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Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution first began with the revolution in February of 1917 which overthrew the imperial government. Then another revolution took place in October of 1917 which left Vladimir Lenin in control of the soviet union, he then forced a socialist government which took peoples money, and property, and fields became farms for everyone. Tensions in the revolution increased between the U.S and the Soviet Union when President Wilson sent troops to fight against the communists. -
Potsdam Conference
The Potsdam conference was held from July 7, 1945 to August 2, 1945, to determine what happened to parts of Europe after war. Truman, Churchill, and Stalin were all involved in the conference. Tensions emerged because Churchill and Truman wanted to make Europe a democracy and Stalin wanted to dictate all of Europe and force communism on them. -
Atomic Bomb- Hiroshima/ Nagasaki
On August 6, 1945 the U.S dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima using a B-29 plane. More than 80,000 people were killed immediately and many more died later due to exposure from radiation. Three days later August 9, 1945, a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki killing an estimated 40,000 people.The dropping of the second bomb ultimately ended the second world war. With the use of the first atomic bomb it had changed the future of warfare forever. -
Iron Curtain
On March 5, 1946 the iron curtain was first introduced. In one of Winston Churchill’s speeches in which he said that an iron curtain has descended across Europe. Meaning the boundary line that divided Europe in two different political views areas. Western Europe had the political freedom and Eastern Europe was under the Soviets rule. -
Truman Doctrine
On march 12, 1947 President Truman created a foreign policy to help nations recover after World War II by providing countries like Greece and Turkey with military, provided food, money for rebuilding, coal, construction equipment and many other things. -
Molotov Plan
Created in 1947 by the Soviet Union in response to the U.S Marshall Plan was the Soviet Union plan to aid and help rebuild the countries in Western Europe that were politically and economically involved with the soviet union. -
Berlin Blockade
Beginning on June 24, 1948 the Berlin Blockade was put in by the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union was using this blockade to prevent influence from other countries.They disabled the French, US, and Great Britain to travel to their sector of Berlin. The blockade was a major issue as in World War ll just ended and not thinking to start another one. -
Marshall Plan
On April 3, 1948 created to prevent other countries from adopting communism the U.S created the Marshall Plan which provided Western Europe with 13 billion dollars in aid for things like food, and equipment after the end of World War 2 to help restore their economies. -
Berlin Airlift
In June of 1948 after the soviets blockaded western Berlin the U.S and their allies used airplanes to provide the sectors in Berlin that were cut off from supplies. During the airlift the U.S provided people with supplies like food, water, and other things like candy for children to provide hope for the families. Throughout the airlift they carried 8,000 tons of supplies a day. -
Alger Hiss Case
On August 3, 1948 former State Department official Alger Hiss was accused and convicted of perjury. Hiss was accused of sharing top secret reports to other spies. Many believed he was a communist agent. Hiss was in prison for almost four year but was released in 1954. -
Soviet bomb test
On August 29, 1949 in Kazakhstan Russia, the Soviet Union test there first atomic bomb code named "first lightning". To test the effects of the bomb the scientist built bridges and other structures and also used animals to see the effects of the radiation. Evidence was later found that a German scientist that helped U.S build the first atomic bomb gave blueprints to the Soviets -
NATO
Formed on April 4,1949 the North Atlantic Treaty Organization also known as NATO. It was a treaty made between the U.S, Canada, and other European nations. It was in place for the placement against the Soviet Union. When needed they would join forces to take on the Soviets and other Communist countries. -
Korean War
Beginning on June 25, 1950 after North Korean army of 75,000 soldiers crossed the 38th parallel to the south. This was the first military action of the cold war. In July America had joined the war fighting for South Korea. Later in July of 1953 the war ended during the end war 5 million civilians and soldiers lost their lives. Korea is still divided today. -
Hollywood 10
