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Yalta Conference(Beginning of the Cold War)
FDR, Winston Churchill and, Joseph Stalin meet. The Big Three discuss the future of the war(WWII). They decided upon the governing of Germany and what to do about the Pacific side of the war. -
Germany Surrenders
Germany Surrenders to the red army unconditionally. This day is known as Victory day in Europe. The allied forces accept Germans' surrender. -
Japan surrenders(End of WWII)
After the bombing in Nagasaki and Hiroshima, Japan surrenders to the U.S. Over 150,000 die between the two cities. These are the first and only use of nuclear weapons as an attack against an opposing country. -
Stalin gives his hostile speech
Stalin gives a speech claiming that communism and capitalism were incompatible. This speech was one of the early political attacks against the U.S. Joseph Stalin put a blame on capitalism and that it is the reason that the war broke out between the two capitalist sides of the world. -
Containment begins with the Truman Doctrine
President Harry Truman delivers a speech to Congress, following the announcement that the British Government would remove themselves from the aid of the Greek civil war. Truman wanted to insert themselves in the Greek Civil War. The U.S Government believed the the Soviets wanted to influence and support Greek communist policy. This speech was meant to start the movement to contain communism and spread capitalist ideals to "fight for and protect the free". -
NATO Ratified
The U.S becomes a founding member of NATO. NATO had the goal of helping each other following the second world war. The goals of NATO were also based off of the Marshall Plan. -
Russia tests their first atom bomb
Russia tested their first atomic bomb. This marked the beginning of the arms race for the country to have more nuclear arms. The bomb was named "First Lightning" -
Truman approves H-Bomb development.
President Harry Truman approves the movement to research and produce hydrogen bombs. This was an advance in the war against Russia. Thermonuclear weapons were a very controversial but believed to be necessary by the federal government -
Britain joins the race
Britain tests their first atom bomb, marking their step in the race for nuclear weapon production. Britain wanted to stray from being dependant on the U.S. The United States refused to share information on thermonuclear weapons. Britain had to become a self driven country in this time. -
H-Bomb test. Castle Bravo
The U.S tests their H-Bomb named Castle Bravo. This bomb did 1,000 times the amount of damage as the one dropped in Hiroshima. These tests were made to stick to russia and show the power of the thermonuclear weapons being created. -
Warsaw pact formed.
This was a defence alliance formed by the Soviet Union. The alliance included Albania, Romania, Bulgaria, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and East Germany. This system was meant to protect against NATO states as well. -
Sputnik is launched into space
This marks Russia's foot into the space race. The space race was good for both regions' economy as "war'' fronts were being funded and the patriotic bond between the citizens for growth and prosper. Sputnik was a strong advance over the U.S -
Explorer 1 Launched
This was the first satellite launched by the U.S, this was the third ever one to be launched. The satellite orbited earth every 114 minutes. The satellite mainly carried science equipment. -
Fidel Castro takes over Cuba
After Batista was overthrown, Fidel Castro assumed power over the government and military. The U.S tried to get rid of Castro multiple times through assassination attempts, counter-revolution and economic embargo. Cuba being under Castro's' lead was not good for the U.S as he posed a large threat to north and Latin America. -
France tests their first atomic bomb.
Under the codename Gerboise Bleue, franch tested their first nuclear bomb. This meant that the war was no longer between just the USSR and the U.S because multiple countries were racing to get their hold on thermonuclear weaponry. This bomb had also been the largest one to be tested so far. -
Berlin wall built
To split Germany from the eastern and russian governed side, and the west/European controlled side. A 155 km wall was erected to divide the city in two. The wall was made to stop people in east Berlin from escaping to west berlin. -
Apollo 11 lands on moon
The U.S beat the soviets to the moon in a successful mission by NASA. Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong become the first men in world history to walk on the moon. This is seen as a huge win by the U.S -
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty
Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev sign a treaty to get rid of intermediate and short range missiles that are ground based. This treaty did not apply to missiles launched from the sea. This treaty was a good step in the right direction towards nuclear peace. -
Berlin wall falls.
In a misunderstanding that was announced live to all of Germany that the Berlin wall would be taken down. This meant that unrestricted migration between the two sides would be allowed. The announcement was that it was in effect immediately without delay instead of the scheduled and slow tearing down of the wall. -
End of Soviet Union(End of the Cold War)
After 74 years of the USSR, Mikhail Gorbachev resigns as the president of the Soviet Union. Boris Yeltsin was the successor and made it a republic. -