Cold War Annotated Timeline by Ahyza Jimenez

March 12th 1947 - December 2nd 1989

ahjime13212 — 2025-05-02 16:47:33 UTC

The Cold War was an indirect war that was between the United States which followed capitalism, and the Soviet Union which followed communism. These two big nations would be in a competition and would be fighting with each other, without actually causing a confrontation war for the cause of the Soviet Union wanting to spread communism everywhere.

February 4th, 1945

ahjime13212 — 2025-05-02 16:54:37 UTC

The Yalta Conference was a conference to discuss what was needed for Eastern Europe, along with discussing what the Soviet Union should be doing after WWII. This meeting would have the leaders of the U.S, President Harry S. Truman, the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin and finally the British minister, Winston Churchill. After this conference it was made that the Soviet Union wouldn't allow free elections in Eastern Europe.

July 17 - August 2, 1945

ahjime13212 — 2025-05-02 17:04:40 UTC

A few months after the Yalta Conference, the goal of the Potsdam Conference was to confirm the discussions from the Yalta Conference and to confirm what would be decided for Eastern Europe. Truman, Stalin and the new British minister Clement Attlee would all attend this conference but then would get out with big concerns. During this conference Stalin would then decide to not allow free elections, along with dividing Germany and having them ruled by a broadly representative government. In other words, having the Soviet Union government lead them. Later on, Truman would leave the conference believing that the Soviet Union would plan "world conquest."

March 5th, 1946

ahjime13212 — 2025-05-05 16:41:06 UTC

On March 5th of 1946, at Westminster College in Fulton Missouri, Winston Churchill would make his speech, "Sinews of Peace," and would bring out the phrase, "Iron Curtain." The Iron Curtain is a phrase that describes the political division of spreading communion around. It mainly describes the division of the Eastern and Western division between communism.

March 12th , 1947

ahjime13212 — 2025-05-06 16:47:09 UTC

The purpose of the Truman's Doctrine was to give aid to Greece and Turkey to help them out from the communist party. Since Greece and Turkey were battling a battle against communion from the Soviet Union, Truman believed it was his duty to help out and stop the spread of it.

1947

ahjime13212 — 2025-05-06 16:59:18 UTC

During the hard times battling communism and trying to keep it out of many European countries. This was adopted a little after the Truman Doctrine and would set a new goal. The goal of containment was to keep communism contained within its existing borders. However, George Kennan who was a historian and a counselor from the United States department of State, stated that to be able to reach the goal of containment it would need the full commitment of America's economic, political and military power. This significantly showed just how strong and how powerful the U.S really was.

April 3rd, 1948

ahjime13212 — 2025-05-06 17:16:22 UTC

The Marshall Plan was a goal to provide financial aid and also economic aid towards Western Europe. Their goal was to provide food and reduce famine. While also providing $13 billion in grants and loans.

1948

ahjime13212 — 2025-05-07 16:24:48 UTC

After Truman decided he was going to help and send aid to the European countries, Stalin decided he was going to stop that. In 1948, Stalin decided to not accept any of the aid and knows that if there wasn’t a way to receive the aid, West Berlin would fall into communism. That’s is exactly what Stalin wanted. So then Stalin would block the boarders and would not allow aid get into Berlin.

June 26, 1948 - September 30, 1949

ahjime13212 — 2025-05-07 16:27:11 UTC

The Berlin Airlift is what allowed the aid to finally get to West Berlin. Also the Berlin Airlift is what allowed West Berlin to be saved from communism and the Soviet Union would have failed to take over. This would be significant because it would show how much strength and effort the U.S would do to stop the spread of communism.

June 25, 1950 - June 27th, 1953

ahjime13212 — 2025-05-09 16:59:24 UTC

On June 25th, 1950, an unexpected attack would occur with North Korea attacking South Korea. This would then cause the U.S to get involved with this attack between North Korea and South Korea. With this war, America would then be affected with the effect of having Americans drafted again even after 5 years after WWII because the United States was helping South Korea with aid. However, a little after America is at war with North Korea, America would reach the Chinese border and would then cause China to get involved and join the Korean War. Although, the Korean War was a war that lasted 3 years, it was pretty much forgotten by Americans and other countries because it would then go back the 38th parallel which divided North Korea as a communist country and South Korea which would be supported with aid by the U.S.

