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Russian Revolution
The Czar system was toppled and replaced with Communism under Nikolai Lenin -
Iron Curtain
The border dividing the Soviet Union and its territories from Western Europe following World War II until the end of the Cold War.It also split capitalism from communism. -
Potsdam Conference
The heads of the three major allied powers (Britain, United States, and the U.S.S.R.) met in Potsdam, Germany to discuss and establish the post-war goals which included the creating post-war order, finalizing peace treaties and rebuilding Europe.The conference lasted from July 17- August 2, 1945. -
Atomic Bombings
On August 6, 1945 when Japan refused to accept unconditional surrender to the U.S., Truman ordered an Atomic bomb to be dropped on the city of Hiroshima. When Japan denied again, another bomb was dropped on Nagasaki on August 9. After the second bomb, Japan surrendered. Over 200,000 deaths -
Truman Doctrine
Harry Truman adopted the Truman doctrine on March 12, 1947 which was a counter to Soviet expansion. It stated that the U.S. would help fund any foreign nation battling Communism and Truman promised to contain Communism altogether. -
Molotov Plan
A plan created in June of 1947 by the Soviet Union to help rebuild post-war countries in Eastern Europe. It was the Soviet response to the Marshall Plan -
Marshall Plan
The plan America implemented in 1947 to help rebuild post-war Europe economically. It was rejected by the Soviet Union. -
Hollywood 10
Ten people who were actively involved in the production of Hollywood movies were accused of being Communists by the House Un- American Activities Committee. The ten were held in contempt of congress for refusing to answer questions and blacklisted by Hollywood. -
Berlin Blockade
Following the introduction of a new Deutsche mark in West Berlin by the Allies in 1948, the Soviet Union blockaded all entrances to Western Berlin and refused to open them until the Deutsche mark was removed. -
Berlin Airlift
In response to the Berlin Blockade, the Western Allies launched a massive delivery of supplies to the desperate citizens of Berlin on June 26, 1948. The Soviets eventually ended the blockade on September 30, 1949. -
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was formed originally as a military defense to Soviet aggression by Western European countries and the United States -
Alger Hiss Case
Alger Hiss was a U.S. government official convicted of espionage and perjury for supposedly working for the Soviets. He went to trial in May of 1949 and was later convicted and imprisoned. -
Soviet Bomb Test
On August 29, 1949, the Soviet detonated its first Atomic bomb. This action shocked the Western nations, especially the United States, who were thought to be the only country with nuclear capability. -
Korean War
The war started when Communist North Korea invaded U.S.-backed South Korea on June 25, 1950. The North pushed the South Koreans deep into the South, but were eventually repelled when the U.S. entered the war. General MacArthur pushed the North Koreans all the way up to the Chinese border until China entered the war. The war ended in a stalemate on July 27, 1950 and the country remained divided at the 38th Parallel -
Rosenberg Trial
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were United States convicted and executed for espionage by working for the Soviets to release classified information concerning the Atomic Bomb. They were executed on June 19, 1953. -
Army-McCarthy hearings
These hearings were held to contradict a lot of accusations made by Senator Joseph McCarthy to suspected Communists within the army. -
Geneva Conference
The Conference was held to conclude issues concerning the end of the Korean War and the possibility of a united Indochina (Vietnam). It was indecisive on Korea and it split up Vietnam at the 17th parallel. Spanned from April 26- July 20, 1954. -
Battle of Dien Bien Phu
The Battle between the Viet Minh and the French military saw a devastating French loss and thereby ending the French occupation of Indochina. The battle ended on May 7, 1954. -
Warsaw Pact
This was the Soviets' response to NATO and included all countries occupied by the U.S.S.R. in Eastern Europe. Founded on May 14, 1955. -
Hungarian Revolution
Starting as a protest on October 23,1956, it turned into a full-blown revolt against the Soviets. The Soviet Union eventually quashed the rebellion by November 10, 1956. -
U-2 incident
On May 1, 1960, CIA pilot Gary Powers was shot down over the Soviet Union while spying for the United States in his U-2 aircraft. This incident further damaged U.S.- Soviet relations. -
Bay of Pigs invasion
On April 17, 1961, the U.S. backed Cuban exiles from the U.S. returned as an invasion force at the Bay of Pigs, Cuba. The attack was not properly coordinated and was an embarrassing failure for the United States. -
