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<a href='http://history.state.gov/milestones/1937-1945/tehran-conf' U.S. President FDR, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin meet in Tehran, Iraq to discuss military strategies against the Nazis and Japanese. A second offensive would begin at the Eastern Front to help the Soviets fight the Nazis, while the British and the Americans decided to invade northern France (Operation Overlord) by May 1944.
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Yalta Conference Stalin agrees to join in the war against Japan in exchange for a sphere of influence in Manchuria.
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Potsdam Churchill, Stalin, and President Harry Truman discuss splitting Germany into 4 areas of Allied control. Truman also threatened Japan with "prompt and utter destruction" unless they declared an unconditional surrender.
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Start of Vietnam Following the end of World War 2, France tried to regain control of Vietnam, then known as French Indochina. This starts a 9 year war for control of the country.
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Marshal Plan Secretary of State George C. Marshall calls for a plan to reconstruct Europe following World War 2. His plan involves modernizing Europe's industrial equipment, increasing economic cooperation, agriculture and energy production, creating a monetary system, and removing trade restrictions.
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Following the genocide of the Jewish population during World War 2, the United Nations authorizes the creation of Israel near Palestine. Both the United States and the Soviet Union agree to establish this country.
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Congress approves the Marshall Plan and allows over $12 billion towards rebuilding Europe. They approved the plan in order to keep and increase our interest and influence in Europe, stop the spread of Communism, and rebuild their economy.
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Israel declares its independence and becomes its own nation. 5 Arab countries immediately invaded the new nation to destroy it, but Israel is victorious.
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The Republic of South Korea, also known as South Korea, is founded under a democratic government. Seoul is declarerd the capital city of South Korea and has a relation with the UInited States.
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In response to the creation of the democratic South Korea, the Korean People's Democratic Republic, or North Korea, is founded with a Communist government. Pyongyang is declared the capital city of North Korea.
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The United States and 10 Western European countries (Belgium, the U.K., Canada, Denmoark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, and Portugal) agree to form an alliance in which if one member was attacked, it would be considered an attack on all. West Germany, Turkey, Greece, and Spain later joined the organization.
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The People's Republic of China is officially established after the Communists, led by Mao Zedong, win the Chinese Civil War. The United States refuses to recognize the new Communist government, and insists the real Chinese government was in Taiwan, resulting in strained relations.
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Communist forces from North Korea seeking to unify the country push South Korean forces to Pusan.
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After North Korea invades South Korea, the U.N. agrees to send troops to help the South Korean army, most of whom came from the United States. General MacArthur invades Inchon and sends the North Korean forces back to North Korea.
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Stalin dies of a massive heart attack. Following his death, Nikita Khrushchev becomes premier of the Soviet Union and peace negotiations in Korea take a more positive turn.
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After 3 years of fighting and stalled negotiations, an armistice is signed to end the Korean War. Both North and South Korea were still separated at the 38th Parallel. This is the first time that the U.S. doesn't win a global conflict.
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France withdraws Following the defeat of the French Parachute Regiment by the North Vietnamese at Dien Bien Phu, France withdraws its troops from Vietnam.
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Splitting Vietnam It was decided to split Vietnam into two countries at the 17th Parallel. The northern half of Vietnam became known as the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, which had a Communist government and was led by Ho Chi Minh. The southern half of Vietnam became known as the Republic of Vietnam, which had a democratic government and was led by Ngo Dinh Diem.
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SEATO SEATO is formed by the U.S., France, the U.K., New Zealand, Australia, the Phillipines, Thailand and Pakistan. The purpose was to prevent the spread of Communism in the Southeast Asia area, yet only 2 Southeast Asian countries are involved. SEATO had many problems, such as langauge barriers and no way to send military troops or gain information.
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In response to NATO, the USSR forms the Warsaw Pact with Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, East Germany, Poland, Romania, and Czechoslovakia, promoting "friendship, cooperation, and mutual assistance" to those involved.
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The Cuban people revolt and overthrow their government.
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Fidel Castro becomes the premier of Cuba and later its dicator. Castro aligns himself as a Communist and nationalizes U.S. businesses, causing the U.S. to declare Cuba an enemy.
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John F. Kennedy is elected President of the United States. In his inaugural address, he challenges Americans to join a "global alliance...to fight tyranny, poverty, disease and war."
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A U-2 flight over Cuba reveals the presence of nuclear weapons and air missile batteries in Cuba.
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In order to prevent nuclear war with the Soviet Union, President John F. Kennedy orders a naval blockade on Cuba to stop the USSR from bringing missile and other equipment into Cuba.
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Richard Nixon is elected President of the United States, beating Lyndon B. Johnson's Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey. He campaigned with a "secret plan" to end the war in Vietnam.
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President Nixon orders the secret bombing of Cambodia to destroy any Communist bases in the country as the first real test of Vietnamization. This generates extremely negative reactions to this invasion.
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Vietnamization President Nixon reveals his "secret plan" to win the Vietnam War: Vietnamization. His plan incorporated most of the actual fighting being done by the South Vietnamese forces with U.S. support, and intended to improve and modernize the South Vietnamese armed forces' ability for pacification and combat operations.
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Kent State Following the Cambodian Invasion, an anti-war demonstration at Kent State University in Ohio turns violent when the Ohio Naional Guard shoots at the crowd, killing 4 students and wounding 8. This event causes many colleges and universities nationwide to close and pushes Nixon to quickly withdraw the U.S. forces from Vietnam.
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President Nixon visits China in an attempt to re-establish relations. He visited for numerous reasons, including pressure from the U.N. to allow China to be a permanent member, taking advantage of the country's bad relations with the Soviet Union, and needing good press coverage for re-election.
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After decades of fighting, a ceasefire was reached. The U.S. withdrew their troops from Vietnam
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Almost immediately after the U.S. withdrew its troops, the North Vietnamese invaded South Vietnam. The war officially ends when the North Vietnamese capture the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon and rename it Ho Chi Minh City. This reunites the country under a Communist country and is the first real loss for the United States.