Cold War Origins Map: Key Events 1945-1947 by McKenna Murphy

February 4-11, 1945: The Yalta Conference

mckennammurphy — 2025-03-11 01:19:20 UTC

The 'Big Three' - Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin - met at the Livadia Palace to discuss Europe's post-war reorganization. Key agreements included the division of Germany and the declaration of free elections in Eastern Europe. This conference revealed early tensions between the Allied powers that would later contribute to the Cold War.

July 17 - August 2, 1945: The Potsdam Conference

mckennammurphy — 2025-03-11 01:19:20 UTC

The final Allied summit of World War II, bringing together Truman, Churchill (later Clement Attlee), and Stalin. The conference finalized plans for Germany's occupation and administration. Tensions increased as Truman informed Stalin of the atomic bomb, while Stalin remained firm on Soviet control of Eastern Europe.

August 6, 1945: Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima

mckennammurphy — 2025-03-11 01:19:20 UTC

The United States dropped the first atomic bomb, code-named 'Little Boy,' on Hiroshima. This unprecedented display of American military power would reshape global politics and it marked the beginning of the nuclear age.

August 9, 1945: Atomic Bombing of Nagasaki

mckennammurphy — 2025-03-11 01:19:20 UTC

Three days after Hiroshima, the US dropped a second atomic bomb, 'Fat Man,' on Nagasaki. These demonstrations of American nuclear capability created deep concern in the Soviet Union, spurring their own nuclear weapons program.

February 9, 1946: Stalin's Election Speech

mckennammurphy — 2025-03-11 01:19:20 UTC

Stalin delivered a speech at the Bolshoi Theatre declaring that communism and capitalism were incompatible, and that war was inevitable. This speech heightened Western fears about Soviet expansionism and marked a clear ideological division between East and West.

February 22, 1946: The Long Telegram

mckennammurphy — 2025-03-11 01:19:20 UTC

George Kennan, American diplomat in Moscow, sent his famous 'Long Telegram' to Washington, analyzing Soviet behavior and recommending a policy of 'containment.' This document profoundly influenced American Cold War strategy for decades to come.

March 5, 1946: Churchill's Iron Curtain Speech

mckennammurphy — 2025-03-11 01:19:20 UTC

Winston Churchill delivered his famous 'Iron Curtain' speech at Westminster College, declaring that an 'iron curtain' had descended across Europe. This speech publicly acknowledged the growing divide between the Soviet and Western spheres of influence.

March 12, 1947: The Truman Doctrine

mckennammurphy — 2025-03-11 01:19:20 UTC

President Truman announced his doctrine to Congress, pledging American support to nations resisting communist expansion. This speech marked the formal declaration of America's Cold War containment policy.