KEY EVENTS 1945 - 1965

1945 - United Nations is created

The United Nations, replacing the League of Nations, was created to promote peace and international cooperation. It was adopted after World War II to prevent another conflict.

1946 - The Nuremberg Trials

Twenty-one members of the Nazi party were put on trial for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and crimes against peace after WWII and the Holocaust. Many critics claimed the trial was an example of victor's justice, because no Soviets were persecuted, even though the USSR had initially started WWII in a coordinated effort. Only 21 individuals were tried in Nuremberg, and many of those who were involved in WWII as members of the Nazi party ended up becoming part of the government of the Federal Republic of Germany.

1947 - Resolution 181

Also known as the Partition Resolution, the UN adopted Resolution 181 to divide Great Britain's former Palestinian mandate into two Jewish and Arab states. This establishes Israel as a nation.

The Marshall Plan

The Marshall Plan was officially put to action in April of 1948. The United States planned to help rebuild the nations of the European allies and to prevent the spread of communism after World War II. Different reactions to the Marshall Plan are exhibited in the following cartoons. The West saw the Marshall Plan as a life-line for Europe, whereas Soviet Russia saw the Marshall Plan as an attempt to bribe Europe into following the capitalist system.

1948 - Berlin Airlift

Berlin was partitioned in 1947. The Soviet Union blocked West Berlin (occupied by the United States, Britain, and France) from the rest of Berlin in an attempt to gain control of the whole city. The Berlin Airlift was a project organized by the United States to deliver supplies to West Berlin, as a response to Soviet Russia cutting off the land traffic and supplies.

1947 - British leave India

The British government leaves British India, which is partitioned into the secular Republic of India and the Muslim state of Pakistan. This is part of the mass decolonization that followed WWII.

1949 - NATO

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was established as an alliance made between the US, England, Canada, France, and other countries of Western Europe. The involved nations vowed to defend one another in the event of an attack from another country. 

1951 - Libya becomes independent from Italy

1951 - Treaty of Paris

The Treaty of Paris is signed by France, West Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Italy. The treaty established the European Coal and Steel community would create a common market for coal and steel, serving to unify European countries after WWII.

1954 - Death of Stalin

Stalin made great contributions to communism including the KGB. The KGB was a state security committee that actively suppressed "ideological subversion" - meaning unorthodox political and religious ideas and the dissidents. When Stalin died, Khrushchev took over as the new dictator, but not to the effect that Stalin was. The party would not allow him to have as much power as Stalin had. Khrushchev worked at "de-stalinizing" Russia until he was thrown out of office in 1964.

1955 - Warsaw Pact

The Soviets believed that NATO was directed against the USSR, so in 1955, they founded the Warsaw Pact which forced the Eastern European countries into a military alliance with the Soviet Union. This allowed the USSR to counter NATO and to station its troops in Eastern European countries, tightening its hold on its satellites.

1956 - Hungarian Revolution

Hungarian nationalists staged huge demonstrations demanding the legalization of non-communist parties. The uprising turned into an armed rebellion and spread throughout the country. The US refused to help out and many civilians died.

1956 - Suez Crisis

Egypt (headed at this point by a man named Nasser) wanted to build a dam on the Nile. They turned to the U.S. for money, who refused, and the to the USSR. The U.S. stated in response that they would not associate with those who associated with Soviet Russia (proxy war). As a result, Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal as a source of income. This put a monopoly on travel through the Suez Canal, threatening the stability of Britain's and France's oil supply. Britain and France responded militarily without telling President Eisenhower, marking the last significant attempt Britain ever made to impose its military abroad without U.S. support or approval.

1957 - launch of Sputnik

The launch of Sputnik by the Soviet Union sparked a new era of modern technology and science. It also instigated the Space Race, the battle between the US and the USSR as part of the Cold War to be the first in space. 

1958 - Charles de Gaulle, French Fifth Republic formed

The Fifth Republic of France was quasi-presidential, as opposed to a parliamentary republic, which means the president had more power this time around. De Gaulle was a "classic French jerk. The Fifth Republic and its republican constitution were established after the fall of the Fourth Republic as a result of the Algiers Crisis of 1958. During World War II, Vichy France existed, which was a puppet government of Germany. Headed by Marshal Pétain, the Vichy government (a satellite state of Germany) controlled Souther France, and the German army controlled Northern France. 

