Cold War timeline by WYATT RUSSELL

Yalta Conference drafts post-war plan (Feb 1945)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-04-10 19:01:45 UTC

It was a significant meeting between all the leaders of the Allied powers. Here they talked about how to evenly divide Germany and the capital Berlin, splitting it four ways evenly between the USA, France, the UK, and the USSR. Also, here Stalin signed an agreement to help the USA fight against Japan.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki (Aug 1945)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-04-10 19:06:13 UTC

The USA dropped two atomic bombs on Japan in August 1945, one being over Hiroshima and the other over Nagasaki. This caused major destruction and killed many thousands of citizens. These bombings led to the surrender of Japan a little while later.

Winston Churchill's Iron Curtain speech (Mar 5, 1946)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-04-10 19:07:41 UTC

Winston Churchill delivered his famous speech at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. In this speech, Churchill highlighted the rising tensions between the soviet union and the United States. He emphasized the need for unity in Western countries and to work on stopping the spread of communism.

Truman Doctrine first applied in Greek civil war (Mar 12, 1947)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-04-22 18:48:19 UTC

It was aimed at stopping communism around the world without starting World War 3. Cannot kill communism where it started because it's in the USSR, and a fight would cause billions to die. Gave money to non-Communists to win the war against Communism and to contain communism.

Marshall plan is announced to rebuild Europe (Jun 1947)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-04-22 19:14:10 UTC

The USA gives billions of dollars to Europe to rebuild so the economy can recover and prevent a civil war. This successfully prevents the spread of communism into the West. The USA stays in Europe to fight communism instead of going into isolation like in the past.

Berlin blockade and airlift begins (Jun 1948)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-04-22 19:44:43 UTC

The communist blockade of all ground routes to East Berlin hopes to push capitalists out of the capital. So the USA starts to airlift all the supplies needed to West Berlin, getting around the communist efforts.

Mao Zedong wins Chinese Civil War and creates the peoples republic of china (Oct 1, 1949)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-04-22 19:50:49 UTC

Mao was fighting a civil war before the Japanese invasion in WW2. Then Japan commits awful war crimes against China. After WW2, the civil war started again, and Mao won, and all of China is now communist.

NATO alliance formed

wrussell26_4 — 2025-04-22 19:57:39 UTC

The nato alliance was formed with 32 member states. This was a huge pact to fight against communism.

Russia test its first atomic bomb (Aug 20, 1949)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-04-22 19:59:26 UTC

The USSR tested the first atomic bomb for the communists in Kazakhstan in 1949.

Mao Zedong wins Chinese Civil War and creates the peoples Republic of China (Oct 1, 1949)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-02 19:13:29 UTC

After many years of fighting, Mao's army won the Chinese Civil War. Mao was a communist, so China fell into communism.

McCarthyism and the red scare takes hold in the US (Feb, 1950)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-02 19:49:13 UTC

A mass hysteria rolled over America of communism in the United States. Many people were scared and reported just about anything they had seen.

Korean War (1950-1953)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-02 19:52:14 UTC

The Korean War was very deadly and cost many lives. A lot of American soldiers died, and even more Korean Citizens died. Gorilla warfare was deadly against Americ,a and a lot of chemicals were used to weed out North Koreans.

H-Bomb tested by USA on Bikini Atoll (Mar 1, 1954)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-06 18:42:47 UTC

It was known as Operation Castle Bravo and was the most powerful bomb ever detonated by the US. The Explosion was much larger than expected and caused a lot of radiation damage.

KGB established (Mar 1954)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-06 18:45:29 UTC

A new agency within the USSR. Served as the main security agency for Russia and the USSR.

CIA helps overthrow unfriendly governments in Iran and Guatemala (Mar 1954)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-06 18:49:00 UTC

Operation Ajax occurred in Iran and was aimed at throw governments that posed a threat or clashed with the US government.

Warsaw pact formed (May 1955)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-06 18:55:20 UTC

The Warsaw Pact was formed in direct response the the NATO alliance. This consisted of all the communist countries.

Sino-Vietnamese War (Feb 1979)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-07 19:37:08 UTC

A war between China and Vietnam, both communist. Pol Pot became the communist leader of communist Cambodia and killed millions of Cambodians. Vietnam gets mad at this and invades Cambodia, which makes China mad, and they all fight.

Shah of Iran overthrown; Iran hostage crisis begins (Nov 1979)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-07 19:44:59 UTC

The king of Iran was overthrown in 1979, and the US liked him; he was very Western and agreed with US beliefs. A bunch of college kids and young men created a theocracy. 60 US civilians were held hostage at the embassy for 400 days under Jimmy Carter, then Reagan was put in office, and immediately they were released.

