Cold War Notes

Yalta Conference

1945 meeting where Allies decided post-WWII Europe; marked the beginning of U.S. and USSR tensions.

Truman Doctrine

1947 U.S. policy to support countries resisting communism, especially Greece and Turkey.

Marshall Plan

1947 U.S. program to provide financial aid for rebuilding Western Europe to prevent communism.

Berlin Airlift

1948-49 crisis where U.S. flew in supplies to West Berlin during USSR blockade.

NATO

1949 military alliance formed by U.S. and allies to counter USSR threats.

Arms Race

Competition between U.S. and USSR to develop and accumulate nuclear weapons, starting with the USSR's atomic bomb test in 1949.

Korean War

1950-1953 conflict between communist North Korea and U.S.-backed South Korea, ending in a stalemate.

Warsaw Pact

1955 military alliance established by the USSR as a counter to NATO.

Hungarian Uprising

1956 revolt crushed by USSR, where the U.S. chose not to intervene.

Sputnik

1957 first satellite launched by the USSR, marking the start of the space race.

Cuban Revolution

1959 event when Castro took power in Cuba and aligned with the USSR.

Berlin Wall

1961 barrier built by the USSR to prevent East Germans from fleeing to West Berlin.

Cuban Missile Crisis

1962 confrontation between U.S. and USSR over missiles in Cuba, closest point to nuclear war.

Vietnam War

U.S. involvement from 1964-1973 aimed at stopping the spread of communism in Vietnam.

Prague Spring

1968 reform movement in Czechoslovakia that was suppressed by the USSR.

Apollo 11

1969 mission where the U.S. landed the first humans on the moon, winning the space race.

SALT I Agreement

1972 treaty between U.S. and USSR to limit nuclear arms.

Vietnam Withdrawal

1973 U.S. pullout from Vietnam seen as a defeat, leading to the fall of South Vietnam.

Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan

1979 event where the U.S. supported Afghan resistance against USSR intervention.

U.S.-China Relations

1979 normalization of relations between the U.S. and China as a strategy against the USSR.

Reagan's 'Evil Empire' Speech

1983 address reflecting U.S. return to aggressive rhetoric toward the USSR.

Strategic Defense Initiative

1983 proposed missile defense system by the U.S. to pressure the USSR economically.

Gorbachev

Soviet leader who rose to power in 1985 and initiated reforms like Glasnost and Perestroika.

INF Treaty

1987 agreement between the U.S. and USSR to eliminate intermediate-range nuclear missiles.

Fall of the Berlin Wall

1989 event symbolizing the collapse of Soviet control in Eastern Europe.

Collapse of the Soviet Union

1991 dissolution of the USSR, marking the official end of the Cold War.