Cold War Timeline by ZANE ZAHNER

Winston Churchill's Iron Curtain Speech

zzahner26 — 2024-04-03 01:39:12 UTC

On March 5th, 1946, in Fulton Missouri, Winston Churchill spoke to the US about the new threat looming over the Western world. A so-called "Iron Curtain" that divided Western capitalism/democracy and Eastern communism/totalitarianism. This made America more aware and possibly afraid (the phrase "iron curtain" doesn't seem super positive) of what was happening in Europe and sowed the seeds for the second Red Scare.

Truman Doctrine Speech

zzahner26 — 2024-04-03 01:39:31 UTC

On March 12th, 1947, Harry Truman gave a speech stating that the US should stop at nothing to keep communism from spreading. At the time, he was advocating to only send money to Greece and Turkey(who were in the middle of civil wars over whether they should be communist or capitalist). However, it was later used to justify the Korean and Vietnam wars (which saw American troops in battle).

Marshall Plan

zzahner26 — 2024-04-03 01:39:53 UTC

From April 3rd, 1948 to October 10th, 1951, the US supplied tons of money to kick-start their capitalist economies partially because they wanted communism to have little room to grow/be entertained as a possible idea. Also, people believed poor unemployed people would be more open to communism, so they wanted companies to rebuild and reopen factories/stores to create jobs to limit those ideas.

SALT 1 Signed

zzahner26 — 2024-04-03 01:40:06 UTC

The first series of Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) went on from November 17th, 1969, to May 26th, 1972. During this time, the sides agreed to limit the number of intercontinental ballistic missiles they have, as well as the number of anti-ICBM launching sites they have. It also introduced non-interference, which disallowed either country from meddling in a different country's internal affairs.

South Vietnam falls to Communist North Vietnam

zzahner26 — 2024-04-03 01:40:37 UTC

On April 30th, 1975, the North Vietnamese Army captured Saigon, the Capital of South Vietnam, practically ending the war. Vietnam reunified under communism, solidifying that the US sent 58,000 troops to die in vain. It also marked the last time the US would send troops to fight communism (which might not have been the case if the South won the war).

Berlin Wall Falls

zzahner26 — 2024-04-03 01:40:55 UTC

On November 9th, 1989, East Berliners were finally allowed to into West Berlin, and people started to tear down the Berlin Wall. Then, on July 21st, 1990, there was a huge celebration, and several bands played as the wall fell. This was a huge step to German reunification, and pretty much the nail in the coffin for the Soviet Union, as it fell only 13 months later.

Berlin Blockade and Airlift

zzahner26 — 2024-04-03 01:41:13 UTC

On June 24th, 1948, the Soviets cut off US ground transportation to West Berlin to try to starve West Berliners into leaving (which would allow the Soviets to have full control of Berlin). This raised tensions, but the Americans found a clever way around their blockade. The Soviets wouldn't risk a war by shooting down American planes, so for about a year, the US airdropped supplies to West Berlin. The USSR ended the blockade on May 12th, 1949.

NATO Alliance Formed

zzahner26 — 2024-04-03 01:41:29 UTC

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization(NATO) was formed on April 4th, 1949. This discouraged the Soviets from expanding because they would be nuked if they attacked the homeland of a country in the treaty (leading to proxy wars).

Creation of the Warsaw Pact

zzahner26 — 2024-04-03 01:41:41 UTC

Because the West made NATO, the Soviets decided to make the Warsaw Pact. The signings happened on May 14th, 1955. The main thing that would come out of this treaty was the sending of troops from the USSR (and most other satellite states) into Prague to stop the Czechoslovakian reformist movement

Korean War

zzahner26 — 2024-04-03 01:41:54 UTC

On June 25, 1950, the North Korean army attacked South Korea on their border (the 39th parallel). North Korea wanted to reunite the two countries under communism. The USSR & China backed North Korea, and America backed South Korea. A ceasefire agreement was signed on July 27, 1953, "ending" the war. Even though the war was a net loss (people died and the war ended in a stalemate), it set the precedent that the US would send troops to fight in foreign wars.

Yalta Conference

zzahner26 — 2024-04-03 01:42:08 UTC

From February 4th to the 11th, 1945, The leaders of Britain, the US, and the USSR met in Yalta to discuss what would be done now that the war's end was in sight. They decided they wanted Germany's unconditional surrender (meaning they could do whatever to Germany), Germans (both POWs and citizens) to be punished for the war (mainly through forced repair of the damage they caused), and to split Germany and Berlin into four zones occupied by France, Great Britain, the US, and the USSR. Also, the USSR would help fight Japan three months after Germany surrendered, but the USSR got Poland and said they would allow Poland to have democratic elections (though they would rig the election in the Communist Party's favor.

Potsdam Conference

zzahner26 — 2024-04-03 01:42:24 UTC

From July 17th to August 2nd, 1945, the leaders of Britain, the US, and the USSR met to discuss how they would carry out the Yalta Conference. They nullified Nazi laws, abolished the German military, divided Germany and Berlin into four parts(as talked about earlier), arrested Nazi leaders for war crimes, created the Council of Foreign Ministers to make postwar policies, and gave control of German-occupied territory back to the local governments.

Bombing of Hiroshima

zzahner26 — 2024-04-03 01:42:47 UTC

On April 6th, 1945, the uranium bomb "Little Boy" was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, and about 78,000 people nearly instantly. This somewhat begins the arms race, as other countries scramble to make their own a-bombs.

