-
Joseph Stalin
Was the leader of the Soviet Union from 1923 till his death in 1953. He turned the USSR into a industail power at the cost of imprissoning millions of citizens. HS: Stalin was the leader of the Soviet Union during World War II and throught their post-war reconstruction phase. -
Ho Chi Minh
Ho Chi Minh was the North Vietnam President from 1945- 1969. He was also the Prime Minister before he was President. He was a Communist Leader and was even a preferred leader by some South Vietnamese. HS: He was the founder of the Indochina Communist Party and he also was a political leader in North Vietnam for about three decades. -
United Nations
Was created to replace the Laegue of Nations after its collapse. Its main goal is to stop an outbreak of war between two countries. Today the United Nations has 193 members. HS: This is a organization that promotes peaceful reasoning between countries that has been around for almost 70 years. -
Iron Curtain
This was a symbol of the division in Europe after World War II. The east side of the curtain were countries that were being influenced by the Soviets, the other side were countries that were apart of NATO. This iron cutrain because a real physical symbol when the Berlin Wall was put up dividing east and west Berlin. HS: This was a boarder dividing a major part of Europe and it gave the Soviets more power since democratic parties could not come to the communism side of the iron curtain. -
Truman Doctrine
This was an internaltional relations policy that stated that the U.S. would give support to Turkey and Greece with economical and military aid so they would not fall to the Soviets. Truman believe that if Greece and Turkey did not recieve aid soon that they would fall to the Soviets and into communism. It was also important to help Greece and Turkey they same amount since they have been rivals for many years, HS: This is said to be one of the reason for the start of the Cold War. -
The Marshall Plan
This was a plan where the United States gave finacial aid to Europe after the end of World War II. The U.S. hoped to stop the spread of communism, to rebuild war devasted regions, modernize industry, remove trade barriers, and to make Europe prosperous again. This plan lasted four years. HS: The United States gave Europe $13 billion during the four years that the Marshall Plan was in effect and helped rebuild Europe after World War II. -
European Economic Cooperation
The cooperation was originally started in 1948 to run the Marshall Plan that was being financed by the United States but official came to action in 1961. It was a legue of goodwilled mean who tried to further the European economic integration. It was independent from national or private intersts, public authorities or any other pressure groups. HS: This helped the European economy and went on to help other countries economies. -
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
This organization was an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty. This treaty stated that all 28 members would agree to mutual defense in response to an attack on one of the members of this organization. HS: This organization shaped the alliance on the U.S. side of the Cold War. -
Berlin Airlift
This was a plan for several nations to help Western Germany, who the soviets had forbidden from going to east Germany to get supplies. Known as Operation Plainfare by the British and Operation Vittles by the Americans. Over the time of the blockade Berlin Airlift moved over two million tons of food and supply into West Berlin. HS: Showed the Soviets that the Allies were not going to abandoned West Berlin and also crushed Stallin's plans of trying to make Germany surrender to communism. -
Peoples Republic of China
Mao Zedong annouced the new republic after the end of the Cold War. His goal was to change the country from Communist to Socialist. HS: This was significant because a Communist leader was wanting to change his country to a Socialist one. -
Korean War
A war that was fought between the Republic of Korea, which was supported by the United Nations, and North Korea ,who was supported by the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China. This war laste till Juley 27th, 1953. The war ended by an armistice that all parties involved in the war agreed on. HS: This was one of the proxy wars fought by the Soviet Union and the United States. -
Explosion of the First Hydrogen Bomb
US set off the worlds first thermonuclear bomb that was known as the hydrogen bomb.This bomb was 1,000 times more powerful than any other nuclear weapon.The US tested this bomb on Marshall Island. HS: This is the first hydrogen bomb to ever be set off and it pushed the arms race to be even more competitive. -
Nikita iKhrushchev
He was the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. He was responsible fo the de-Stalinization of the Soviet Union and for backing the Soviet space program early on. HS: He was responsible for several liberal republic reforms in areas of domestic policy and was removed by Khrushchev's party colleagues in 1964. -