In October 1947, members of the film industry that were believed to be communist. These people were also screenwriters and directors for Hollywood Studios, who became known as the Hollywood Ten. They took a stand against others beliefs on communism in America. They received jail sentences and were banned from working for the major Hollywood studios. Many other people at this time were also blamed for being a communist. -
Rosenburg trial
On March 6, 2951 Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were accused of selling nuclear secrets to the Russians.After a month the trial ended on April 4, 1951 and the Rosenberg's were found guilty and sentenced to the death. The Rosenberg's were offered a deal in which the admit to being guilty and they would not face the death penalty but they refused. Both Ethel and Julius were executed on June 19, 1953. -
Geneva Conference
On April 26, 1954, Representatives from the U.S., Soviet Union, China, France, and Great Britain meet in Geneva to discuss problems in Asia. In Geneva in July of 1954, the agreement was that France remove its troops from North Vietnam and Vietnam would be temporarily divided at the 17th parallel. Then Vietnam was given a two-year period were no foreign troops were allowed to enter while they elected a president. The U.S and France did not sign the agreement aided to the agreement -
Army-McCarthy hearings
From April to June of 1954 the Army–McCarthy hearings were a series of hearings held by the United States Senate's to investigate conflicting accusations between the United States Army and U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy. -
Battle Of Dien Bien Phu
Beginning on March 13, 1954, the battle of Dien Bien Phu was fought between the Viet Minh and the French in Indochina.the french wanted to reclaim Vietnam as one of the colonies but the Vietnamese wanted to be independent. On May 7, 1954 the french army fell and the Viet Minh overran Dien Bien Phu. -
Warsaw pact
Beginning on May 14, 1955 the Soviet Union and seven of its satellites signed a treaty starting the Warsaw pact. The Warsaw pact was created in response to NATO. It was a defense treaty which put the Soviets in command of armed forces. The Warsaw pact lasted until July 1, 1991. -
Hungarian Revolution
Beginning on October 23, 1956 the Hungarians had an uprising, a nation wide revolt against the Hungarian government. During the uprising thousands were killed and wounded and many left. The revolution then ended in November 10, 1956 and the new Hungarian government imposed free speech, religion and democracy and freedom. -
U2 Incident
On May 1, 1960 during the presidency of Eisenhower an American U-2 spy plane was shot down while over Soviet air space and captured pilot Francis Gary Powers, Powers was then sentenced to ten years in prison for espionage Powers then was exchanged for a soviet spy we captured in a "spy-swap". -
Bay Of Pigs Invasion
Beginning on April 17, 1961 the U.S CIA launched an invasion of Cuba. 1,400 Cubans took on Castro but the invasion did not go well. Outnumber by Castro's troops they were forced to surrender less than twenty-four hours after beginning the fight. The invasion was said to end on April 19, 1961 -
Berlin Wall
On August 15, 1961 East German authorities began building a wall which prevented the transportation from East Berlin to West Berlin. The Berlin wall was 27 miles long and over 11 feet tall. The wall symbolized the lack of freedom under communism control. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
Beginning on October 16, 1962, the U.S and Soviet Union engaged in a conflict after Soviets installed a missiles in Cuba only 90 miles away from U.S. The U.S then set up a blockade to prevent further construction. President Kennedy then reached an agreement with Soviet leader Khrushchev that included the removal of missiles from Cuba with the agreement and the U.S missiles be removed from Turkey. -
Assassination of Diem
On November 2, 1963 Ngo Dinh Diem and his brothers were captured and killed by a group of soldiers. His death lead to a political chaos among the nation. -
Assassination of JFK
On November 22, 1963 the 35th president of the United States John F. Kennedy was in Dallas Texas in a parade when he was shot. Kennedy was shot by Lee Harvey Oswald. Kennedy was then rushed to a nearby hospital but pronounced dead 30 minuets after being shot. After Kennedy died vice president Lyndon Johnson was made the 36th president of the United States a little over two hours after Kennedy was shot. -
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
August 7, 1964 Congress passed the Tonkin Gulf Resolution which allowed president Johnson to take any measures he believed were necessary to keep international peace and security among southeast Asia. The Tonkin Gulf Resolution is also known as the blank check. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