The Rosenberg Trial

zzahner26 — 2024-04-03 01:43:03 UTC

The Rosenberg's trial started March 6th, 1951, and they were accused of espionage and giving the soviets information about atomic bombs. This sent the Red Scare paranoia into full swing, as the Rosenbergs seemed like your average American family, complete with two kids. Now it seemed like any family could be Soviet sympathizers, and no one could truly trust anyone else.

Bombing of Nagasaki

zzahner26 — 2024-04-03 01:43:23 UTC

On April 9th, 1945, the plutonium bomb "Fat Man" was dropped on the Japanese city of Nagasaki, and about 78,000 people nearly instantly. This makes the world realize that the first bomb was not a fluke.

McCarthyism/Second Red Scare

zzahner26 — 2024-04-03 01:44:10 UTC

From 1947 until the government censured him in December of 1954, Joseph McCarthy used his influence as a Wisconsin Senator to accuse people of being communists. While there were a few cases where there was evidence of the accused giving information to Russia, it was mainly a witch hunt to take down political opponents and people he didn't like. As for the general public, it made people conform to what he said for fear of being called "communist" or "anti-American," and it caused general panic as it made it seem like anyone could be a communist.

Sputnik Launched into Orbit

zzahner26 — 2024-04-03 01:45:29 UTC

Sputnik, the first man-made satellite, was launched by the USSR on October 4th, 1957. Now, America was worried it had fallen behind. This started the Space Race and the US/USSR started pouring tons of money into their space programs.

U-2 Incident

zzahner26 — 2024-04-03 01:45:57 UTC

On May 1st, 1960, a US spy plane was shot down over Russia, and the US got mad (but what were they expecting? They had a spy plane in enemy territory). The US canceled the Paris Summit (which would've discussed Germany's future, as well as a possible nuclear test ban), and there was a general raising of tensions again.

Bay of Pigs Invasion

zzahner26 — 2024-04-03 01:46:07 UTC

This was an attempt by the Cuban Democratic Revolutionary Front to overthrow dictator Fidel Castro. The invasion lasted from the 17th to the 20th of April, 1961. It ultimately failed, giving Castro a base to say that he was pursuing socialism and a relationship with the Soviet Union. It also showed that Kennedy was weak on communism, as he gave up quickly.

Construction of the Berlin Wall Begins

zzahner26 — 2024-04-03 01:47:07 UTC

On August 13th, 1961, the USSR started building a wall around the entirety of West Berlin. They did this so their citizens couldn't see how much better the West was doing, and to keep their citizens from fleeing into West Berlin. The wall split many families for decades, and many died trying to escape into West Berlin.

Cuban Missile Crisis

zzahner26 — 2024-04-03 01:47:32 UTC

From Oct 16th to Oct 29th, 1962, there was widespread worry that the USSR might use nuclear force against America. Earlier, the US also placed missiles in Turkey pointed at the USSR, so in retaliation, Soviet atomic missiles were placed in Cuba. Eventually, the two leaders came to an agreement, and both countries removed their atomic weapons.

Vietnam War

zzahner26 — 2024-04-03 01:47:41 UTC

The Vietnam War lasted from November 1, 1955 – April 30, 1975, though the U.S. soldiers were there from March 8th, 1965, to March 29th, 1973. This continued the precedent that the US could use the Truman Doctrine to send troops to a foreign country. However, it would be the last because we didn't win the Korean or Vietnam wars, so public opinion of proxy wars was poor. This war also caused a lot of turmoil in the US, as people began protesting the war in large numbers halfway through. It also decreased trust in the US government when the public discovered that the war might've been started on a lie and when Nixon didn't draw out of the war like he said he would (he actually did the opposite).

Apollo 11 Lands on the Moon

zzahner26 — 2024-04-03 01:47:58 UTC

The Apollo 11 crew were on the moon from July 16th to July 20th, 1969. This effectively ended the "race" part of the space race, but shuttles to the moon continued until 1972. It was also a huge leap for science, as we were able to study samples of the moon for the first time. The landing inspired more people to become interested in science and new technology as well.

President Nixon Visits China

zzahner26 — 2024-04-03 01:48:13 UTC

Nixon's visit lasted from February 21st to the 28th, 1972. This act helped rekindle relations with China and resulted in the Shanghai Communique. While no actual plans were made in the Shanghai Communique, it expressed that China and the US have plans to better their relationship. Now, it's customary for the US president to take a trip to china during their presidency.

Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Ratified

zzahner26 — 2024-04-03 01:49:11 UTC

The ban went into effect on October 10th, 1963. This relieved a lot of tension, as people saw this as a de-escalation of the arms race. While an attack could theoretically be just as likely, to many it felt like the likelihood of nuclear war reduced drastically. It was also a win for the environment, as there was a ton of radiation in the atmosphere from testing, and now that tests are underground, there is a lot less fallout in the atmosphere.

USSR Collapses

zzahner26 — 2024-04-03 01:49:36 UTC

On December 25, 1991, Gorbachev resigned from the Presidency of the Soviet Union, effectively dismantling the Soviet Union and ending the Cold War. This resulted in widespread instability in Eastern Europe and further increased crime and corruption. It also increased the US's influence, as it was now the undisputed largest world power (though China would soon start to challenge the US).