Cold War Timeline

- The 1940’s

 USA uses the Atomic bomb to end WW2

- In an attempt to end the war without invading Japan, the US dropped 2

atomic bombs on Japan in Nagasaki and Hiroshima together with the Soviet
Union’s declaration of war with Japan convinced Emperor Hirohito to
surrender to the allies, which ended WW2.

- With the use atomic weapons clearly demonstrates America’s technological

superiority.

 Iron Curtain (March 5, 1946)

- During this year tensions between the Western Allies and the Soviet Union
increased, setting the stage for cold war as Joseph Stalin set upped puppet
regimes across Eastern Europe leading to the famous speech of Winston
Churchill that established the “Iron Curtain,” a barrier separating Eastern and
Western Europe.

 Greek Civil War (1946-1949)

- Over the next few years, a civil war broke out in Greece. Which, the British
intervened to prevent a communist takeover.

- In this decade also the Soviet’s started demanding more access to Turkey’s
sea routes which forced the Americans to send its largest battleship.

 UN’s involvement

- After WW2, Iran was divided under the British and the Soviet’s. With an
agreement that after the war, the British and the Soviets will pull out its forces
but the Soviets decided to stay but they were forced out of Iran by the UN

 Establishment of NATO

- With the establishment of NATO, the Soviets had no doubts that the West is
trying to stop them. US President Truman announced the “Truman Doctrine”
in 1947 which basically says that, “The Soviets are bad, they can’t be trusted
and will do everything in our power to prevent the spread of communism.”
 - Many viewed this as the start of the Cold War.

 USSR’s 1st nuclear weapon test.

- With the aid of the stolen information from the America’s Manhattan project,
The USSR began its research to create their own nuclear weapon, in 1943.

- In August 1949, the USSR successfully tested its 1st nuclear bomb which
created the arms race between the 2 super powers.

 Berlin Airlift 1948-1949

- Everyone in Europe was still experiencing the post-apocalyptic effects of

WW2. Under the Marshall plan, the US gave 12 Billion dollars to Western
Europe for its economic recovery, the East viewed. This was a full economic
war between the Capitalist and Communist in Europe.

- It was thought that if the West developed faster than the East it is a defeat
for Stalin, that is why he also created his own economic reforms. But this
battle raged harder in Berlin as it was divided into East and West Berlin.

- Stalin want the West out, creating a blockade in West Berlin cutting the
West’s supply line which lead to the Berlin Airlift which was an air lift of
massive supply of food and water to West Berlin.

 Chinese Civil War

- The relation of this to the cold war is that, with the Republic of China was
overthrown by the People’s Republic of China lead by Mao Zedong, China
and the USSR signed a mutual defense treaty which was terrible news to the
west

- The 1950’s

 Korean War 1950

- After WW2, Korea was divided into 2 also known as the 38th parallel, on the
north a communist regime and in the south an anti-communist regime.

- With the successful test of nuclear weapons by the USSR, Joseph Stalin
was a bit cocky because the US no longer has nuclear monopoly on the
Soviets which led to Stalin giving permission to Kim Il Sung to invade South
 Korea, With the Aid of the Soviets and now Chinese Communists they
invaded South Korea

 The use of hydrogen bombs

- tension increased when both sides upgraded their weapons form atomic to
hydrogen bombs, and with the decision of West Germany to join NATO in
1955. The new Soviet leader Nikita Krushchev established the Warsaw pact
strengthening the Soviets hold of its puppet regimes.

 The launch of Sputnik into Space

- In the year 1956, the Soviets launched the very 1st satellite which was a
clear sign that the Soviets was ahead in the space race because after the
launch of Sputnik, the soviets followed it by sending the 1st man into space
(Yuri Gagarin) in the year 1961.

- In this period also there was a missile gap in the Soviets favor by this time
the soviets were the clear leader in the arms race which made them confident
allowing the US to set up a technology exhibit in Moscow.

