Cold War History

• Grand alliance


  Period of negotiation and when the USA and USSR were allies
• Tehran Conference


  November 1943
• Tehran Conference


  • Meeting of Roosevelt (USA), Stalin (USSR) and Churchill (UK)
  • Agreements: Britain and USA would open up a second front by invading France in 1944, Soviet Union would declare war on Japan after Germany, a United Nations would be set up, and an area of Poland would be given to the USSR
  • Disagreement: Churchill wanted to invade through Greece instead of France in order to stop the USSR taking over Eastern Europe
• Beginning of the Grand Alliance

  Countries agreeing to wage war on the Axis together
• Yalta Conference


  February 1945
• Yalta Conference


  • Meeting of Roosevelt (USA), Stalin (USSR) and Churchill (UK)
  • Agreements: USSR confirmed they would attack Japan once Germany was defeated, Germany and Berlin would be divided into four zones, to give countries free elections, to join the UN, and that Eastern Europe would be in the Soviet sphere of influence
  • Disagreements: How much reparations should be paid (Stalin wanted more). Stalin agreed to elections in Poland, but didn't want to
• Potsdam Conference


  July 1945
• Potsdam Conference


  • Meeting of Truman (USA), Stalin (USSR) and Atlee (UK). Truman was more anti-communist than Roosevelt
  • Changes between conference: Stalin set up a communist Government in Poland and had his army still in most of Eastern Europe. On the 16th of July the USA tested the Atomic Bomb, Stalin was scared and angry he hadn't been told
  • Agreements: Germany and Berlin were divided into four zones, Germany was to be demilitarised, Germany was to have free elections, Germany would pay reparations to the Allies with most to USSR, Nazi Party was banned and war crime trials were set up for past Nazis
  • Disagreements: Still disagreed over reparations, Stalin wanted Germany to be made much weaker, Truman wanted a strong Germany to protect against the USSR. They also disagreed over free elections, and USSR began to expand into Eastern Europe
• Soviet Expansionism 1945-1947


  • Reasons: Fear of being invaded by Germany again (like 1918 and 1941), Stalin and Churchill had agreed to a percentages deal giving the USSR power in Eastern Europe, Security against the west, and the USST had suffered the most casualties
  • Poland: January 1947, elections were rigged and the Communists won
  • Romania: March 1945 Soviet army marched in and set up Communist Government, and in November 1946 elections were held with Communists winning
  • Hungary: With Soviet help the Communists took over the Government and banned all other parties in August 1947
  • Bulgaria: After being taken by the Soviets in 1944 a Communist Government was set up and in November 1945 after rigged elections all other parties were banned
  • Czechoslovakia: After a period of democracy, in 1948 with the USSR's help all other parties were banned and their leaders arrested
• Iron Curtain Speech


  March 1946
• Iron Curtain Speech


  • Churchill was angry at the way the USSR was expanding and made his speech in Missouri USA
  • He said the USSR had been building an Iron Curtain across the European continent
• Telegrams 1946


  • Novikov Telegram: was sent from Soviet Ambassador to USSR and said that the USA were obsessed with World domination, it made Stalin more untrusting and paranoid
  • Long Telegram: was sent from US ambassador Kennan to USA and said that the Soviets would continue to expand, so the USA should try and contain them
• Truman Doctrine


  1947
• Truman Doctrine


  • In reaction to containment, Truman makes speech promising to help countries at threat of communism
  • He gives 400 million to help Greece and Turkey defend against Communism
• Marshall Plan


  1948
• Marshall Plan


  • Marshall Plan was the offer of financial aid to all countries who needed it. $17 billion was funded. GB and Fr took most
  • Aid was given in money, food, technology and machinery. Had to be spent on US goods so helped to ally them with the USA
  • Stalin forbade Poland from taking the money. He saw it as US bribing countries he had taken over
• Berlin Blockade 1948


  • Long Term Causes: UK and USA joined together to make Bizonia in 1947. UK/USA and USSR disagreed on whether Germany should be able to recover. Tension over Doctrine/Plan and other events
  • Short Term Causes: March 1948: West Germany begins getting aid from Marshall Plan, April 1948: USSR leave allied council and ban air travel to stop aid reaching West Berlin, June 1948: France join Bizonia to make Trizonia and they decide to set up new currency to make Germant stronger, JUNE 24th- BLOCKADE
• Berlin airlift 1948-49

  • USA responded by sending 275,000 planes transporting 1.5 million tons of supplies over the 318 days. A plane landed or took off every 90 seconds, and 43 airmen died. Stalin eventually gave up in May 1949
• NATO

  April 1949
• NATO


  • Formed in the aftermath of the Crisis
  • Member agreed to collective security, meaning if one member was attacked the other members would declare war on the attacker
  • Members were originally Turkey and Greece join in 1952, West Germany joins in 1955
• Arms Race

  • Timeline: August 1945- USA use Atomic Bomb, August 1949- USSR get the Atomic Bomb, 1952- USA get H Bomb (1000x more powerful), 1953- USSR get H bomb (1000x more powerful), June 1957- USA can now fire ICBM (H bombs 4,500km away), August 1957 USSR can fire ICBM (H bombs 4,500km away)
• New Leaders and Thaw

