History Timeline 1940-1947

Study Notes

1940: Occupation of Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia.
1945:
- Yalta Conference on February 4.
- Germany's surrender in May.
- Potsdam Conference on July 17.
- Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima on August 6.
- Axis powers defeated in August.
1946: March 5 marked Ivan Curtain speech; Bulgaria integrates into Soviet sphere.
1947:
- Truman Doctrine announced on March 12.
- Marshall Plan initiated on June 5.
- Lominform in October.
- Soviet control in Poland limiting Western influence; planned economy imposed.
1948:
- Berlin Blockade begins on June 24, ending on May 17, 1949.
- Czechoslovakia and Hungary pressured into Soviet control.
1949:
- Soviet Comecon established, limiting trade with the West.
- NATO formed on April 4.
- Formation of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) in May; German Democratic Republic established in October.
- USSR successfully tests an atomic bomb in August.
1955: Warsaw Pact formed to counter NATO.

Capitalism:
- Emphasizes private property, profit-making, and free elections.
- Promotes class systems and freedom of the press.
Communism:
- Advocates for government ownership of property and wealth distribution.
- Enforces single-party rule and aims for a classless society.
- Utilizes propaganda to control information.

Causes:
- Germany's defeat in WWII.
- Diverging ideologies between capitalism and communism.
- Development and use of the atomic bomb.
Consequences:
- Increased nuclear proliferation and arms race.
- Emergence of proxy wars representing larger superpowers.
- Establishment of the Iron Curtain and Berlin Wall as Cold War symbols.

Members: Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin.
Agreements:
- Japan to cease hostilities.
- War criminals addressed; focus on Nazi camps.
- Soviet sphere of influence established in Eastern Europe; Germany divided into four occupation zones.
- Formation of the United Nations; elections in liberated countries.
Disagreements:
- Tensions over Poland's post-war status; Churchill's limited influence due to Red Army presence.

Members: Harry Truman, Clement Attlee, Joseph Stalin.
Agreements:
- Berlin partitioned into four zones.
- USSR granted 25% of industrial resources from Germany; Nazi Party banned.
Disagreements:
- Approaches to Germany's future differed; Stalin’s desire for Eastern European control opposed Truman's “get tough” policy.

Support for Greece and Turkey: $400 million provided, along with military aid.
Marked the beginning of a U.S. policy aimed at containing communism, notably due to fears of a domino effect in the region.

Background: Introduction of Deutschmark led to increased tensions; blockade initiated to limit Western access to West Berlin.
Impact:
- Blockade cut off all land, rail, and canal connections; Berlin Airlift delivered 2.3 million tons of supplies over one year.
Reactions:
- Initiated Warsaw Pact as a counter to NATO’s collective defense.

USSR:
- Violated Yalta agreements, initiated Berlin Blockade, expanded communist control.
USA:
- United Berlin zones to isolate USSR and took unilateral actions contrary to agreements; Marshall Plan seen as a strategy for dominance.
Context:
- WWII devastated the USSR, leading to heightened security concerns and aggressive foreign policy moves.

Tensions:
- Truman aimed to showcase power; Soviet fears of U.S. motives fueled conflicts in Eastern Europe.

Motivations:
- Security concerns post-WWII, promotion of communism in unstable economies, resource acquisition, and superpower rivalry with the USA.
Methods:
- Utilization of military power, establishment of communist governments, and rigging of elections to suppress opposition.