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Joseph Stalin
Born December 18th, 1879 in a Russian Empire. Stalin was made a General secretary of the communist party. He came to power after Lenin's death, in 1924. In the later 1920's, Stalin was dictator of the Soviet Union. He undustrialized the Soviet Union. -
Harry S. Truman
Harry Truman was the 33rd president of the United States. He took power immediately after Roosevelt died in 1945. Once he became president, he authorized the use of the atomic bomb on Japan. He also issued the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan. Truman also issued the US military involvement in the Korean War. -
United Nations
The United Nations is the largest international organization. It replaced the League of Nations. It was created to maintain peace and to promote cooperation in solving international conflicts. -
Containment
This policy was prompted by George Kennan’s Long Telegram, which explained why he thought resolution between the U.S. and the Soviet Union was impossible, and that furthermore the Soviet Union would almost certainly collapse with time if they weren’t allowed to expand. Containment therefore focused on preventing the spread of communism, a common theme during the Cold War. -
Truman Doctrine
This policy was developed as a way for the U.S. to help countries threatened by communism. It was first developed as a way of helping Greece fight off communist guerrillas and keep the Soviet Union out of Turkey. It also set the U.S. up as a major opponent of communism all over the Globe. This mindset would color American-Soviet relations for much of the Cold War. -
Berlin Airlift
Berlin Airlift 1948 - 1949 The Berlin Airlift showed the Axis Powers that the Allies would not abandon its citizens. The Soviet Union blockaded West Berlin to starve the citizens so the Allies flew in supplies for over a year. The blockade lasted from 1948 to 1949, and it ended with the Soviets ending the siege when they realized the Allies wouldn’t stop. -
Marshall Plan
Through the Marshall Plan, the US distributed 13 billion dollars over 4 years to European countries, helping to rebuild post war Europe dramatically. George Marshall drew up the recovery plan to help European countries recover from World War II. The Marshall Plan was signed on April 2, 1948, and saved many industries from bankruptcy as well as increasing gross national product for many European countries up to 25%. -
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization-prompted by fears of Soviet conquest in Europe due to their actions in the Berlin crisis. This allied twelve countries—the U.S. Britain, France, Canada, Denmark, Italy, Portugal, the Neverlands, Iceland, Luxembourg, Belgium and Norway—who agreed to defend any other member who the Soviets attacked. West Germany was eventually also incorporated into NATO. This prompted the Soviets to form the Warsaw Pact with parts of Eastern Europe. This n -
Mao Zedong
A chinese communist and political theorist. He converted China into a single party socialist state. Buisness and industires were nationalized under state ownership ss a result of his rule. Overall,Zedong modernized China.October 1st, 1949-Mao proclaimed the excistence of the People's Republic of China. -
Joseph McCatrhy (McCarthyism)
In the 1950's, the red scare and advance of communism caused much chaos. This resulted in the senator known as McCarthy to take control of the pandemonium and abuse others with his power. He predicted that there are numerous Soviet spies in the U.S., so they needed to discover them all and blacklist those that seemed suspicious. This ruined the careers of many, put the nation in a fear of communism and fear of possibly being suspected of supporting communism in any way -
Korean War
The Korean War was the first military attack of the Cold War. The United States could not allow the spread of communism in Asia. The Soviet Union was supplying North Korea with weapons. 5 million soldiers and civilians lost their lives in the war. Everyone feared there would be a World War III. -
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Before Dwight Eisenhower became president in 1952 and 1956, he was supreme commander of NATO in 1950. While in office, he expanded social security and instigated an interstate highway system. Eisenhower helped get rid of McCarthyism. He witnessed the American U2 spy plane get shot down by the USSR in May 1960 -
Warsaw Pact
This was an alliance between the Soviet Union and Poland, Albania, Hungary, Romania, Czechoslovakia, East Germany and Bulgaria. This was a response to the Western NATO incorporating West Germany, which threatened the Soviets chances for conquest and control of Europe. Like NATO, the Warsaw Pact increased both sides’ unease with the other and also their reluctance to pursue open war. -