Reagan proposes SDI or "Star Wars"

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-07 19:56:53 UTC

Proposes the Strategic Defence Initiative and spends 30 billion on this. Wants to shoot nukes out of the air before they hit the ground. Criticized for being dumb, it can't just be 90 percent effective.

US troops invade and overthrow regime in Grenada (Oct 1983)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-09 18:38:01 UTC

Grenada gets invaded and overthrown by communists. So, the Marines sneak in, take over the government, and return it to the capitalist president.

Eastern bloc boycotts the LA Summer Olympics (July-Aug 1984)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-09 18:47:06 UTC

USSR and Eastern Bloc are still mad that the US boycotted 4 years earlier. So Communists do not show up at the Olympics.

Gorbachev begins "glasnost" and "perestroika" in efforts to reform the USSR (1985)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-09 18:58:40 UTC

The USSR is struggling economically badly at this point, but so is the US. Every dollar the US spends, the USSR also spends a dollar. So, Gorbachev starts these new programs to try and help bring back the economy. Glasnost is translated to openness, trying to make people happier.

The Transfermium wars begin (1955)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-09 19:14:40 UTC

A fight to discover and name as many elements as possible over the atomic number of 100. Most of these elements were used for atomic weapons.

Rebellion put down in Hungary (Nov 1956)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-09 19:24:48 UTC

At the beginning of the rebellion, it was successful for the citizens. But after a couple of months USSR came in and squashed the rebellion and kept a handle on Hungary.

Soviet withdraw from Afghanistan (Jan 1989)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-12 19:27:57 UTC

This was considered USSR-Vietnam. For 10 years, they fought in guerrilla warfare against Afghanistan. They eventually the USSR pack up and left.

Poland, Hungary, Czech, Bulgaria, and Romania oust communist government (1989)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-12 19:37:09 UTC

The USSR is struggling, and they just withdrew from Afghanistan, and they're in an economic freefall. The Eastern states of Europe are breaking free of Communism, and the Iron Curtain is cracking and unstable.

Tienanmen Square massacre (June 1989)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-12 19:47:34 UTC

A mass killing in the summer of 1989 in communist China. People are trying to get cultural and government freedom. They want to be there. A lot of people do not know the exact name. They get crushed badly by the Chinese government.

USSR launches first ICBM (Aug 1957)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-14 19:09:39 UTC

The first missile was able to transport its payload across countries. This missile also influenced the space race and its beginning.

Sputnik launched into orbit (Oct 4, 1957)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-14 19:13:11 UTC

First artificial satellite to ever be launched into orbit by the USSR and anyone else. This was the start of the space race. Also showed the USSR's advanced rocket technology.

Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba (Jan 1959)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-14 19:17:33 UTC

Castro led a widespread revolt all over Cuba with the help of many rebels. They successfully took power of the capital and started making many reforms among the government and the people, now Cuba is communist.

U2 spy plane shot down over the USSR (May 1960)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-15 13:04:08 UTC

A U2 spy plane piloted by Gary Powers was shot down over the USSR. This was a huge diplomatic craze. The US negotiated a deal to swap Rudolph Able for Gary Powers on a bridge.

Failed bay of pigs invasion (April 1961)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-15 13:14:18 UTC

An invasion along the Bay of Pigs, Cuba, where a militia of Cubans led by the US tried to take over Fidel Castro. The plan went wrong because of a failure in a good plan, a lack of air support, and the underestimated Castro's force.

Construction of the Berlin Wall begins (Aug 17, 1961)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-15 13:23:50 UTC

After World War 2, Berlin was divided into four parts, and the USSR controlled the east side. The wall was built to prevent East Germans from crossing into the West and staying there and to solidify the division in the city.

Cuban missile crisis (Oct 1962)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-15 13:29:04 UTC

It was an intense 13-day confrontation between the US and USSR, where people thought nuclear demolition was inevitable. This was the most dangerous time during the Cold War. But this event led to a direct hotline between the US and USSR.

Nuclear test ban treaty ratified (July 1963)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-15 13:34:01 UTC

Was the fisrt major arms agreement of the cold war. First signed by the US and UK, then a little later by the USSR at Moscow. This banned the testing of nukes underwater, in space, and in the atmosphere. But you could still detonate nukes underground.

Gulf of Tonkin incident and resolution (Aug 1964)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-15 13:39:02 UTC

A US ship was reportedly attacked by a North Vietnamese submarine. This led to very high tension and eventually the start of the Vietnam War. Where hundreds of Americans landed in Vietnam.

US Marines were sent to the Dominican Republic to fight communism (April 1965)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-15 18:32:26 UTC

U.S. Marines were sent to prevent a communist take over they heard rumors about. A civil war broke out in the Dominican Republic. At the end, a provisional government was established and a ceasefire was ordered.