1960 - U-2 Incident

An American U2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union in 1960. The US was forced to admit the purpose of the flight (to spy on Soviet Russia) when the USSR produced the living pilot and the largely intact plane. The incident added tension to the East-West relations during the Cold War and was an embarrassing defeat for the US.

1961 - The Beatles perform for the first time

The Beatles were more than a band - they created a pop-culture movement that swept majorly the United States and Britain, along with the rest of the world. Lennon even made an innocent yet controversial remark that to the people of the time, the Beatles were more important than Jesus Christ.

1961 - Berlin Wall is built

The Soviet Union constructs the Berlin Wall to stop citizens of East Germany from fleeing West. This signified the tight grip of Soviet communism and the division of the free West and the entrapped East.

1962 - Cuban Missile Crisis

The Cuban Missile Crisis marked the climax of the Cold War and the closest the US and the USSR came to engaging in a Nuclear War. The US discovered Soviet nuclear missile sites being built in Cuba and aimed at the United States. The US had sites in Turkey aimed at the USSR at the time as well. At this point, JFK and Khrushchev were essentially hovering over the button to launch Nuclear war - which would essentially obliterate both the United States and Soviet Russia. The conflict came to an end when Khrushchev agreed to US demands to leave Cuba after JFK announced he would employ a naval blockade of the island, so long as the US promised never to attack Cuba (as the Soviets wanted to keep Cuba as a communist state). Following the Cuban Missile Crisis was the Détente, an period of eased relations between the USSR and the US. 

1964 - Khrushchev resigns

After a growth of opposition from the Communist Party, Khrushchev was essentially forced by opposition and conspirators to resign from his office. Brezhnev was elected First Secretary and Kosygin succeeded Khrushchev as premier, creating a more Red USSR and initiating a phase of re-Stalinization.

Communism and Mother Russia

How do we go from Lenin to Stalin?
Lenin was a leader of the Communist (Bolshevik) Revolution and championed limited economic freedom in his New Economic Plan. This was not full blown Communism. Lenin was trying to apply communist structure to an agricultural society that needs an industrial base if it’s going to be competitive in the world market. This provided stability in a country that was always on the brink of revolution.
As the economy recovered under this plan and the government relaxed its repression and censorship, an intense struggle for power began between Stalin and Trotsky. Trotsky pushed for "permanent revolution". This supports the idea that  communism is inherently expansionist and is a major driver of cold war issues. But the Soviet people were more interested in making sure they themselves had a good life than with caring about uniting the people in every country. This is why the people supported Stalin, whose slogan was "socialism in one country". He is able to win over the approval of the Communist party and be voted in by the Central Committee. Stalin's 5 year plan was much more socialist than that of Lenin's NEP. The goal was for heavy industry to increase even faster, which it did.

The Soviet Union was a very backward country, as seen in the photo above. Both Lenin and Stalin's goal was to bring the Soviet economy in line with everyone else's.

There are four major premiers of the Soviet Union:
Stalin: known for- 5 Year Plan
Krushchev: known for- Cuban missile crisis
Brezhnev: known for-  Era of Stagnation
Gorbachev: known for- being in charge as the Soviet Union fell apart

Marxism is similar to religion in that it has the effect of distracting people from the situation at hand.
The Soviet Union eventually fell apart because they were wearing a fur coat but nothing underneath. In other words, it looked strong on the outside but underneath was a rotten economic underpinning. People put all of their hope into Marxism to save their country, but in the end it did nothing to stop the Soviet Union from falling apart.

Stalin's perceived threat to the Soviet Union:
The Marshall plan was an American initiative to help rebuild European economies after the destruction of World War II. Many Soviets saw the Marshall Plan as a backdoor attempt to push capitalism into their country.

Stalin's solution to threats such as these:
Stalin implemented a pogrom against any perceived enemies of the state. Everyday people would be here one day and gone the next. For instance, if Kat was a high ranking Communist leader and I was a peasant, she would quickly have me executed if I looked at her the wrong way on the street.

Communism in other countries:
Berlin- Stalin was annoyed with the outpost of West Berlin in the German Democratic Republic. He wished to eliminate this capitalist tumor on his communist organ. Berlin after WWII was the capital of the German Democratic Republic in East Germany. The capital of West germany was Bonn.

