Cold War Timeline 1947-1966

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    Cold War 1947-1966

  • The Treaty of Dunkirk

    The Treaty of Dunkirk
    It was a treaty of alliance and mutual assistance between the United Kingdom and France, designed to deter potential German aggression.
  • Pakistan gaining Independence

    Pakistan gaining Independence
    The idea that the Muslims in the subcontinent need a separate nation because their aspirations would be crushed in a Hindu-dominated India was first echoed in the Two-Nation Theory.
  • India Gaining Independence

    India Gaining Independence
    A growing Indian nationalist movement, the influence of leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, the impact of World War II, and the increasing economic and political strain of maintaining the empire.
  • The Creation of Israel

    The Creation of Israel
    The Zionist movement, a desire for a Jewish homeland, and the aftermath of World War II and the Holocaust.
  • The Berlin Airlift

    The Berlin Airlift
    a massive resupply operation launched by the Western Allies (US, UK, and France) in 1948 and 1949 to counter a Soviet blockade of West Berlin
  • The Presidential Election

    The Presidential Election
    Democratic President Harry S. Truman defeated heavily favored Republican New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey, and third-party candidates, in one of the greatest election upsets in American history.
  • The Establishment of NATO

    The Establishment of NATO
    This treaty laid the foundation for the collective defense alliance between 12 founding members: the United States, Canada, and 10 Western European nations.
  • The Soviet Union's First Atomic Bomb Test

    The Soviet Union's First Atomic Bomb Test
    At Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan. This test marked the end of the United States' nuclear monopoly and the beginning of the nuclear arms race during the Cold War.
  • The People's Republic of China

    The People's Republic of China
    Following the victory of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the Chinese Civil War. Mao Zedong, the CCP chairman, proclaimed the PRC from Tiananmen Square in Beijing on that day.
  • The Rise of McCarthyism

    The Rise of McCarthyism
    The rise of McCarthyism, a period of intense fear of communism in the United States, is generally considered to have occurred between 1950 and 1954. It was a time when Senator Joseph McCarthy, fueled by claims of communist infiltration in government and other institutions, conducted highly publicized investigations and hearings.
  • Start of the Korean War

    Start of the Korean War
    When the Northern Korean People's Army invaded South Korea in a coordinated general attack at several strategic points along the 38th parallel, the line dividing communist North Korea from the non-communist Republic.
  • Attempted Assassination of Harry S. Truman

    Attempted Assassination of Harry S. Truman
    Puerto Rican pro-independence activists Oscar Collazo and Griselio Torresola attempted to assassinate President Harry S. Truman at the Blair House during the renovation of the White House.
  • The Espionage Trial of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg

    The Espionage Trial of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg
    The couple was charged with espionage, specifically conspiracy to commit espionage, for allegedly passing secrets about the U.S. atomic bomb project to the Soviet Union.
  • Japanese Peace Treaty

    Japanese Peace Treaty
    This treaty officially ended the state of war between Japan and the Allied powers, and also terminated the Allied post-war occupation of Japan.
  • Libya Gained Independence

    Libya Gained Independence
    It became the United Kingdom of Libya and was proclaimed a constitutional and hereditary monarchy under King Idris.
  • The Death of King George

    The Death of King George
    The King failed to recover from a lung operation, and died in his sleep on 6 February 1952 at Sandringham; he was aged 56. After lying in state at Westminster Hall, the King's funeral was held at St George's Chapel, Windsor, where he lies buried.
  • "Mike"

    "Mike"
    The first thermonuclear weapon, codenamed "Mike," is detonated by the US Atomic Energy Commission at Enewetak Atoll.
  • The Election of Dwight D. Eisenhower

    The Election of Dwight D. Eisenhower
    American presidential election held on November 4, 1952, in which Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower easily defeated Democrat Adlai E. Stevenson.
  • The Death of Joseph Stalin

    The Death of Joseph Stalin
    Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretary of the Communist Party from 1922 to 1952 and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers from 1941 until his death.
  • The End of the Korean War

    The End of the Korean War
    After the signing of an armistice agreeing that the country would remain divided. At the end of the Second World War, Korea – which had formerly been occupied by the Japanese – was divided along the 38th parallel.
  • First Launch of the Nuclear Submarine

    First Launch of the Nuclear Submarine
    The USS Nautilus, It was launched at Groton, Connecticut, at the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Shipyard.
  • Castle Bravo

    Castle Bravo
    Castle Bravo was the first in a series of high-yield thermonuclear weapon design tests conducted by the United States at Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands, as part of Operation Castle.
  • Battle of Dien Bien Phu

    Battle of Dien Bien Phu
    The Battle of Điện Biên Phủ was a climactic confrontation of the First Indochina War that took place between 13 March and 7 May 1954. It was fought between the forces of the French Union and Viet Minh.