All cold war key dates Flashcards
Yalta Conference
Date: February 1945
Key Points:
Meeting between Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin.
Agreed on division of Germany and Berlin into four occupation zones.
Set the stage for post-war Europe, but differing ideologies began to show.
Potsdam Conference
Date: July-August 1945
Key Points:
Attended by Truman (USA), Attlee (UK), and Stalin (USSR).
Disagreements on the future of Germany and Eastern Europe began to emerge.
First signs of Cold War tensions, particularly due to Truman’s stance and atomic bomb testing.
Atomic Bombs Dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Date: August 6 and August 9, 1945
Key Points:
The USA dropped atomic bombs, leading to Japan’s surrender.
This action heightened Soviet fears of American military power.
Iron Curtain Speech
Date: March 1946
Key Points:
Speech by Winston Churchill in Fulton, Missouri.
Described the division of Europe between the Communist East and Capitalist West.
Publicly acknowledged tensions between East and West.
Truman Doctrine Announced
Date: March 1947
Key Points:
Truman pledged to support countries resisting Communism.
Marked the official start of the USA’s policy of containment.
Marshall Plan Launched
Date: June 1947
Key Points:
U.S. economic aid program to rebuild European economies.
Aimed to prevent the spread of Communism by promoting economic stability in Europe.
Cominform Established
Date: October 1947
Key Points:
The Communist Information Bureau (Cominform) was created to coordinate Communist governments in Eastern Europe.
It was the Soviet response to the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan.
Berlin Blockade and Airlift
Date: June 1948 – May 1949
Key Points:
USSR blocked all road, rail, and canal access to West Berlin.
The Allies responded with an airlift to supply West Berlin.
One of the first major crises of the Cold War.
NATO Formed
Date: April 1949
Key Points:
North Atlantic Treaty Organization established as a military alliance.
USA and Western European countries agreed to mutual defense against the USSR.
Soviet Union Tests First Atomic Bomb
Date: August 1949
Key Points:
USSR successfully tests its first atomic bomb.
Ended the U.S. monopoly on nuclear weapons, escalating the arms race.
China Becomes Communist
Date: October 1949
Key Points:
Mao Zedong’s Communist Party takes control of China.
Significant increase in Communist influence in Asia.
Korean War Begins
Date: June 1950
Key Points:
North Korea (supported by the USSR and China) invaded South Korea.
The UN, led by the USA, intervened to support South Korea.
First “hot” war in the Cold War era.
Death of Stalin
Date: March 1953
Key Points:
Stalin’s death led to a temporary thaw in relations.
Khrushchev later emerged as leader, introducing some reforms.
Warsaw Pact Formed
Date: May 1955
Key Points:
Military alliance of Communist nations in Eastern Europe led by the USSR.
Formed as a counterbalance to NATO.
Hungarian Uprising
Date: October-November 1956
Key Points:
Hungarians revolted against Soviet control.
Brutally suppressed by Soviet forces, highlighting the harsh control of the USSR over Eastern Europe.