Greece and Turkey- These countries had already dealt with communist revolutionaries. The people were pushing for Communism to enter into their country and save them from their present situation.
Budapest- Nagy was the leader of the Hungarian revolution of 1956, a revolution that demanded an end to Communism in their country.

WWII through Harry Potter gifs

WWI vs. WWII 

Separated by about 20 years, WWI and WWII share more than just the same first two letters. Some historians even go as far as to say they are two parts of the same war. These two wars were directly related on so many levels because without WWI, WWII would not have occurred. WWI completely changed the world and ushered in a new era of both warfare and culture. WWII arrived on this new wave. However, it shared many of the same causes. Similar to every war ever fought, power was the main cause.

Voldemort (Germany) is struggling for power against Harry (Britain)

 Nationalism and alliances also figured into the decision. These two causes were more important in WWI, but they did add to the fire of WWII. In the end, WWII was mainly fought due to the threatening nature of Germany. Germany was encroaching much too far into the rest of Europe and they could no longer ignore them. With Hitler at the helm of Germany, there was no check to power. 

Bellatrix (Germany) come to close to the Burrow (Europe) 

Why Hitler? 

Hitler was able to easily gain power in Germany. The bitterness left by WWI required someone to help the country. Germans were suffering from the consequences of the war and wanted hope. Into the spotlight stepped Hitler. He appealed to all members of society and said exactly what they wanted to hear. Hitler blamed the Jews for their defeat, giving the country a scapegoat. Hitler was charismatic and won the favor of the public. This then allowed him to create a dictatorship. 

The War 

Before the start of the war, Europe had a policy of ignoring Germany, which they called the appeasement plan. Europe hoped that by giving Germany smaller countries, it would eventually stop him. They did everything they could to avoid war after the devastation of WWI. 

Draco (small European countries) was sacrificed to the embrace of Voldemort (Germany)

Although they fought for peace, there was no way to avoid the war. Hitler was much to power hungry. What happens after is called the sitzkrieg, which means phony war. Since Europe was unprepared for war, Germany was able to conquer almost every European country with no issue. The western world was democratic so it required voting to create an army. Hitler, however, was a totalitarian and could just build an army with no consent. 

The Death Eaters (Germany) easily invaded Hogwarts (Europe) and killed Dumbledore 

WWII only ended because Hitler overextended himself. He believed that he could do anything, but he eventually lost. The combined power of Great Britain, the United States and a Russian winter destroyed the last drive at victory in Germany. 

Nagini (Germany) is killed by Neville (GB, US, USSR)

The Age of Aniexty

Immediately following World War I was the Age of Anxiety. Why was it the Age of Anxiety? Well because everything people had believed in had pretty much been destroyed. Previously, people had faith in war. Most people believed world war one would be "quick and glorious" and even went off to war because of honor to their country. However, it was soon discovered WWI was nothing like they expected.

The destruction from the war did not only effect whole countries and governments but also effected the individual person. With all their beliefs shattered, they were left wondering pessimistic questions about humanity. As Nicole put it their "hope and light had crashed down." People began questioning the point of life and why they were here. Europeans had lost their moral compass along with most of their beliefs leaving them with essentially an existential crisis .

like Honey Boo Boo, Europe was questioning humanity at this time

An existential crisis is defined as "a moment in which an individual questions the very foundations of their life: whether their life has any meaning, purpose, or value" Europeans now had to find new answers to the questions of life. One man, John Paul Sarte stated "we are condemned to be free" meaning it would be easier for people to leave under someone else's control or at least some structure. His argument is supported by the fact if the structure of society had remained after WWI, Europe probably would not have been having an existential crisis during this time. 

One of the reasons Europe had lost structure was the loose of faith in the upper class. In the 19th century, people were still being born into positions of power. These people were the ones who made the decisions about fighting in the war. WWI made people loose faith in the upper class ruling. The upperclass was still in charge but without the faith of the people who had lost all trust in their leadership. 

WWI was a frightening experience for everyone. Even the winners of the war were left were post-war pessimism due to all the death and violence. Germany, though they were not the sole cause of the war, had lots of reason to be anxious during this time. One consequence for Germany along with the Ottoman empire was the Mandate System. The Mandate system took the territories from Germany and Ottoman empire is the middle east and divided them between the allies. The Ally country was supposed to "watch over" these countries as they developed. This system set up countries like Iran and Iraq.

Map of the Countries divided in Mandate System