1949

ahjime13212 — 2025-05-09 17:06:49 UTC

After WWII, it was decided that the United States, Britain and France would control the West of Germany. While the Soviet Union would control the East of Germany. While the East would be ruled by a communist government, the West of Germany would be ruled with aid support with the help of the United States. This would be a significance because it would show the real reason behind the Soviet Unions goal for spreading communism and how the United States would try to stop communism from spreading.

August 3rd, 1961

ahjime13212 — 2025-05-22 05:13:44 UTC

East Germany would start the building of the Berlin Wall which would symbolize the separation of the Cold War between the communist and the Western democracies. The Berlin Wall would surround all of Berlin, separating families and keeping communist in Berlin. Many people would try and escape, however throughout the years it would be under guard towers and many other defenses.

1949

ahjime13212 — 2025-05-22 05:22:53 UTC

President Truman finally saw enough of the Soviet Union trying to expand communism and would then create NATO. NATO was a organization with Canada, United States and several other western countries to all come together and put this organization together to provide military alliance to protect from European countries and mainly the Soviet Union. This is significant because NATO is still active today and is still using military alliances to protect all the countries apart from the organization.

April 17th-20th, 1961

ahjime13212 — 2025-05-22 05:33:49 UTC

This mission would be an embarrassing moment for the United States and would then cause problems with Cuba. The Bay Pigs of Invasion was a planned mission with the CIA and the U.S government to try and overthrow Fidel Castro, the president of Cuba and his communist regime. Originally the plan was to land at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba and try and start a war with Castro and go against communist. However, this plan was horribly planned and would then back fire on the United States. The CIA would then land somewhere where there was so easy access to supplies along with a lack of popularity with Cuba. This would then strengthen the relationship with Cuba and the Soviet Union.

October 1962

ahjime13212 — 2025-05-22 06:01:41 UTC

After the failure of Bay Pigs Invasion, Cuba and the Soviet Union would then react and would then almost cause a nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union. The United States would discover that Cuba had nuclear missiles. Immediately, the United States would respond with a naval blockage of Cuba while also demanding the removal of the missiles. This would last 13 days. Until, there was a compromise between the Soviet Union and the United States in secret while agreeing the Soviet Union would remove the missiles only if the United States agrees to not invade Cuba. While also compromising that the United States removes the missiles from Turkey as well. This would be a relief for both the United States and the Soviet Union because this was the closest to a Nuclear war that both countries would face.

1955-1975

ahjime13212 — 2025-05-22 06:22:11 UTC

Primarily North Vietnam and South Vietnam had their own problems and rose in conflict. However, throughout the years, the United States would then become alliances with South Vietnam and would then get involved. This war would be brutal and would then have U.S military questioning themselves why they were even fighting North Vietnam. This war was super close as well and also even if the U.S had overall 58,000 deaths and North Vietnam had 3 million. It was still decided that North Vietnam would have won the war.

1960's

ahjime13212 — 2025-05-22 07:33:49 UTC

The Antiwar Movement was a protest to go against wars and try and have the military to withdraw from the war. The Antiwar movement however, would then move from being a peaceful protest to then going to an increase in its population of protesters.

1970's

ahjime13212 — 2025-05-22 07:45:09 UTC

Detente would mark a shift in the Cold War and would then show improvement for how the U.S and USSR would communicate and also corporate. Detente would then introduce SALT which would limit the amount of nuclear weapons. Along with CSCE which was an agreement on security, cooperation on human rights in Europe. Also Detente would then increase the trade and cultural exchange between the two nations.

February 1972

ahjime13212 — 2025-05-22 07:49:26 UTC

For the first time ever, we had a U.S president visit the Republic of China and would then later have a partnership with China. Richard Nixon would visit the PRC and would end a 25-year period of no diplomatic ties. This would also potentially weaken the communist party of the Soviet Union and also would then be a ground breaking moment for the U.S.

December 25, 1991

ahjime13212 — 2025-05-22 08:02:14 UTC

The Soviet Union was struggling. They were ruled under a centrally planned system, and were unable to keep pace with the West with technology and goods. Also the Soviet Union was composed of 15 republics and they were trying to gain their independence, in particular a republic named Gorbachev. This republic would weaken the centralized governments. However Gorbachev would resigned as the president and would then cause the Soviet Union to dissolved. Later on the CIS was formed by the newly independent republics.