked off all of West Berlin, trying to force the Western allies to abandon the city. In response, Western allies airlifted supplies and food to the city. This event heightened the tensions between the US and the USSR and showed how they were both fighting over who could have the better influence to prove their political ideas were better. In this instance, the USSR seemed cruel to the people of West Berlin, and the US looked like heroes.

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Representatives from the founding member countries signing the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, D.C. 

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Apr. 4th, 1949

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was a military alliance formed to create a collective defense and to counter the Soviet Union. The countries included all had the same goal of containing communism and soviet influence, and the alliance of NATO helped to bring all the countries together.

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War-weary Korean girl carrying her brother on her back while trudging past a stalled M-26 tank at Haengju, Korea, on June 9, 1951

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Jun. 25th, 1950

The Korean War was a conflict between North Korea (Supported by China and the USSR) and South Korea (Supported by the US and other Western Nations). The war started because North Korea wanted the South to be communist and invaded the country. The United Nations stepped in to help South Korea defend. This war was intense and ended in a stalemate after 3 years of fighting. The division of North and South Korea stayed the same as it started. This war was the first major conflict between the US and USSR and demonstrated how the US was willing to go into battle to contain communism. It caused both the Soviet Union and the United States to start building up their military and weapons.

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Senator Joseph McCarthy holding a piece of paper during a speech, claiming it contained a list of communists working in the State Department.

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1950s

McCarthyism refers to the early 1950s when US Senator Joseph McCarthy claimed to find alleged communists in the US government and other institutions. This led to widespread paranoia in the United States because of the many accusations made against people without proper evidence. The constant fear of communism led to a wave of suspicion and repression across America and increased support for aggressive foreign policies aimed at containing communism.

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Julius and Ethel Rosenberg sitting in the courtroom during their trial in 1951

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Mar. 29th, 1951

The Rosenberg Trial was a landmark espionage case during the early Cold War, involving Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, an American couple accused of passing atomic bomb secrets to the Soviet Union. They were convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage and were executed. The trial heightened fears of Soviet spies and communist activity in the United States, reinforcing anti-communist feelings and fear.

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Poland's Prime Minister Józef Cyrankiewicz signing the Warsaw Pact

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May 14th, 1955

The Warsaw Pact was a military alliance between the Soviet Union and 7 Eastern European countries that was created in response to NATO. The Warsaw Pact further solidified the division of Europe into 2 opposing halves, intensifying the tensions between the East and West. It also provided a framework for the Soviet Union to continue spreading communism across Europe.

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Young guerrillas wearing grenades at their belts, preparing to fight the encroaching Viet Minh forces in the Red River Delta, northern Vietnam, in 1954

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Nov. 1st, 1955

The Vietnam War was an infamously prolonged war between communist North Vietnam (supported by China and the Soviet Union) and South Vietnam (supported by the US and other anti-communist countries). The US aimed to stop the spread of communism in Southeast Asia using the policy of containment. This war led to significant military and economic expenditures and caused political and social divisions in the United States. The victory of North Vietnam caused the country to be under communist rule, marked a large setback for the US, and showed the limits of American military power.

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Sputnik 1 satellite, taken before its launch

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Oct. 4th, 1957

The Sputnik 1 was the first artificial satellite sent to space. This event demonstrated the Soviet Union's advanced technological capabilities and triggered the space race between the US and USSR and the creation of NASA. This competition not only caused new advancements in science and technology but also caused fear in the United States over the fear of the Soviets creating a missile.

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The wreckage of the American Lockheed U-2 Dragon Lady on display at the Central Armed Forces Museum in Moscow

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May 1st, 1960

The U-2 incident occurred when an American U-2 spy plane was shot down by the USSR while flying over Soviet territory. This event exposed the United States' surveillance operations, leading to heightened tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States. The incident embarrassed the US on the global stage and led to even further mistrust between the two nations.