March 2, 1965 an American bombing campaign, code named Operation Rolling Thunder. In this the U.S targeted and attacked many places throughout North Vietnam this was the U.S first well attack on Vietnam which gave the U.S a major expansion in the involvement in the war. Operation Rolling Thunder ended on November 1, 1968. -
Tet Offensive
From January 30, 1968 to September 23, 1968 North Vietnam, the Viet Cong, attacked Southern Vietnam. These attacks occurred in over 100 cities in South Vietnam. Through the Tet Offensive North Vietnam was looking for the U.S to withdraw from Vietnam, and even though they suffered many casualties their offensive was successful in the U.S removing from the region. President Johnson then limited the bombing of Vietnam to below the 20th parallel and calling for a negotiation. -
Assassination of MLK
On April 4, 1968 Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee by James Earl Ray. after King's assassination more that 100 cities began rioting this included burning and raided of buildings. Soon after King's death Reagan signed the King holiday bill into law in 1983. -
Assassination of RFK
On June 5, 1968 Robert F. Kennedy was shot in a Hotel in Los Angeles after winning the California Presidential primary. RFK was shot by Sirhan Sirhan. He was then announced dead the next day. Sirhan was sentence to the death penalty but since California doesn't allow it he was sentenced to life in prison. -
Election of Nixon
On November 5, 1968 President Richard Nixon was elected the 37th president of the United States after losing to Kennedy eight years earlier. In the election Nixon beat his opponent Hubert Humphrey. -
Riots of Democratic convention
August 28, 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago thousands of Vietnam War protesters riot against police in the streets, while the Democratic Party falls apart over an internal disagreement concerning its stance on Vietnam -
Invasion of Czechoslovakia
Beginning on August 20, 1968 Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia. The Soviets led their troops into Czechoslovakia. They intended to crack down on reformist trends in Prague. The Soviet’s action successfully halted the pace to reform in Czechoslovakia. -
Kent State
On May 4, 1970 four Kent state students were killed and nine were injured when the Ohio National Guard attacked a group of protesters outside Kent State. The protesters two days before the attack on them, they set fire to one of the school's buildings, the school was then provided with nearly 1,000 national guards. -
Nixon visits China
February 21, 1972 U.S President Nixon takes a step toward normalizing relationships with the communists in China. Nixon had a weeks worth of talks planned to talk with the PRC. This re-established diplomatic relations between the U.S and China. -
Ceasefire in Vietnam
January 28, 1973 at 8:00 pm a cease fire went into effect and because of this Saigon controlled about 75 percent of South Vietnam’s territory and 85 percent of the population.The cease-fire began on time, but both sides violated it. South Vietnamese forces continued to take back villages occupied by communists in the two days before the cease-fire deadline and the communists tried to capture additional territory. -
Fall of Saigon
April 30, 1975 the Fall of Saigon was the capture of the capital of South Vietnam, Saigon, by the People's Army of Vietnam. The fall of Saigon was the result of the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong forces pushing the South Vietnamese to surrender. This marked the end of the Vietnam war. -
Reagan elected
Elected 40th President in 1981 Ronald Reagan former actor and Californian Governor (1967 to 1975) . During his time as president he cut taxes, increased defense spending, negotiated a nuclear arms reduction agreement with the Soviets. Reagan was president until 1989. -
SDI announced
First initiated March 23, 1983 the strategic defense initiative or Star wars was a program developed to prevent missile attacks from other countries, in specific the Soviet Union. The Soviets then viewed this as an attack or the U.S wanting to start a nuclear war. -
Geneva Conference with Gorbachev
November 19, 1985 Reagan and Gorbachev held a meeting in Geneva, the first of the U.S and Soviet Union in eight years. During the meeting a summit conference was held so that no one produced earth-shattering agreements.During the meeting two men engaged in personal talks and seemed to develop a close relationship. -
"Tear Down This Wall" Speech
On June 12, 1987 U.S President Ronald Reagan went to West Berlin asking for Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to take down the wall that divided West and East Germany since 1961. Asking for the wall to be taken down was a risk Reagan took, but ultimately it would contribute to the end of the cold war. -
Fall of Berlin Wall
November 9, 1989, after the thawing of the cold war and the speech Reagan said to Gorbachev about the removal of the Berlin wall. More than 2 million people came to celebrate the removal of the wall