 Vietnam war

- In the 1950’s the Vietnamese kicked off its French colonizers now dividing
Vietnam into 2 parts, a communist regime in the north and an anti-communist
regime in the south. When the North established “Vietcong” or also known as
the national liberation front to carry out guerilla which were supported by the
Soviets, America sent its forces to train and help the forces of the south to
fight against the vietcong.

- The 1960’s

 Berlin Wall was erected

- Even though that the Soviets were ahead in the arms race; it is bleeding
their coffers dry meaning all of the money was going to the military instead
to the people. This lead to the clear distinction between the economic
prosperous west berlin and the suffering east berlin. With that, millions
were still able to go to West berlins and is now deciding to stay their which
made the Soviets build a wall to prevent more and more East Berliners to
 move to West berlin.

 The standoff at Checkpoint Charlie

- Although there was an agreement that US diplomats can still travel in

East berlin but one day the crossing guards at East berlin started denying
them and that was a no go for President Kennedy in October of 1961 US
tanks and Soviet tanks were having a standoff at Checkpoint Charlie at
this time the world was bracing itself for WW3.

- but gladly with the help of a more peaceful way of resolving the conflict
both parties pulled out their forces.

 Cuban Missile Crisis

- When Fidel Castro successfully overthrown the Cuban government,

establishing a communist regime. Now the Soviets realizing that, even
though they have a massive nuclear arsenal, their missiles can’t reach
America, and with that the Soviets positioned their Missiles in Cuba.

- With tensions rising again as communications broke down as the soviets

rejected the request of the Americans to withdrew their missiles in Cuba,
both forces were placing their military to full combat readiness.

- US finalized its preparations to invade Cuba but Soviet diplomats were

like, “If the US would remover their missiles at Turkey the Soviets will
remover its missiles in Cuba”

 The Proxy wars

- With an attempt to make the relationship of the US and the USSR to

become more constructive, as a result; instead of the old ideology of
dealing conflicts directly, they shifted to influence smaller proxy wars
around the world, like the six-day war were the soviets provided aid
against Israel but yet Israel won and gained more territory, Yum Kippur
war were the US aided Israel, Angolan Civil war were the US supported
South Africans against the attack from Soviet supported Cubans, Conflicts
between Somalia and Ethiopia but it was a surprise when both sides
switched sides as regimes changed and many more proxy wars.

- The 1970’s

- yet again as the world was just having a small sigh of relief the world saw its
 fate in the mid-20th century cold war period as tensions between the US and
USSR was rising once again.
 The Euro-missile crisis

- This saw new and improved intermediate-range missiles being deployed

in Europe

 Soviet Afghan war

- The soviets invaded Afghanistan to prevent a US sponsored Islamic

insurgency.

- The 1980’s

 Mikhail Gorbachev became leader of the Soviet Union

- His ideology was different form the other Soviet leaders, as for the past
leaders they were like “we should put more pressure and fear those who
are under our rule” but for Gorbachev he really made the change happen.
People can speak more freely, their spending for the arms race ended to
save the Soviet economy, and established a more positive relationship
with the west, treatise was signed just like the INF or the Intermediate-
range Nuclear Forces treaty which resulted to all intermediate-range
missiles eliminated.

- This also saw a freer eastern bloc, I mean that if the Soviets get to enjoy
freedom now, Gorbachev gave the freedom also to the Soviets puppet
regimes; now they can conduct elections, and the iron curtain was
unravelling meaning that barrier separating the east and the west was
removed.

 The fall of the berlin wall

- Even though majority of the eastern bloc was enjoying freedom given by
Gorbachev, in East Germany still rule a hard Stalinist, as police under his
control were trying to suppress the uprising, the protest became out of
their control thus resulting to the overthrowing of that hard Stalinist ruler
and now, East Berliners can travel freely to West berlin and Berliners
celebrated.

- The 1990’s
 The end of the cold war

- This period was a huge sigh of relief as the 2 powers have a better
relationship, Germany was reunited, the iron curtain and the berlin wall
has fallen, the soviet has dissolved and many more positive things
happened.

- The US now has decided that they would stay away from Russia and let
the change happen.