  • Eisenhower takes over from Truman in 1953 and he is very anti-communist
  • Stalin dies in 1953 and Khrushchev becomes leader- he is very critical oif Stalin's policies
  • Possible thaw: New leaders are willing to work together and Khrushchev espeiclly wants change criticising Stalin in a speech in 1956 (Secret Speech), The Korean War had come to a peaceful end in 1953, The new leaders agreed to allow Austria to be unified as a democracy in 1955
• Hungarian Uprising 1956


  • Timeline: July 1956, Rakosi (hardline Stalinist) is removed after protests, October 1956, protests demand Imre Nagy becomes leader (more moderate), 24th October, Nagy becomes leader, 28th October, Soviet troops leave and Khrushchev allows Nagy to be leader, 3rd November, Nagy says they will leave the Warsaw pact, 4th November, Soviet troops return with 1,000 tanks, 20,000 Hungarians are killed and Nagy is replaced with hardline Kadar
• Berlin Crisis and Wall 1958-1963

  • Timeline: 1949- Germany divided into West and East, 1950s refugee problem begins and by 1958, 3 million East Germans had moved (1/6th of the population, November 1958- Khrushchev makes his Berlin ultimatum- wants Berlin to be demilitarised and become a free city OR he would give East Germany control of all routes into Berlin, May 1959- Geneva summit- Eisenhower and Khrushchev meet. No agreements but positive, September 1959- Camp David Summit- Agree to withdraw ultimatum, May 1960- Paris summit- Ruined by the fact a USA U2 spy plane was shot down over the USSR. Eisenhower refused t admit it/apologise. Khrushchev leaves the conference, June 1961- Vienna Summit. JFK is the new US president, Khrushchev thinks he can take advantage of his inexperience and renews the Berlin Ultimatum. JFK increases army funding by $2 billion. No progress made, August 1961- Berlin Wall is built- 165km long, June 1963- JFK visits Berlin and makes famous Ich Ein Berliner speech
• Cuban revolution and Bay of Pigs and Missile Crisis 1959-1962

  • Timeline: January 1959- Fidel Castro and his revolutionary group take over Cuba, removing the dictator Batista, May 1959- Castro takes control of all US owned factories/businsses, February 1960- Castro begins selling sugar to the USSR and Khruschev, January 1961- USA break all ties to Cuba, 17 April 1961- Bay of Pigs invasion fails and Castro turns Cuba Communist, 14th October 1962- U2 spy plane take pictures of missile bases, 16th October 1962- Kennedy has a meeting with his advisros and decide on a blockade, 22nd October 1962- Kennedy announces the Blockade around Cuba on TV, 24th October 1962- Soviet ships turn around at the blockade, 28th October 1962- Kennedy agrees to not invade Cuba if Khrushchev removes the missiles (Kennedy also secretly removes missiles from Turkey)
• Prague Spring 1968 and Brezhnev doctrine

  • Timeline: Jan. 1968- Moderate Alexander Dubcek becomes leader of Czechoslovakian Government, April 1968- Prague Spring reforms begin: Censorship relaxed and criticism of the Government allowed, Trade unions given further power, More power to regional Governments, Trade with West increased, Greater freedom to travel abroad, Possibility of free elections, 20th August 1968- 500,000 Warsaw Pact troops invade and remove Dubcek, 26th September 1968- Brezhnev announces doctrine that if any country moved away from Communism they would be invaded by Warsaw Pact
• Brezhnev announces doctrine that if any country moved away from Communism they would be invaded by Warsaw Pact


  26th September 1968
• Nixon becomes US president and is keen to improve relations


  Jan 1969
• SALT I


  1. Reduced number of ICBMS and SLBMS

  2. Reduced number of ABMS

  3. Basic principles agreement- rules of nuclear warfare to avoid risk
• Helsinki Accords

  1. European borders respected and agreed

  2. Agree to international cooperation (1975 Apollo-Soyuz joint space mission)

  3. Agree to respect human rights in all countries
• SALT II

  1. Reduced number of missiles and bombers

  2. Banned tests of ICBMS
• Soviet invasion of Afghanistan- end of Détente


  Dec. 1979
• Pro-Soviet Government take over Afghanistan and receive money from USSR

  April 1978
• Hafizullah Amin takes over the Government, removing Soviet supporters and begins to ask the USA for assistance

  Sept. 1978
• USSR invade Afghanistan claiming to be invited by Amin

  24th Dec. 1979
• Amin assassinated and replaced by Pro-Soviet leader Babrak Kamal

  27th Dec. 1979
• Carter doctrine: Carter promises to defend all countries in the Persian Gulf and begins sending aid to the Mujahadeen in Afghanistan to fight USSR


  23rd Jan 1980
• USA boycott Olympic games (USSR do same in 1984)

  Summer 1980
• Anti-Communist Reagan wins Presidency as Americans wanted to be strong against Afghanistan

  1980
• Reagan becomes President having won 1980 election

  January 1981