KGB (Committee for State Security)
This was the main security union for the Soviet Union until the collapse of the country in 1991. It was considered the chief government agency of "union-republican jurisdiction" and also a military service. HS: This was the security union of the Soviet Union that protected political and government leaders for almost 50 years. -
Geneva Accords
Was an agreement made up at a conference in Geneva, Switzerland that lasted to july 21, 1954. This conference focused on resolving the war between French Forces and Vietnam. The accords contains cease fire agreements from Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos and also called for militarys to return to their own zones. . HS: This divided Vietnam at the 17th parallel, which made a northern zone that was under DVR authority and a southern region that was under French Union authority. -
Warsaw Pact
The Soviet Union and seven other European satellites sign a treaty creating the Warsaw Pact, a mutual defense organization that put the Soviets in charge of the armed forces of the member states. The members included the Soviet Union, Albania, Poland, Romania, Hungary, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Bulgaria. HS: This was significant because it formed the Warsaw alliance side of the Cold War, also the Warsaw Pact lasted until 1991. -
VIetnam
A country that was divided in to North and South. The North part of the country was supported by the Soviet Union and the South was supported by the United States. HS: One of the battles that the Soviet Union and the United States fought each other in through different countries battling. -
Suez Canal/ Nasser
The Suez Crisis was started when the President of Egypt, Gamal Abdel Nasser, decided that he was going to nationalize the Suez Canal. This led to a military confrentation from Britian, France, and Isreal. HS: This fight laid the ground work for the SIx-Day War the occured in 1967. -
Sputnik
This was a satellite created by the Soviets that they sent into space, which put them in the lead of the arms races. This satellite was sent into space on a intercontinental ballistic missile that was designed to carry nuclear warheads. The U.S. became concerned that the Soviets sent a satellite into space causing them to create their own space program. HS: Sputnik was significant because it was the first satellite sent into space by anyone and was the cause of Americas space program. -
Berlin Wall is Erected
Many Germans living in the East started to escape to West Berlin, by 1961 2,000 Germans would cross into West Germany daily. Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev suggested building a wall to separate East and West Germany due to East Germany’s economy crashing due to people leaving for West Germany. They laid down 30 miles of barbed wire from August 12-13 and on the 15th they replaced it with concert. HS: This was significant because it because the literal iron curtain of Europe and stood divided. -
Cuban MIssile Crisis
A U-2 plane flying over Cuba saw nuclear missile sites that had the ability to quickly reach the U.S. 8 days after this finding President Kennedy put a naval blockade around Cuba, B-52 bombers were on high alert, military forces were on DEFCON 3, and later DEFCON2, and Polaris submarines were sent out. On October 28 Khrushchev decided to withdraw missiles from Cuba. HS: This is the closest any nation at war has been to resulting to a nuclear battle. -
Brezhnev
Took blame for the Cuban Missile Crisis but soon after became the First Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party on October 15, 1964, and became on of the most power political figures in the Soviet Union. He believed in a power government. He showed now signs of going into a stage of relaxation or a period of detente. He was the leader of the Soviet Union until his death in 1982. HS: He was one of the most powerful leaders of the Soviet Union during the cold war and was a very forceful leader. -
Tet Offensive
North Vietnam fources came out of the jungle and suprise attacked the South Vietnam and American forces. This took place on South Vietnams "Tet" or their new year. There were not suppose to be any attacks during thsi time period, which shocked South Vietnam and their allies even more. HS: This was a turning point for the opinion of the U.S. citizens of whether or not they should be involved in the Vietnam War. -
Iranian hostage crisis
In Persia there was a diplomatic crisis with Iran and the United States. 52 Americans were held hostage for over a year after the American Embassy in Tehran was taken over by Iran civilians. After Iran and the United States signed the Algiers Accords the hostages were formally released to the United States. HS: This crisis took multiple attempts before the hostages were released back to the United States, this also started the legal action the US started towards Iran. -
Russian Invasion of Afghanistan
