Cold War Timeline by

The arms race begins (1950)

lucasloti — 2025-03-19 14:34:55 UTC

By the mid of 1950 the USA and the URSS had become involved in a growing arms race, in wich both of the countries focused on growing up their armies and nuclear weapons technology. With this advance in nuclear technology other countries started do fear them.

In the early 1950s, the URSS and the USA developed the deadlier hydrogen bomb, and by the late 1950s, both had intercontinental ballistic missles the (ICBMs) capable of sending bombs anywhere

Iron Curtain (1946)

rebecabatalha — 2025-03-19 14:45:32 UTC

In March 1946, former British prime minister Winston Churchhill delivered a speech that introduced the term "Iron Curtain" to describe the line in Europe that divided the continent. The Western European nations were capitalist, while the Soviet Union controlled and imposed communism on Eastern Europe. Churchill delivered his speech at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. Some historians claim that Churchill´s speech signaled the start of the Cold War.

The Berlin Airlift (1948 - 49)

josefinaleymarie1 — 2025-03-19 15:00:32 UTC

The Berlin Airlift was an event that resulted from the Berlin blockade, because since they closed the city there was no way to get through, so the United States and the British needed to send food and supplies by plane.

The Truman Doctrine (1947)

rebecabatalha — 2025-03-19 15:01:28 UTC

President Harry Truman of the United States signed the Truman Doctrine on March 12, 1947. The Truman Doctrine was a policy that aimed to provide economic and military aid to countries (specifically Greece and Turkey) that were threatened by communist expansion.

The Marshall Plan (1947)

rebecabatalha — 2025-03-19 15:03:29 UTC

The European Recovery Program proposed in June 1947 by General George C. Marshall (the secretary of state at the time) is better known as the Marshall Plan. The Marshall Plan would provide many countries with aid in order to prevent the spread of communism and allow for the recovery of democratic instituitions. The Marshall Plan supplied around $13 billion to rebuild Europe after WW2.

Yalta Conference (1945)

rebecabatalha — 2025-03-19 15:16:28 UTC

The Yalta Conference that took place from February 4-11 in Crimea involved the "Big Three" Allied leaders- Franklin D. Roosevelt (USA), Winston Churchill (UK), and Joseph Stalin (USSR). They discussed the reorganization of Europe after the war, the establishment of the United Nations, the division of Germany into occupation zones, and the desire of free elections in Eastern Europe.

New Military Alliances (1949)

josefinaleymarie1 — 2025-03-19 15:17:13 UTC

During the Cold War, the US and the Soviet Union formed rival military alliances. NATO(1949) was created by some countries to have mutual defense, but there was a response from the Soviets which stablished the Warsaw Pact later in 1955

Hiroshima and Nagasaki (1945)

josefinaleymarie1 — 2025-03-19 15:22:50 UTC

During WWII the US realized 2 bombs, being them in Hiroshima and Nagasaki due to President Truman's command. This happened because Japan was too strong during the war and they saw this as the only solution to make them surrender. This event caused more than 150,000 deaths.

Potsdam Conference (1945)

rebecabatalha — 2025-03-19 15:24:53 UTC

The Potsdam Conference that took place in Potsdam Germany from July 17 to August 2 1945. This conference included Stalin, Harry S. Truman (USA), and at first Winston Churchill but he was replaced by Clement Attlee after the UK elections. The leaders finished the plans for Germany´s demilitarization, denazification, and division after World War 2. They also issued the Potsdam Declaration, that demanded for Japan´s surrender to the Allied Powers.

Chinese Civil War (1927-1949)

rebecabatalha — 2025-03-19 15:35:12 UTC

The Chinese Civil War was a prolonged conflict between two important political factions in China: the Nationalists (KMT) and the Communists (CCP). The conflict was divided into two phases.

First Phase: The end of the alliance between the KMT and CCP. The Nationalists began a campaign to supress the Communists.

Second Phase: After a temporary reconciliation during the Second Sino- Japanese War, conflict resumed again. The Communists gained support from the rural populations and eventually defeated the Nationalists that escaped to Taiwan. The war ended with the establishment of the People´s Republic of China in 1949.