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Suez Canal
The Suez Canal is a canal connecting the Red Sea and Meditteranean Sea. The canal was 164 m long and 8 m deep.
H/S It was significant because it allowed for trade between Asia and Europe without going around Africa. -
United Nations
The United Nations was a group of many nations that came together to make important decisions. It was established because they believed mankind couldn't afford another world war.
H/S The UN used its various resources to police various parts of the world from then on. -
Iron Curtain
The Iron Curtain was a border between the West and East Bloc. It represented the physical and governmental differences between the east and the west
H/S The Iron Curtain created a lot of the tensions that inspired the Cold War. -
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was a foreign policy doctrine stating that the US would support Greece and Turkey. This was done to keep them from falling in line with the Soviets.
H/S The US ended up giving them $400 million in aid and they joined NATO. -
The Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was a four plan to help Europe rebuild after the war. The plan included $13 billion for rebuilding to Europe. Aid was offered to the Soviet Union but they refused.
H/S The aid made European countries more prone to siding with us. -
Berlin Airlift
The Berlin Airlift was an act carried out by the United States to provide support for the people of East Berlin. It is significant because it showed the US was willing to support oppressed people even if it would offend people. -
European Economic Cooperation
The EEC was a group of 18 European countries that were interested in creating a free trade area in Europe. It stemmed from the Marshall Plan and would also help Europe clean up after the war.
H/S It paved the way for the European Union and was on the way to set up a unified currency in a lot of Europe. -
NATO
NATO or North Atlantic Treaty Organiszation was an alliance between many countries including the US, Great Britain, and other countries in Europe.
H/S NATO was an alliance of capitalist countries that wanted to join together against the Warsaw Pact. -
People's Republic of China
The People's Republic of China was the communist China that surfaced after WW2.
H/S China briefly alligned with the USSR but it fell apart. The US tried to ally themselves with China as to isolate USSR. -
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Cold War
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Korean War
The Korean War was a war between North Korea backed by China and the Soviet Union and South Korea backed by the United Nations. The Korean War ended up being a stalemate with both sides exchanging blows over the 38th parallel.
H/S The Korean War was a proxy war fought between the US and Soviet Union and China. -
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Ho Chi Minh
Ho Chi Minh was the founder of Communist Ruled North Vietnam. He founded the Viet Cong and the People's Republic Army of Vietnam.
H/S Ho Chi Minh was part of the reason for the Vietnam War. The US backed south Vietnam and they wanted to reunite Vietnam. -
Detonation of First Hydrogen Bomb
Ivy Mike was the first hydrogen bomb detonated by the United
States and the world. It used a fission bomb to create the conditions nesessary for a fusion reaction to take place fueld by deuterium.
H/S While Ivy Mike was not intended for use as a weapon, it let the world know that more powerful explosions were possible but it also paved the way for fusion power. -
Nikita Khruchev
NIkita Khruchev was the First Secretary of the Communist Party and took control of the Soviet Union after Stalin died. Khruchev is responible for redacting some of Stalin's policies like imprisoning people who disagreed with him.
H/S Khruchev was the first step towards better relations with the US. -
Creation of KGB
The KGB or Committee for State Security acted as an intelligence agency, a secret police, and internal security.
H/S When President Gorbachev enacted glasnost, the KGB deposed him because they didn't want their secrets to get out. -
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw pact was made in response to NATO. It was an alliance between Russia and other east European countries that had similar ideals.
H/S The countries alligned in the Warsaw Pact were 2nd World countries. -
Vietnam
The Vietnam War was a conflict between communist North Vietnam and Democratic South. The North was backed by the Soviets and lead by Ho Chi Min. The South was led by US backed Ngo Die Diem. It was a bloody conflict which the US eventually pulled out of.
H/S The Vietnam war was a proxy war between USSR and US and a testament to communism vs capitilism. -
Sputnik 1
Sputnik 1 was the first man made object into space. It launched a Space Race between the US and USSR. It sparked a fear bombing in many Americans since they can laucnh things into space.
H/S Sputnik was the beginning of man great things in space and many technological advantages. -
Berlin Wall is erected
The Berlin Wall was built by the USSR to seperate East Berlin from West Berlin. The reason according to the USSR it was built was to prevent faschist movements from coming about in East Berlin. It was significant because it started almost 30 years of oppression. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
Nikita Khruchev, USSR's First Secretary of the Communist Party, made a deal with Fidel Castro, Cuba's dictator, to place Soviet missiles in a base on Cuba. The United States felt threatened by this act and placed a blockade around Cuba. The conflict was later resolved and turned out to be a large miscommunication beteween both sides.
