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Russian Revolution
The Russian evolution led to the rise of the Soviet Union. During the Russian Revolution, a Civil War broke out and the US sent troops to the democratic side. -
Potsdam Conference
The Potsdam conference was about how to control defeated Germany, postwar boundaries, Japan, and lasting peace. In addition, debates over what was going to happen between Germany and Russia emerged. -
Atomic Bomb-Nagosaki/Hiroshima
The US dropped two atomic bombs, one on Nagosaki and one of Hiroshima to end WWII. The bombing upset the Soviet Union because they didn't have one of their own which created fear. -
Iron Curtain
The Iron Curtain was the boundary that divided Europe into two seperate areas from the end of WWII to the beginning of the Cold War. It was the attempt of the Soviet Union to block itself off from non-Soviet countries. -
Molotov Plan
The Molotov Plan was the Soviets syslem to aid and help rebuild countries in Eastern Europe that were economically and politically aligned to the Soviet Union. -
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine gave aid to countries that were resisting communism from armed forces. It gave money and in some cases military support. Truman asked Congress for money to support Greece and Turkey. -
Hollywood 10
The Hollywood 10 were a group of Hollywood people that refused to answer any questions about communism under the 1st ammendment. They were convicted of contempt and sent to prison. -
Alger Hiss Case
Alger Hiss was questioned by ex-communist Whittaker Chambers of being a spy for the Soviet Union. This was a big deal because Hiss worked for the state department and it caused people to fear a communist conspiracy that would take over the US. -
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was a program of massive economical assistance the US would give to Europe to revive a working economic system. They gave 13-14 billion dollars. -
Berlin Blockade
The Berlin Blockade was a military blockade around Berlin that Stalin organized. He created it because the US reunified West Germany and developed a new curancy for it, ehich STalin saw as economic imperialism and retaliated. -
Berlin Airlift
Organized by the US and Great Britain, the Berlin Airlift was a group of planes that resupplied the city of Berlin. Berlin needed to be resupplied due to the blockade that Stalin put around the city. -
NATO
NATO stands for North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It was created because the Berlin Blockade created a need for a united defense against Soviet agression. -
Soviet Bomb Test
This is the day the Soviets had their first successful atomic bomb. This came as a shock to the US because they were not expecting the Soviets to succeed so soon. It was later discovered that the Soviets had spies in the US sending information about the atomic bombs back to them, helping theem succeed quicker. -
Korean War
The Korean War was between North and South Korea. Korea was split in two at the end of the Cold War. The North was supported by China and the Soviet Union (communist), where the South was supported primarily by the US. The war began when the North invaded the South. -
Rosenburg Trial
The Rosenburgs were accused of a connection to a plot to pass US bomb secrets to the Soviets. They were convicted adn sentenced to death in the electric chair. -
Army-McCarthy Hearings
Joseph McCarthy was a senator in Wisconsin. He worked on civil rights and used communism to gain advantage. He was later exposed of fraud due to favoritism and cover-ups of communism. The hearings investigated conflicting accusations between the US Army and Joseph McCarthy. -
Battle of Dien Bien Phu
The Battle of Dien Bien Phu consisted of a conflict between French forces and Vietnamese Communist forces over control of a small mountain outpost on the Vietnamese boarder. The French ended up losing. -
Geneva Conference
The Geneva Conference was between several nations intended to resolve issues from the Korean War and the First Indochina War. -
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact was the Soviets competing alliance against NATO. The Warsaw Pact was a defense treaty amoung the Soviet Union and its satellites. The satellites consisted of Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Romania. -
Hungarian Revolution
The Hungarian Revolution was a nationwide revolt against the government and Soviet policies in Hungary. -
U2 Incident
The U2 Incident occured when the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics shot down an American U2 spy plane and captured its pilot Francis Gary Powers. President Dwight Eisenhower was then forced to admit to the Soviets that he had been flying spy missions over the USSR for years. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
The Bay of Pigs invasion was where 1400 Cuban exiles launched an invasion on the south coast of Cuba. However, the attack did not have success and Kennedy feared Russia would see the failed Bay of Pigs invasion as a sign of weakness and that Soviets would go to Cuba's aid. -
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a huge concrete structure that divided Berlin from 1961 to 1989. It was meant to keep "fascists" from entering East Germany. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation between the United States and the Soviets. The Soviet Union was atempting to set up nuclear missile bases along the coast of Cuba. This caused a big conflict that was later resolved because Krushev ordered the removal of Russian missiles from Cuba. -
Assassination of Diem
On November 2, 1963, Diem and his brother were arrested. However, the brothers escaped to only be later captured and executed by Vietnam officers. -
Assassination of JFK
JFK was assassinated during a presidential motorcade in the Dealey Plaza. Governor Connally was also severely injured but survived. Former US Marine Lee Harvey Oswald was later arrested for his murder. -
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
The Tonkin Gulf Resolution authorized president Johnson to take any measures he felt necessary to retaliate and promote international peace in southeast Asia. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
Operation rolling thunder was the name for an American bombing campaign during the Vietnam War. It demonstrated just how superior America's airforce was during the Vietnam War. -
Tet Offensive
Tet offensive was a series of attacks by North Vietnam on more than 100 cities in South Vietnam. It was intended to stir up rebellion and encourage the US to step back in its inolvement in the Vietnam War. -
Assassination of MLK
Martin Luther King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. His assassination led to many enraged african americans and a period of national mourning. James Earl Ray was arrested for his murder on June 8, 1968. -
Assassination of RFK
Robert F. Kennedy was mortally wounded right after midnight at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. It was right after he had just won the California presidential primaries. He was killed by Sirhan Sirhan. -
Invasion of Czechoslovakia
About 250,000 Warsaw troops attcked Czechoslovakia. Only Romania and Albania refused to participate. 137 civilians were killed and 500 were severely injured. -
Riots of Democratic Convention
Thousands of Vietnam War protestors battled policemen in the streets while the Democratic Party fell apart over conflicts about the Vietnam War. It occured in Chicago, Illinois. -
Election of Nixon
Nixon's election was the 46th quadrennial presidential election. Nixon beat the democratic nominee Hubert Humphrey. In recent years, many voted for the democratic party member, until now. -
Kent State
Four students were killed and nine were wounded at the Kent state shooting. It occured during a protest against the bombing of Cambodia by military forces. -
Nixon visits China
Nixon's visit began the re-establishing of diplomatic relations between the US and China. -
Ceasefire in Vietnam
President Nixon ordered a ceasefire of the bombings in North Vietnam.This decision was made after Nixon returned from France with a draft peace proposal. -
Fall of Saigon
Saigon was the capital of South Vietnam. This event marked the end of the Vietnam War and the beggining of the reunification of Vietnam. -
Reagan Elected
Ronald Reagan was the 40th president of the United States. He was a former actor and California Governor. Before winning, Reagan had ran for president twice before. -
SDI Announced
The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) was a proposed missile defense system intended to protect the US. It was announced by President Ronald Reagan. -
Geneva Conference with Gorbachev
At this meeting the leaders of the Soviet Union and the United States gathered. To everyone's suprise, the two leaders actually got along and had peace. -
"Tear Down This Wall" Speech
This was line from a speech given by Ronald Reagan. He was calling for the Soviet leader, Gorbachev, to open the barrier dividing West and East Berlin. -
Fall of Berlin Wall
Thousands gathered to experience teh fall of the Berlin Wall and cross the boarder for the first time. The fall of the Berlin wall was Germany's first step to reunification. One year after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the country was reunified.