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Cuban soldiers standing around a wagon carrying dead soldiers, likely Americans or members of Brigade 2506, involved in the invasion

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Apr. 17th, 1961

The Bay of Pigs Invasion was a failed military operation conducted by Cuban exiles and sponsored by the United States to overthrow Fidel Castro's communist government in Cuba. The invasion was poorly organized and was defeated within 3 days due to Castro's strong resistance. The failure was yet another embarrassment for the US and solidified the relationship between the Soviet Union and Cuba, setting the stage for the Cuban Missile crisis.

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East German soldiers setting up barbed wire barricades at the border separating East and West Berlin

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Aug. 13th, 1961

The Berlin Wall was constructed to prevent East Germans from fleeing to the West. East Germans were seeking economic and political freedom that the United States and other Western powers provided in West Berlin. The wall became a real-life example of the "Iron Curtain" that separated East and West Europe and raised tensions between Western and Eastern powers.

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President John F. Kennedy addressing the nation on October 22, 1962, about the discovery of Soviet missiles in Cuba and the subsequent naval blockade

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Oct. 16th, 1962

The Cuban missile crisis was a pivotal moment during the Cold War, occurring when the US found out that the Soviet Union had secretly installed nuclear missiles in Cuba, just 90 miles from the US coast. President John F. Kennedy demanded the removal of the missiles and imposed a naval blockade around Cuba to prevent further USSR shipments. The standoff ended when the Soviet Union agreed to dismantle the missiles in exchange for the US to pledge not to invade Cuba and remove their missiles from Turkey. This event almost sent the world into a nuclear war and significantly heightened tensions.

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President John F. Kennedy signing the Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in the White House

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Oct. 10th, 1963

The Nuclear Test Ban Treaty was a treaty signed by the United States, Soviet Union, and the United Kingdom. This treaty prohibited nuclear weapon tests in the atmosphere, outer space, and underwater, allowing only underground. It was the first significant step towards controlling nuclear weapons. It also helped ease tensions between the USSR and US and helped the nations move closer to a resolution.

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Astronaut Buzz Aldrin standing on the lunar surface, taken by Neil Armstrong 

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Jul. 20th, 1969

The Apollo 11 moon landing was a historic event where astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong were the first humans to walk on the moon. This event was a large victory for the United States because it won the space race, a key point of tension between the US and USSR. The successful landing demonstrated American technological and scientific supierority over the Soviet Union.

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Feb. 21st - 28th, 1972

Nixon visiting China was groundbreaking because it was the first time a president ever went there. The visit aimed to normalize relations between the two countries after decades of hostility. The US also aimed to gain a strategic advantage over the Soviet Union by exploiting the sino-soviet split. The truce between the two countries not only eased tensions in Asia but ultimately led to a period of peace in the Cold War.

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May 26th, 1972

The SALT I was a agreement arms control agreement between the Soviet Union and United States that freezed the number of strategic ballistic missile launchers and limited the deployment of anti-ballistic missile systems. This agreement was another large step towards peace and improved relations between the nation.

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 CIA employee helping Vietnamese evacuees onto an Air America helicopter from the top of 22 Gia Long Street in Saigon

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Apr. 30th, 1975

The fall of South Vietnam occured when North Vietnam captured Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, ending the Vietnam war. This event was a major victory for the Soviet Union and a setback for the United States and its allies. The defeat influenced American foreign policy and showed the limitations of US intervention.

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People from both East and West Berlin celebrating together on top of the Wall near the Brandenburg Gate

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Nov. 9th, 1989

The Berlin wall falling symbolized the collapse of communist control in Eastern Europe. It was followed by political changes and public uprisings in East Germany and other Eastern countries. It marks the impending end of the Cold War and freedom for East Berlin.

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Russian President Boris Yeltsin standing on a tank outside the Russian White House, addressing the crowd during the August 1991 coup attempt

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Dec. 26th, 1991

The collapse of the USSR officially marks the end of the Cold War. The Soviet Union split into 15 countries due to economic problems, political reforms, and rising nationalism. The end of the USSR caused the US to be the only superpower, therefore ending all conflict/tensions.