Russians landed in the capital of Afghanistan, Kabel. The country was already in a civil war due to prime minister trying to take away Muslim from the country. Two days after the invasion the Russians killed the prime minister and replaced him with a Russia leader. HS: This invasion caused the United States to ban exports of grains to Russia, end SALT talks, and lead to the US and 65 other countries boycotting the Olympics that were held in Russia. -
Moscow Olympics
The 22nd Olypmics held in the Summer of 1980. The United States led a boycott of the games that 65 other countries followed in because of the war the Soviets were fighting in Afganistan. HS: This was significant because it led to the boycott of the 1984 Olympics by the Soviets. -
Los Angeles Olympics
The 23rd Olympics that were hosted in Los Angeles, California. The Soviet Union boycotted this Olympics after the U.S. and 65 other countries boycotted the 22nd Olympics hosted in the Soviet Union. HS: This was the second Olypimcs that was hosted in Los Angeles, they also won the bid to host the Olympics by default. -
Perestroika and Glasnost
Took place during the gorbachev's time and was a period of restucrting. It was a program to change internal and international affairs and to change economical practices. HS: This was the cause of the end of the Cold War once it spread to other countries. -
Gorbachev
Leader of the Soviet Union who was looking to put reforms into affect to help with the war in Afghanistan and the troubled economy. However, his reforms caused more economic turmoil. He signed arms control treaties with the U.S. and pulled troops out of Afghanistan to avoid more Cold War trouble. HS: He ended censorship in the Soviet Union and encouraged citizens to dicuss the problems within the country, he also encouraged restructuring the economy and the government. -
Helsinki Accords
This was a decleration formed by the Soviet Union and that Warsaw Pact countries accknowledging their nation boundaries. Every European nation, the United States, and Canada signed this agreement that also agreed upon how nations would respect human rights and fundamental freedoms and to cooperate in economic, scientific, humanitarian, and other agreements. HS: This is an important decleration because it was an agreement that the Warsaw Pact countries had been looking for since World War II. -
Chernobyl
A nuclear-power acciden at a nuclear power plant in Chernobyl. The Soviet Union tried to cover up this accident but on April 28th a Swedish monitory station realized increases amounts of wind-transported radioactivity and Russia had to confess.
HS: It is historically significant because this accident killed 32 people, many contracted illnesses related to radiation, thousands of radiation related deaths were predicted, farmland was damaged and contaminated, and live stock was born deformed. -
Tiananmen Square
City square in Beijing, China. Third largest city square in the world and named after Tiananmen Gates, or heavenly gates. In 1989 students led a popular demonstration that exposed deep splits in the China's political leadership. HS: It is the sight of many important Chinese cultural events. -
Berlin Wall is Torn Down
The wall finally came down after almost 3 decades of blocking East and West Berlin from each other. US President advised that the Soviet Leader take down the wall 2 years prior. The East German officials announced that new travel regulations were put in place and that the wall would be taken down on the night of Nov. 9. HS: This was important because this wall had stood as a sign of Communism and division in Berlin for 3 decades and was finally being destroyed. -
Lech Walesa and the Solidarity Movement in Poland
Walesa was the President of Poland from 1990-1995. He was concered with worker conditions since 1968 and began Solidary, which was Polands first ever independant trade union. He was a big beliver in human rights as well. HS: He was the President when Poland changed from being a Communist country. -
Borris Yeltsin
First President of the Russian Federation. He served as president from 1991-1999. He accounced on December 30, 1999 that he was resigning and choosing Vladimir Putin as his sucessor. When Yeltsin left office his approval rating was at about 2%. HS: He is known for a rise of inflation, economic collapse, and political and social issues during his time as president. -
End of USSR
The Soviet Union disinigrated into fifteen different countries at the end of 1991. Its collapse was due to the NATO allies victory in the Cold War. HS: The ending of the Soviet Union lead to a change of the worlds economical, political, military alliances. -
Vladimir Putin
Elected President of Russia's second free election after the end of the Cold War. He believed in building a strong market economy for Russia and he secured Russia as a consulting country in NATO. However he did increase the power of the central government, which caused a loss of the people's civil liberties. HS: He was the second leader of Russia after the end of the Cold War and his people started to guess his intention after he increased the power of the Central Government.
