1940s – The Origins of the Cold
War
1945: End of WWII – Division of Europe
Yalta Conference (Feb 4-11)
o Roosevelt, Stalin, Churchill agree on dividing Germany into
four occupation zones.
o Poland to have "free elections" (Stalin later ignores this).
o USSR agrees to fight Japan after Germany’s defeat.
Potsdam Conference (July 17-Aug 2)
o Truman replaces Roosevelt; Attlee replaces Churchill.
o US successfully tests atomic bomb (July 16, Trinity
Test).
o Disagreements: USSR wants reparations, USA wants
economic recovery in Germany.
1946: Tensions Escalate
Kennan’s Long Telegram (Feb 22) – US diplomat George Kennan
warns USSR is expansionist → leads to containment policy.
Iron Curtain Speech (March 5) – Churchill warns of Soviet
domination in Eastern Europe.
Novikov Telegram (Sept 27) – USSR claims US is planning for
world domination.
1947: The Truman Doctrine & Marshall Plan
Truman Doctrine (March 12):
o USA pledges $400 million aid to Greece & Turkey to fight
communism.
o Policy of containment begins.
Cominform (Sept 22): USSR creates "Communist Information
Bureau" to control Eastern Bloc nations.
1948-49: The Berlin Blockade & Airlift
Berlin Blockade (June 24, 1948 – May 12, 1949)
o Stalin blocks access to West Berlin (pop. 2.1 million).
o Berlin Airlift:
277,000 flights deliver 2.3 million tons of supplies.
At peak: 1 flight every 30 seconds.
o Stalin lifts blockade (May 12, 1949).
1949: Cold War Intensifies
NATO formed (April 4) – USA, Canada, & 10 European nations
pledge collective defense.
USSR tests first atomic bomb (Aug 29) – USA loses its nuclear
monopoly.
Communist victory in China (Oct 1) – Mao Zedong takes
power.
1950s – The Spread of the Cold
War
1950-53: The Korean War
North Korea invades South (June 25, 1950).
UN & US intervene (Sept 15, Inchon Landing) – Pushes North
Korean forces back.
China enters war (Oct 25) – Sends 300,000 troops, pushing UN
forces to 38th parallel.
Armistice signed (July 27, 1953) – 2.5 million dead (including
36,000 US troops, 400,000 Chinese, 500,000 North Koreans).
1953: Stalin Dies – Power Struggle in USSR
March 5: Stalin dies → Khrushchev emerges as leader (1955).
Eisenhower's "New Look" policy – More reliance on nuclear
weapons & covert CIA operations.
1955: Warsaw Pact Created
May 14: USSR forms Warsaw Pact with 8 Eastern Bloc nations,
countering NATO.
1956: Hungarian Uprising
Oct 23 – Nov 10: Reformist leader Imre Nagy announces Hungary
will leave Warsaw Pact.
Soviet tanks invade (Nov 4) – 200,000 Hungarians flee, 2,500
killed.
1957-59: Space Race Begins & Cuba Turns Communist
Sputnik launched (Oct 4, 1957) – First satellite; shocks USA.
Cuban Revolution (Jan 1, 1959) – Fidel Castro overthrows
Batista, aligns with USSR.
1960s – Cold War Crises &
Détente Begins
1961: Berlin Wall Built
Aug 13: USSR builds Berlin Wall to stop East Germans
defecting (2.7 million had already fled).
1962: Cuban Missile Crisis
Oct 14-28: US spy planes find Soviet missiles in Cuba.
US imposes blockade (Oct 22).
Deal (Oct 28): USSR removes missiles from Cuba; US secretly
removes missiles from Turkey.
1964: Khrushchev Ousted – Brezhnev Takes Power
Khrushchev forced to resign after Cuban Crisis failure.
1968: Prague Spring & Nuclear Treaties
Jan-Aug: Czech leader Alexander Dubček introduces democratic
reforms.
Aug 20: 500,000 Warsaw Pact troops invade Czechoslovakia.
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) signed (July 1, 1968).
1970s – Détente & Superpower
Rivalry
1972: Nixon’s China Visit & SALT I
Nixon visits China (Feb) – US & China begin trade & diplomatic
ties.
SALT I (May) – Limits ICBMs & nuclear warheads.
1975: Helsinki Accords
35 nations sign agreement on borders & human rights (USSR
later ignores it).
1979: Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan
Dec 24: USSR invades Afghanistan, starting a 10-year war.
Casualties: 15,000 Soviet troops, 2 million Afghan civilians.
US boycotts 1980 Moscow Olympics in protest.
1980s – The Endgame of the Cold
War
1983: Reagan’s "Evil Empire" Speech & SDI
March: Reagan calls USSR the "Evil Empire".
Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) – Plan for space-based
missile defense.
1985: Gorbachev’s Reforms Begin
Glasnost (openness) – More freedom of speech.
Perestroika (economic reform) – Market-style reforms.
Geneva Summit (Nov) – Gorbachev & Reagan begin arms
talks.
1987: INF Treaty Signed
Eliminates all intermediate-range nuclear missiles.
1989: Fall of the Berlin Wall & Collapse of Communism
June: Poland holds free elections.
Sept: Hungary opens border with Austria.
Nov 9: Berlin Wall falls.
1991 – The Cold War Ends
Aug: Failed coup against Gorbachev.
Dec 25: USSR officially dissolves – Cold War is over.
