Week 1

Creation of the Eastern Bloc - 1945-48

The Creation of the Eastern Bloc happened because Stalin had to set up new governments in East Europe since he promised to do so at the Yalta conference. Stalin made East Germany Romania Bulgaria Czechoslovakia Poland Hungary and Albania part of the Eastern block. The creation of the Eastern Bloc was important because its what Stalin used to spread communism throughout Europe. By trying to spread communism threw throughout Europe Stalin broke the pact he made at the Yalta Conference.

The "Iron Curtain Speech"- 1946

The "Iron Curtain Speech" was a speech given by Winston Churchill while he was visiting the US. The speech was about his thoughts on how the soviet union acted after the end of World War II. In the speech he stated the Iron Curtain that had appeared across Europe and how it was around different countries that would soon be under the soviet's control. Churchill gave the speech as a way to show that the Soviets were trying to push their belief onto other countries in order to be superior but to not worry because the US is way more powerful than the soviets. This speech was important because it was a speech that went against the USSR and its Communist allies in public. This speech later angered many soviets.

The Long Telegram/Containment - 1946

The Containment was the United States main goal during the cold war. Its goal was to keep communism from spreading into new areas. The containment policy was created after the Soviet union made several moves to try to spread communism across Europe. The importance of the policy was that it stopped the expansion of communism, it helped to rebuild the nations of Europe after WWII and it also promoted democracy to everyone.

The Truman Doctrine - 1947

This Doctrine was the policy that provided economic and military help for the countries that were in danger of being turned into Communist countries.  It was created by harry Truman in an attempt to stop the soviet union from expanding. The Doctrine was important because it was a step into the beginning of the cold war. The doctrine was also used as a way to keep countries as capitalist countries instead of letting them be turned into communist countries.

The Marshall Plan - 1947

The Marshall Plan was the plan offered by the US in order to help out the European countries after WWII. The purpose of the plan was to aid European countries with food, machinery, and other materials. Many soviets however, thought of the plan as a way for the US to take economic an political control over Europe. This plan was important because it helped to repeal communism and to help out European countries.

Berlin Blockade/Airlift - 1948-49
At the end of WWII the united states and the Allies lashed with the soviets over Germany. The Allies decided to allow their occupation zones become a nation but the soviets didnt agree with allowing Germany to reunify so they decided to hold West Berlin hostage. The soviets thought that holding Berlin hostage would make the allies surrender West Berlin or give up on the idea of letting Germany become one again. In the end it only caused the soviet union to admit defeat and lift the blockade.

Soviets get the A-Bomb - 1949
The cold war was threatening to heat up even more and so much so that president Truman felt the need to develop a more deadly weapon before the Soviets did. Since the soviet union exploded its own atomic bomb, Truman decided to authorize the work on a thermonuclear weapon.

Creation of NATO - 1949
The North Alliance Treaty Organization was formed because Western Europe began to fear of the Soviet Union after the Berlin blockade. The NATO was formed by the US, Canada and ten other western European nations in order to form a defensive military alliance. The NATO members decide that if any of them were threatened that they would all defend that member with armed forces. This alliance lead the Soviet Union to form its own alliance out of fear.

China Becomes Communist - 1949
During the renewed Communists vs. Nationalists civil war the Nationalists seemed to have the advantage. They had more men than the communists and since the US was still helping them they had more support. The nationalist were bad at trying to win popular support and China's economy collapsing didn't help them either. So then in 1949 many of China's major cities fell to the well trained red forces. The take over of china lead the US to believe that communism was one step closer to ruling the world.