COLD WAR 1945 delegates from 45 countries met form the United Nations The five great powers – United States, Soviet Union, Great Britain, France, and China were permanent members of the Security Council with the right to veto The UN was intended to promote international cooperation In 1945 Russia controlled much of Eastern Europe Stalin’s aim was to protect Russia’s western border with communist allies – Poland, Hungary, Rumania, Bulgaria

1946 at Fulton Missouri, Winston Churchill made his iron curtain speech The British, Americans, French and Soviets each controlled a part of Berlin Berlin was an area controlled by the Soviet Union, but roads and railroads were allowed to link to the western sectors In 1947 the western sectors all merged for economic reasons

1947 Truman gets $400m to aid Turkey and Greece – to support free people 1947 George Marshall proposed an economic packet to help war-torn Europe The soviets refused to participate 1948 a communist-backed coup in Czechoslovakia persuaded the Americans that they had to stop the spread of communism The European Recovery Program (Marshall Plan) provided $13b in aid

1948 The soviets cut off access to Berlin 1948 The soviets cut off access to Berlin. The Allies organized the Berlin Airlift 1948 Britain, France and the Benelux countries signed the Brussels Pact 1948 America establishes a peace time draft May 1949 the soviets lifted the blockade The western powers created West Germany – the soviets created East Germany 1949 twelve countries (Brussels Pact + 5) signed the North Atlantic Pact – gradually other countries were added – this became NATO

Eisenhower continued the Truman Doctrine 1953 Stalin died Khrushchev became the leader and promised “peaceful coexistence” West Germany became part of NATO in 1955 1955 the soviets established the Warsaw Pact 1958 Khrushchev demanded that the west accept the neutralization of West Berlin or they would sign their rights to East Berlin to East Germany The western powers did nothing and the deadline passed

August 1961 Khrushchev closed the east/west Berlin border Began construction of the Berlin Wall 1961 Bay of Pigs fiasco – Castro moves closer to Moscow

1963 American-Soviet Nuclear Test ban 1967 The Outer Space Treaty 1971 SALT I froze the number of ICBMs 1979 SALT II limits on long range missiles, bombers, nuclear warheads

1979 Russia invades Afghanistan – new cold war 1989 the fall of the Berlin Wall