Berlin Wall
A concrete wall that divided East Berlin from West and was meant to stop people from leaving. It was built on August 13, 1961 and was demolished on June 13, 1990. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The United States confronted the Soviet Union as they attempted to place a nuclear missile in Cuba. This was the closest the two nations had been to engaging in a nuclear war. -
Assassination of Diem
The American backed coup of 1963 in South Vietnam led to the assassination of its president, Ngo Dinh Diem. After his death, there was a long period of political instability as there was a struggle for power. -
Assassination of JFK
On November 22, 1963, the nation was shocked to see their president assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald while he was visiting Dallas, Texas. -
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
In response to an attack on a U.S. military ship in Tonkin Gulf by the North Vietnamese, Congress gave full power to president Johnson to use military action in Vietnam -
Operation Rolling Thunder
Lasting from March 2,1965- November 2, 1968, the strategic bombings of North Vietnam were meant to stop the assistance and aide to North Vietnam. The operation was a complete failure. -
Tet Offensive
During the holiday of Tet, on January 30, 1968, the North Vietnamese led a simultaneous attack on hundreds of strategic locations all over South Vietnam. The attack was successfully repelled by the U.S., but was a failure in the public's eyes. It was a victory and major turning point in the war for the NVA and saw the eventual withdrawal of the United States. -
Assassination of MLK
On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King jr, the famous civil rights activist, was assassinated on a balcony outside his hotel room by James Earl Ray. -
Assassination of RFK
On June 5, 1968, Robert F. Kennedy was fatally shot after giving his presidential campaign speech at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles by Sirhan Sirhan, a Palestinian extremist. -
Invasion of Czechoslovakia
On the night of August 20, 1968, the countries involved in the Warsaw Pact invaded Czechoslovakia with the intent of stopping Communist Reforms occurring there. It was a success for the Warsaw Pact countries. -
Riots of Democratic Convention
On August 28, 1968, during a period of unrest following the assassinations of MLK and the democratic candidate RFK, there were many protests in Chicago. On this day, however, they turned violent following police involvement. This occurred outside the Democratic Convention announcing the Democratic nominee. -
Election of Nixon
On January 20, 1969 Richard Nixon, the Republican Nominee for the presidency, was elected as the 37th President of the United States. -
Kent State
On May 4, 1970, National Guardsmen opened fire on innocent, unarmed protesters in Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. 4 were killed and 9 wounded. They were protesting the Vietnam War. -
Nixon Visits China
United States president Nixon's visit to China in 1972 calmed tensions between the U.S. and China and strengthened relations between the two nations. -
Ceasefire in Vietnam
On January 15, 1973 a ceasefire across Vietnam was announced that effectively ended U.S. involvement in Vietnam and U.S. P.O.W's were released. -
Fall of Saigon
On April 30, 1975, following the evacuation of United States personnel and some South Vietnamese, the South Vietnamese capital was taken by the North Vietnamese, effectively bringing the Vietnam War to a close. It was renamed Ho Chi Minh city. -
Election of Ronald Reagan
On January 20, 1981, the Republican nominee for the presidency, Ronald Reagan, was elected as the 40th president of the U.S. His conservative anti-communist takes on politics were positively viewed by the majority of Americans. -
SDI announced
The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) was announced on March 23, 1983 as a plan to create a laser protection shield to combat the Soviet ballistic missile. -
Geneva Convention with Gorbachev
On November 19, 1985, Ronald Reagan and Russian President Gorbachev met in Geneva Switzerland to discuss the arms race. Gorbachev had wanted America to cease efforts in producing the SDI, but Reagan held firm. This was a significant event because it was the first American-Soviet talk on foreign relations and strengthened relations between both superpowers. -
'Tear down this wall' Speech
On June 12, 1987, Ronald Reagan gave a speech in front of the Brandenburg Gate and the Berlin Wall and demanded Gorbachev remove the Berlin wall if he desired peace for Eastern Europe. -
Fall of Berlin Wall
On November 9, 1989, the destruction of the Wall started following the East German declaration that all borders and wall were free to pass through.