US announcement to dispatch 200,000 US troops to Vietnam (July 1965)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-15 19:18:44 UTC

He did this because of the rising conflict from the Viet Cong. Many people in the United States were outraged at this, saying we don't need to send our people to fight someone else's war.

B-52's bomb N. Vietnam in Operation Rolling Thunder

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-15 19:28:24 UTC

They were trying to weaken the Vietnamese army without many casualties. And try to force them into signing a peace treaty. Over 643,000 bombs were dropped in total.

Red army crushes Czech revolt (Aug 1968)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-16 02:05:08 UTC

Over 200,000 troops and 5,000 Soviet tanks invaded East Germany in the hope of slowing or stopping the Prague Spring reforms and restoring USSR power over them.

Apollo 11 lands on the moon (July 20, 1969)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-16 02:10:17 UTC

Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins were the astronauts who made it to the moon. This was one of humanity's greatest achievements and put an end to the space race, with the US winning.

Publication of the Pentagon Papers (1971)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-16 02:14:22 UTC

Was the revealing of top secret government documents of the US's involvement in Vietnam. The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in favor of the news publisher because of the First Amendment right.

President Nixon visits China (Feb 1972)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-16 02:17:54 UTC

This marked China's opening to the world and shifted the tides of power in the Cold War. And paved the way for diplomatic recognition in the future under Jimmy Carter.

SALT 1 signed (July 1972)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-16 02:22:36 UTC

It was a major milestone in the Cold War between the USSR and the USA. Froze the number of ICBMs and SLBMs. But did not limit the amount of warheads and new technology being developed.

US supported coup overthrows Chilean government (Sept 1973)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-16 02:26:58 UTC

The CIA and Nixon viewed this government to be hostile, so they led a coup to overthrow it. The US provided intel and economic destabilization to help with the overthrow.

Egypt and Syria attack Israel: Egypt requests Soviet aid (Oct 1973)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-16 03:13:19 UTC

Egypt and Syria launch a surprise attack on Israel with the help of the USSR. Egypt attacked across the Suez Canal while Syria attacked the Golan Heights. The goal was to regain lost territory during the Six-Day War.

S. Vietnam falls to Communist N. Vietnam (April 17, 1975)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-16 03:17:43 UTC

This marked the end of the Vietnamese war and collapse of the south vietnam which was backed by the US. North Vietnam launched a fast and hard attack upon the south, which led to their demise.

Soviet and Cuban forces help to install the Communist government in Angola (Feb 1976)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-16 03:21:26 UTC

Cuba sent 36,000 troops to Angola, and the USSR provided many weapons and ammunition. And eventually,y the Communists secured the capital and took control.

US and China officially establish diplomatic relationships and trade and panda diplomacy (Jan 1979)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-16 03:26:28 UTC

U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping officially signed full diplomatic ties. This allowed the opening of trade and many more things. As a gesture of goodwill, China donated 2 giant pandas to the US.

Soviet forces invaded Afghanistan (Dec 1979)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-16 03:59:30 UTC

The USSR invaded quickly and soon took control of Kabul. They assassinated Afghan leader Hafizullah Amin and replaced him with a communist leader.

US hockey defeats USSR at winter Olympics in Lake Placid NY (Feb 22, 1980)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-16 04:04:12 UTC

The Soviet team was considered the best in the world at the time, and defeat was a huge upset. The US team was made up of young players, all being 21. The victory was a symbol of American pride and the fight in the Cold War.

US boycotts summer Olympics in Moscow (June-Aug 1980)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-16 04:08:19 UTC

The US boycotted the Moscow summer Olympics because of the recent invasion of Afghanistan. Over 60 other countries also boycotted the Olympic Games.

Berlin wall falls (Nov 1989)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-16 04:11:28 UTC

This was a huge step towards the US winning the Cold War. It allowed all of Berlin to be united, and families back together.

Boris Yeltsin elected as President of Russia (May 1990)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-16 04:14:13 UTC

He was the first president ever elected in Russia by winning 57 percent of the vote. His election was a huge step towards the dissolution of the USSR.

Germany reunited (Oct 3, 1990)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-16 04:16:52 UTC

This is considered the end of the Cold War in history. And was the symbol of Russia not having power over Eastern Europe anymore.

USSR dissolved- 15 republics gained independence, including Russia (Aug 1991)

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-16 04:20:48 UTC

A coup was formed to gain back control of Russia by some soviets but was shut down after 3 days. The Supreme Court recognized the fall of the USSR and now Russia being indipendent.

Thesis of cold war

wrussell26_4 — 2025-05-16 18:57:16 UTC

During the Cold War, the Soviet Union and the United States entered an intense rivalry. Hostility and mistrust through indirect confrontation and fighting for global influence. There were three main aspects of proxy wars, ideological competition, and mistrust.