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Joseph Stalin
By the late 1920's he was the dictator of the Soviet Union. One of the most powerful and murderous dictators in history. Died of a stroke on March 5, 1953 H.S.: Caused the deaths of tens of millions of people, but also played a key role in the defeat of Nazism. -
Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev was the last General Secretary of the Soviet Union. He brought about massive economic, social, and political changes. H.S.: Helped bring an end to both the Soviet Union and the Cold War. -
Los Angeles Olympics
Six months before the games were to begin not a single country had responded to the official invitations. Because of the depression the price to travel all the way to California was much to expensive for most. Ticket sales only started to rise when a few celebrities offered to entertain the crowd. H.S.: Debuted the first photo-finish cameras as well as the victory platform -
United Nations
Aims include promoting cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, etc. Main goals are to prevent wars between countries and provide a basis for dialoge. H.S.: Many conflicts have been brought to an end through the UN -
Iron Curtain
The barrier set up by the Soviet Union to seal off itself and its independent eastern and and central European allies from open contact with the West and other noncommunist areas. H.S.: Divided Europe -
Truman Doctrine
Established that the US would provide political, military, and economic assistance to all democratic nations under threat from internal or external authoritarian forces. H.S.: Reoriented US foreign policy -
European Economic Cooperation
Purpose of this organization was to continue work on a joint recovery program and to supervise distribution of aid. The headquarters was in the Chateau de la Muette in Paris, France. H.S.: The organization was a long-term result of the Marshall Plan. -
The Marshall Plan
Also known as the European Recovery Program, channeled over $13 billion to finance the economic recovery of Europe between 1948 and 1951. H.S.: Sparked economic recovery in Europe -
Berlin Airlift
The idea of several military officers to fly in supplies to the people of Berlin. The Soviet Union had cut off access to the other Allied countries by train. H.S.: Saved two million lives -
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Mlitary alliance established by the Washington Treaty between the United States and western Europe. H.S.: Sought to create a counterweight to Soviet armies stationed in central and eastern Europe after WWII -
Peoples Republic of China
People were defined as a coalition of four social classes: the workers, the peasants, the petite bourgeoise, and the national capitalists. H.S.: Allowed Chinese government to embark on a program of national integration and reform. -
Korean War
The war began when 75,000 North Korean soldiers poured across the 38th parallel, the boundary separating communist North Korea from South Korea. America joined the war on South Korea's behalf, and as far as they were concerned it was a war on international communism itself. H.S.: First military action of the Cold War -
Explosion of the first hydrogen bomb
United States tested the first hydrogen bomb on Eniwok atoll in the Pacific. This gave them a short lived advantage in the nuclear arms race with the Soviet Union. H.S.: Lead to the use of an extremely lethal weapon of mass destruction that is still used today. -
Khrushchev
First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953--1964. H.S.: His antics caused word to get to America by word of a double agent that the missiles he had deployed to Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis were only partly develolped and did not cause an immediate threat. JFK called his bluff and Khrushchev was forced to remove to missiles from Cuba, causing a great embarrassment to the Soviet Union. -
Ho Chi Minh
Led the Vietnamese nationalist movement for over three decades, fighting the Japanese, the French colonial power, and then South Vietnam. He was president of Vietnam from 1954 until his death. H.S.: Persuaded other leaders of the Vietminh that the French could not be trusted. This led to the battle of Dien Bien Phu, which pulled France out of Vietnam. -
KGB (Committee for State Security)
Main security agency from 1954 until its collapse in 1991. Acted as internal security, intelligence, and secret police. H.S.: Major instrument in carrying out the Great Purge of 1936--1938 -
Geneva Accords
The agreement reached at the Geneva Convention that brought an end to the first Indochina war of Vietnam against France that lasted from 1946--1954 H.S.: Brought peace between Vietnam and France -
Warsaw Pact
Alliance of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Called on the member states to come to the defense of any member attacked by an outside force. H.S.: Set up a unified military command -
