COLD WAR

• feb 1945


  Yalta conference begins between Churchill, Stalin and Roosevelt
• april 1945


  Truman keeps nuclear bomb secret from Stalin
• July 1945


  Potsdam conference begins between Atlee, Truman and Stalin
• 6th August 1945


  US drops atomic bomb on Hiroshima killing 70,000 people
• 9th August 1945


  atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki killing 40,000
• 2nd Sept 1945


  Japan surrenders to the USA bringing the war to an end
• YALTA - agreements

  • Germany and Berlin would be divided into four zones - one each for the UK, USA, USSR and France
  • formation of UN
  • free elections would take place in the liberated areas of Western and Central Europe
• YALTA - disagreements

  • Soviets wanted higher reparations from Germany
  • Soviets wanted communist friendly governments as part of the "sphere of influence" in Europe
  • USA and Britain wanted Eastern Europe to be able to elect governments of their choice - "self determination"
• POTSDAM - agreements

  • Germany and Berlin began to be divided into four main zones
  • Nazi party was banned and leaders were tried as war criminals
  • Germans living in Eastern Europe would be returned to Germany
• POTSDAM - disagreements

  • soviets wanted large reparations from Germany, USA and UK wanted to rebuild it
  • USA and UK unhappy about Red Army beginning to install communist governments in Eastern Europe
  • Stalin was angry that Truman tried to keep atomic bomb a secret from him
• feb 1946


  long telegram - 8000 word report from Kennan in the US embassy in Moscow outlining fears of Soviet expansion
• march 1946


  churchill criticised actions of the USSR, accusing it of trying to spread its influence and gain power at any cost
• march 1947


  the new approach of the US to contain the expansion of communism in Europe and the world, stopping it spreading to any more countries
• june 1947


  marshall plan launched - $13.5 billion was given to rebuild the countries of Europe in order to stop the spread of communism
• sep 1947


  cominform created - Stalin’s response to Truman doctrine; organisaround to unite communist countries and force them to follow the USSR‘s rules
• june 1948


  Yugoslavia expelled from cominform - Tito asked for Marshall Aid
• jan 1949

  comecon created - soviet response to marshall plan; provided economic support to communist countries
• MARSHALL PLAN - causes

  • soviet expansion east - communist leaders were placed in eastern countries against the wishes of the west
  • greece and turkey - Turkey was at risk to joining the Eastern Bloc
• MARSHALL PLAN - events

  • Truman Doctrine - communism was to be contained in whatever way was necessary
  • Marshall Plan - aim was to create a market for US goods, promote unity in the US and make communism seem less attractive
• MARSHALL PLAN - outcomes

  • cominform/comecon
  • yugoslavia being expelled from cominform
  • Berlin Blockade 1948
• march 1948 


  western germany unites and Deutschmark is introduced
• 23rd June 1948


  Berlin Blockade begins
• 26th June 1948


  Berlin airlift begins
• april 1949


  creation of NATO
• May 1949


  Berlin Blockade is abandoned
• 1955


  Warsaw Pact established
• Causes of the berlin blockade

  • division after WW2
  • soviet reparations from Germany
  • introduction of the Deutschmark made Stalin angry
• events of the berlin blockade

  • blockade begins - cut off all road, rail and transport links to attempt to deprive West Berlin
  • airlift begins three days later - a plane was flown into Berlin every three minutes and landed over 4000 tonnes of supplies in the city each day
  • Stalin abandons blockade as the airlift made it ineffective
• outcomes of the Berlin Blockade

  • division of Germany into two nations FDR (capitalist) and GDR (communist)
  • new military alliances - NATO and Warsaw Pact
• causes of the Korean war

  • division after WW2 - US and Soviets agree to occupy and divide Korea; north for soviets south for americans
  • tensions rise - Syngman Rhee begins arresting suspected communist, Kim Il Sung orders commando raids across the border
  • Stalin supports invasion plan
• events of the Korean war

  • North Korea invasion - June 1950 North Korean forces invade South Korea conquering most of the country
  • US led counterattack - US forces drive north Korean forces all the way back to chinas border
  • Chinese forces intervene - Chinese and North Koreans manage to get as far as capturing South Korean capital of Seoul
• outcomes of the Korean war

  • final ceasefire - Korea remains divided along the 38th parallel
  • General MacArthur fired - Truman sacked US general leading the US forces in Korea for publicly calling the use of nuclear weapons against the North Koreans in 1951
  • rising tensions - proxy war led to deaths of millions of people and nearly escalated to a direct “hot“ conflict between US and USSR
• causes of the Vietnamese war

  • French defeat - 1954 French are defeated by the Viet Minh
  • country divided - Geneva 1954 divided Vietnam along the 17th parallel; communist republic in North led by Ho Chi Minh and South led by Diem
  • Diem unpopularity - harsh and corrupt rule made him increasingly unpopular
• events of the vietnamese war

  • viet cong uprising 1960
  • US increase support in 1960
  • Diem assassinated in 1963
• outcomes of the vietnamese war

  • US escalate war - 500,000 US soldiers in Vietnam
  • US defeat 1973
• causes of the formation of NATO

  • Treaty of Brussels - 1948 mutual defence against communist expansion
  • Berlin Airlift 1948
  • NATO created in 1949
• events of the formation of NATO and the Warsaw pact

  • Khrushchev leadership replacing Stalin in 1953
  • W Germany joins NATO
• outcomes of the formation of NATO and the Warsaw Pact

  • Warsaw Pact 1955
  • increased soviet control
  • widening conflict
• causes of arms race

  • hiroshima bombing 1945
  • fear of “missile gap”
  • mutually assured destruction
• outcomes - tension

  • brinkmanship - both came close to war (1962 Cuba)
  • fear and paranoia