H/S This was the first time when the US and USSR came close to actually exchanging nuclear missiles and the first time mutually assured destruction came into play. -
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Leonid Brezhnev as General Secretary of Central Committee
Brezhnev was the Gerneral Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party succeding Nikita Khruchev. General Secretary was the highest rank in officials of USSR. H/S Brezhnev redacted some of the liberal policies of Khruchev which led to economic stagnation. -
Tet Offensive
The Tet Offensive was a military offensive staged by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam war. It comprised of several surprise attacks on unsuspecting South Vietnamese.
H/S These attacks were so brutal that it swayed public opinion on the war back in the US. Since the public was so outraged, politicians began starting to end the war in Vietnam. -
Helsinki Accords
The Helsinki Accords were an agreement made between 33 states including the US and many European states to improve relations in the Cold War.
H/S The Helsinki Accords were on the way to improve relations in the Cold War. -
Iranian Hostage Crisis
55 Americans were held hostage by Iranian students for 444 days, The Iranians were angry at the US for interferring with Iranian affairs. H/S The way President Jimmy Carter handled the crisis influenced the way the 1980 election swayed. -
Russian Invasion of Afghanistan
In December 1979, Soviet forces invaded Afghanistan to fight insurgent forces called Mujahideen. The insurgents staged a coup against Afghanistans's President, Taraki.
H/S The Afghanistan conflict is akin to the Vietnam war for Russians as many people opposed it. -
Moscow Olympics
These Olympics were hosted by Moscow in 1980.
H/S The United States along with 65 other countries boycotted these games because of the war in Afghanistan. -
Lech Walesa
Lech Walesa was a President of Poland from 1990-1995 and made the Polish Solidarity, the first independent trade union in East Europe. He was the Chariperson of the Solidarity before he became President of Poland. -
1984 Los Angeles Olympics
The Los Angeles Olympics were boycotted by the entire USSR except for Romania along with Libya and Iran. The USSR boycotted the games for made up reasons but mainly they didn't want to attend because it took place in America.
H/S The boycott of the games led to the creation of the 1986 Goodwill Game that were hosted in Moscow. -
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Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev was the USSR's General Secretary and later first President of the USSR. He introduced Perestroika, a policy of radical changes, and glasnost, a policy of openess. He turned the USSR more liberal and played a key part in ending the Cold War.
H/S Gorbachev basically ended the cold war and took the largest communist state down. -
Cherynobyl Powerplant Meltdown
On April 26, 1986 reactor four of the Cherynobyl nuclear powerplant reached critical output and overloaded. The inhabitants of Pripyat, Ukraine were affected greatly by meltdown, many were killed right as it happened and many died of radiation poisoning later on. H/S A lot of radioactive material was released, more than the Hiroshima bomb. It was carried by winds and affected people across the world. -
Perestroika and Glasnost
Perestroika was a reform movement in the Communist Party. It was enacted by Mikhail Gorbachev to restructure the Communist Party and make it more open minded. Glasnost was a policy of openess, to let other countries no what they were doing and have no dark secrets.
H/S These practices initially caused economic distress in the USSR as people weren't used to the new freedoms. Ultimately, it led to the end of the Cold War. -
Geneva Accords
The Geneva Accords was the US settling a war between Pakistan and Afghanistan. It could have been a very bloody war. There is still hostility between the two countries today.
H/S The US tried to settle certain disputes all over the world. It took a lot of internation cooperation and the support of the UN to make it happen. -
Tiananmen Square
Tiananmen Square was the largest urban square in the world located in China. China declared martial law which resulted in the death of many Chinese citizens.
H/S Tiananmen Square was the site of many political events throughout the cold war. -
Berlin Wall is torn down
The Berlin Wall was torn town after 27 years. People who had been in East Berlin were finally able to visit West Berlin and see it. This was significant because it led to the reunification of Germany. -
Boris Yeltsin
Boris Yeltsin was the president after Mikhail Gorbachev and the first president of Russia that wasn't the USSR. His main goal was to turn Russia into a free market economy.
H/S Yeltsin was the first preisdent of Russia since it ceased to be the USSR. This was a milestone in Russian history. -
End of USSR
Mikhail Gorbachav, the Soviet Union's president, disolved the Soviet Union, including it's twelve territories. Through Declaration 142 of the Soviet Union, it would be disolved. Gorbachav resigned saying that his office was extinct and President Boris Yelstin took over.
H/S The end of the USSR brought an end to the Cold War. -
Vladimir Putin
Putin was the President of Russia from 2000-2008 and from 2008-2012. He was a KGB agent until ran for public office. Putin is responsible for bringing back stability in Russia after the Cold War ended.
H/S Althought he initially helped Russia, he has been critisized as being a dictator.