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a cold war era conflict between the United States and North Vietnam. The US supported the South Vietnamese governemt, lead by nationalist Ngo Dinh Diem. Diems actions caused tensions to rise between the North and South. Over 180,000 Troops were sent to Vietnam in total. -
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Khrushchev was the leader of the Soviet Union from 1955 until 1964. During his reign, he invested in the Soviet Space Programme which led to the 1957 flight of Sputnik 1. He improved the living standards and allowed more freedom. Khrushchev dealt with the Cuban Missile Crisis and the building of the Berlin Wall while in power. He initiated the ‘de-Stalinization’ campaign. -
John F. Kennedy
Born May 29th,1917 in Massachusetts. Elected as president in 1960. He provided federal support for the growing civil rights movement. Kennedy proposed the naval block in Cuba after hearing about the missile crisis. He was againt communism. -
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall stood as a symbol of communism in East Germany for over 30 years. East Germay tried to get the US, Britain, and France to leave Germany. When they refused, Khrushchev built the wall around Berlin, and ordering guards stationed on the wall to shoot anyone who tries to escape. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
22nd Oct, 1962
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was the most dramatic foreign policy episode Kennedy faced during his term in office. This historical event took place in 1962. Once the US found out that the Soviet Union placed nuclear missiles in Cuba, President Kennedy ordered a naval blockade on Cuba. The Cuban Missile Crisis almost led to a nuclear war between the United States and Soviet Union. It eventually led to a treaty that banned the testing of the nuclear weapons. It wea -
Lyndon B. Johnson
Became president in 1963, after John F. Kennedy's assassination. He launched progressive reforms for the people to help them get out of poverty. This became know as the "Great Society". This made a lasting impact for the life of an American. -
George H. W. Bush
In 1980 Bush ran for President but lost. He was then chosen as running mate by Ronald Reagan. In 1988 Bush won the Republican nomination for President with Senator Dan Quayle of Indiana as his running mate. He faced a huge changing world as the Cold War ended and the Communist empire broke up. The Soviet Union ceased to exist, and reformist President Mikhail Gorbachev, whom Bush had supported, resigned. Bush insisted on restraint in U. S. policy toward the group of new nations. -
Ronald Reagan
Between 1981 and 1989, Ronald Reagan, a republican polititian, served as the 40th president of the United States. During this time, he decreased the inflation rate by 8% and developed a huge defense system. He significantly contributed to the conclusion of the Cold War. He died in 2004. -
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail was the last leader of the Soviet Union. He believed that he had to fix the Soviet Unions economy or else it would collapse. They could not afford an arms race with the US, so Gorbachev met with Reagan in a series of meetings. Reagan offered peace if Gorbachev tore down the Berlin Wall. -
Iran Contra Scandal
This was a political scandal in the United States that came to light in November 1986. During the Reagan administration, senior administration officials secretly facilitated the sale of arms to Iran, the subject of an arms embargo. Some U.S. officials also hoped that the arms sales would secure the release of hostages and allow U.S. intelligence agencies to fund the Nicaraguan Contras. Under the Boland Amendment, further funding of the Contras by the government h -
Fall of Berlin
In the early winter of 1989, Germany's eastern bloc's autorization system was liberalized. Germany was no longer able to keep the Berlin Wall stadning, so on November 9th, 1989, thousands of Germans on each side of the wall gathered around the wall to witness its demolition. As the demolition began, German civilians celebrated and stormed the wall. The civilians of both east and west Berlin were able to be together. -
Collapse of the Soviet Union
The reforms set by Gorbachev were a huge detriment for the Soviet Union. The caused the economy to collapse. The reforms also led to many revolts. Eventually, the Soviet Republics began to declare independence and secede from the Soviet Union. The collapse of the Soviet Union marked an end to the Cold War.