Suez Canal/Nasser
Artificial waterway in Egypt that allows for travel between Europe and Asia without navigating around Africa. UK and US withdrew their pledge to support the construction of the Aswan Dam in the River in Aswan, Egypt, so Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser responded by nationalizing the canal in 1956. H.S.: Still used for travel today -
Sputnik
At the time, the first artificial satellite in history. Sent into orbit by the Soviet Union. H.S.: Brought in new political, military, technological, and scientific developments. -
Brezhnev
Leonid Brezhnev became president of the USSR on May 7, 1960. He ruled until his death in 1982 H.S.: Helped to elevate the Soviet Union to to new levels of power and peace through his exemplary negotiating skills. -
Berlin Wall Erected
East German authorities built this to permanently seal off access to the West. Known as the "Iron Curtain" that divided Europe. H.S.: Provides a symbol for the division of Europe -
Cuban Missile Crisis
13 day period of time in which the Soviets were threatened to shoot missiles on the US from the island of Cuba. H.S.: This was the closest the world had ever come to nuclear war -
Tet Offensive
North Vietnamese troops and Viet Cong forces attacked both towns and cities in South Vietnam. H.S.: Showcased the coordination, strength, and surprise instigated by the Communists. -
Iranian Hostage Crisis
An angry mob of young Islamic revolutionaries overran the US Embassy in Tehran, taking over 60 Americans hostage. H.S.: More concentrated effort by American officials and more TV coverage than any event since WWII. -
Helsinki Accords
Acknowledged national boundaries of the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact countries. Western European countries celebrated Warsaw Pact countries willingness to adopt ten major points of diplomacy. H.S.: Allowed for greater freedoms in Eastern European countries. -
Russian Invasion of Afghanistan
Russian paratroopers landed in Kabal, the capital of Afghanistan. The Russians killed the prime minister Hazifullah Amin, who was then replaced by Babrak Kamal. H.S.: US put a ban on the export of grain to Russia, ended SALT talks, and boycotted the Olympic Games due to be held in Moscow in 1980. -
Moscow Olympics
First olympic games to be held in Europe. 65 countries boycotted the games because of the Soviet war in Afghanistan. H.S.: Largest boycott of an Olympics in history -
Lech Walesa and the Solidarity Movement in Poland
The "Solidarity" movement was a Polish trade union federaion that was the first non-communist party-controlled trade union in a Warsaw Pact country. H.S.: Overthrew communism in Poland -
Perestroika and Glasnost
Mikhail Gorbachev's watchwords for the renovation of the Soviet body politic and society that he pursued. Both terms can be found in his speeches as early as the 1970's, but he did not uncover the meaning then. H.S.: The meaning of these words effectively undermined the country's confidence in their leaders to lead society into prosperity. -
Chernobyl
The Chernobyl nuclear disaster was the result of a flawed reactor design operated with inadequately trained workers. Around the time of the accident about 30 people died, and more died from long term affects of the radiation. H.S.: Displayed the effects of Cold War isolation and the result of no safety culture. -
Tiananmen Square
Participants of a peaceful democratinc protest are killed by the Chinese army. This was after several attempts to get the protesters to leave. H.S.: Shows the ruthlessness of the Chinese Army -
Berlin Wall being torn down
The wall was torn down as a symbol for increasing freedom. People came from all over to help take pieces of it out. H.S.: Symbolized the new freedoms that the German people were getting. -
Yeltsin
Russian politician and the first President of the Russian Federation. H.S.: Caused Russia to hit an economic downturn -
Fall of the USSR
Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev resigned, declaring his office extinct. He handed missile launching codes over to Russian President Boris Yeltsin. The Soviet flag at the Kremlin was lowered and replaced with the Russian tri-color that same night. The USSR was separated into twelve independent states. H.S.: Fall of the world's first and largest communist state also marked the end of the Cold War. -
Putin
Current President of Russia. Former officer in the KGB. Joined President Boris Yeltin's administration and rose quickly, becoming Acting President when Yeltin resigned unexpectedly. H.S.: Oversaw a return of poilitical stability and economic progress to Russia, ending the crisis of the 1990s. -
Vietnam
Economic growth is among the highest in the world since 2000. Estimated 90.3 million inhabitants. H.S.: Successful economic reforms resulted in it joining the World Trade Organization
