Cold War Events and Organizations

Cold War Events and Organizations

• 1952: The term "Third World" emerged, differentiating it from capitalist (First World) and communist (Second World) blocs. It encompassed Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
• March 12, 1947: The Truman Doctrine, providing financial aid to Greece and Turkey, aimed to counter communist expansion.
• June 5, 1947: The Marshall Plan offered economic assistance to Western European countries to rebuild after WWII, preventing communist influence.
• 1957: The Eisenhower Doctrine offered assistance to Middle Eastern countries resisting communist pressure.
• April 1949: NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) formed, a Western military alliance built to counter the Soviet Union.
• September 1954: SEATO (Southeast Asia Treaty Organization) formed, a collective security pact to oppose communism in Southeast Asia.
• February 24, 1955: The Central Treaty Organization (CENTO) was established, aiming to prevent communist expansion. Its headquarters was initially in Baghdad, but later moved to Ankara (Turkey).
• October 24, 1945: The United Nations was created for global peace and security.
• UN Security Council: Composed of 15 members, including 5 permanent (with veto power) and 10 rotating members.
• Veto power: Permanent members of the Security Council can block any resolution.
• "Iron Curtain": A metaphorical term for the division between Eastern and Western Europe, coined by Winston Churchill.
• Cold War Conflicts: International tensions included the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Cold War Ideologies and Policies

• Cominform: A communist information bureau, established in 1947 to coordinate communist efforts, and spread communist ideology.
• Comintern: A global communist organization.
• Jdanoff Doctrine: (September 22, 1947) A Soviet policy that divided the world into communist (democratic) and capitalist (imperialist) blocs.
• October 6, 1947: The Cominform was established by Jdanoff, aiming to spread communist influence and monitor Western movements.
• 1949: Comecon, an economic alliance among Eastern European Communist states, formed to foster economic cooperation.
• May 14, 1955: The Warsaw Pact was founded, a Soviet-led military alliance in response to NATO.
• 1953: Death of Stalin, changing the Soviet leadership to the "Troika" (collective leadership).
• "Troika": Khrushchev, Molotov, and Malenkov, who briefly governed the USSR after Stalin's death.

Cold War Diplomacy/Events

• 1961: Cuban Missile Crisis—one of the most critical moments of direct confrontation during the Cold War.
• 1953: The term "détente" (relaxation of tension) emerged.
• 1962: Increased detente between the US and USSR, with the signing of the Limited Test Ban Treaty.
• April 1955: Bandung Conference held in Indonesia—a forum for Afro-Asian countries to express their support for non-alignment and decolonization.
• June 18-24, 1955: The Bandung Conference took place, advocating for non-alignment and the independence of colonized nations.
• June 01 1961: The formation of the Non-Aligned Movement.
• June 18 - 24 1955, The Bandung Conference took place to promote solidarity among Afro-Asian nations.
• 1961: Formation of the Non-Aligned Movement.
• 1972 SALT I Agreement between the US and the Soviet Union—an effort to limit the proliferation of nuclear weapons.
• 1979: SALT II Agreement between the US and the Soviet Union—intensified efforts to limit strategic weapons deployment.
• 1990: The end of the Cold War—collapse of the Soviet Union marking the beginning of the post-Cold War era and the emergence of the unipolar world.

Other Concepts

• Non-alignment: A movement advocating for neutrality in the Cold War, not aligning with either the US or USSR blocs.
• Détente: Relaxation of Cold War tensions.
• Peaceful Coexistence: A Soviet policy advocating for peaceful relations and cooperation with the West.
• Containment: A US policy to prevent the spread of communism.
• Detente: A period of lessened tension between the US and USSR