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Russian Revolution
There were many key events that caused tension between the Untied States and the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union was attempting to spread communism while President Truman sent troops to fight against communism. Nuclear warfare also greatly changed the way wars would be fought. The Russian Revolution was one of many events that led to the Cold War. Mar 8, 1917 – Nov 7, 1917. -
Potsdam Conference
Stalin from the Soviet Union, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and United States President Harry Truman met in Potsdam, Germany to discuss the following; postwar boundaries and creating a lasting peace for Europe. However, Stalin wanted to dominate Europe with communism while the U.S wants a democracy. The conference increased the tension between the Soviet Union and the United States. July 17-August 2, 1945. -
Atomic Bomb Hiroshima/Nagasaki
During the final stage of World War II, the United States dropped nuclear weapons on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The bomb upset the Soviets because Stalin's huge army would be destroyed instantly. The atomic bomb changed warfare in the future; there would be no declarations of war and no sudden attacks. Aug 6, 1945 – Aug 9, 1945. -
Iron Curtain
The iron curtain was a border between the states that eventually became members of the Warsaw Pact in eastern Europe and those that did not in the west. Winston Churchill stated; "From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic an iron curtain has descended across the Continent." This is the notional barrier separating the former Soviet bloc and the West prior to the decline of communism that followed the political events in eastern Europe in 1989. Lasted from 1946 to 1991. -
Hollywood 10
The Hollywood 10 consisted of studio executives; Albert Maltz, Dalton Trumbo, John Howard Lawson, Samuel Ornitz, Ring Lardner, Jr., Lester Cole, Alvah Bessie, Herbert Biberman, Edward Dmytryk, and Robert Adrian Scott. They were severely blacklisted by the film industry. Most were never again employed in Hollywood. Also, they were later charged with contempt of Congress.During the cold war, congress started investigating Communist influence in Hollywood. -
Molotov Plan
The Molotov Plan was the system created by the Soviet Union in 1947 in order to provide aid to rebuild the countries in Eastern Europe that were politically and economically aligned to the Soviet Union. This plan was in response to the United States Marshall plan. -
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was Americas foreign policy to counter soviet geopolitical expansion. Truman asked Greece and Turkey's congress for money to support the doctrine. This fueled the Cold War by angering the Soviets. Started to develop March 12, 1947 and further developed on July 12, 1948; he pledged to contain Soviet threats to Greece and Turkey. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
CIA operation to overthrow Fidel Castro by landing 1200 disgruntled Cuban exiles in the Bay of Pigs. This attempt fails miserably and is a huge embarrassment for Kennedy, who then vows to bring down Castro. Forces Cuba ever further into the arms of the USSR. Ended April 19, 1961 -
Marshall Plan
This plan was the United States giving large amounts of economic aide European countries during the Cold War. Marshall was afraid if the countries did not have any aid from the U.S. the Europeans would turn to communism as an alternative to starvation and death. This angered the Soviet Union and was seen as another anti-communist move by America, following the Truman Doctrine. -
Berlin Blockade
Stalin was blockading Berlin because the U.S was trying to take over and he was determined to keep them out of eastern Germany. The U.S stayed in western Germany and attempted greatly to successfully get into eastern Germany. This ended on May 12, 1949. -
Berlin Airlift
The United States delivered much needed supplies to Berlin. Berlin was completely blocked off by the Soviet Union during the Cold War, the only other option was to fly supplies into the city. 2.3 million tons of supplies was carried into the city by flying C-54's and aircraft that was previously used for war. Food, coal, medical supplies, and many other much needed supplies were delivered. The planes couldn't land,instead they dropped the supplies every 3 minutes. Lasted until May 12, 1949. -
Alger Hiss Case
Alger Hiss was an American government official that was accused of being a soviet spy in 1948; he was convicted of perjury in connection with this. People in the U.S. were fearing that there was a communism conspiracy to destroy the U.S. This event caused the Red Scare to rush across the United States. During the Cold War events like such as this, millions of people were suspicious. -
NATO
NATO was founded for intergovernmental military alliance between several North American and European states. It was created to provide collective security against the Soviet Union. NATO was the first peacetime military alliance the United States entered that was not in the western hemisphere. It aided the nations that were struggling in post war Europe. NATO influenced the Cold War because it led to The Soviet Union creating a rival alliance, the Warsaw pact. NATO is still used today. -
Soviet Bomb Test
At remote test site at Semipalatinsk in Kazakhstan, the USSR successfully detonates its first atomic bomb, code name “First Lightning.” In order to measure the effects of the blast, the Soviet scientists constructed buildings, bridges, and other civilian structures in the vicinity of the bomb. They also placed animals in cages nearby so that they could test the effects of nuclear radiation on human-like mammals. This led to the soviets being able to defend themselves during the war. -
Korean War
The Korean War was started when North Korea had 75,000 soldiers to invade South Korea in 1950. This invasion was the first military action of the Cold War. A series of clashes would follow along the border. On South Korea's behalf, American troops entered the war. American officials were concerned it was a war against the forces of international communism. in July 1953, the Korean War came to an end. Today, Korea is still divided by the 38th parallel. -
Rosenberg Trial
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted of espionage for their role in passing atomic secrets to the Soviets during and after World War ii. They were later sentenced to death in 1951 and executed by the electric chair on June 19, 1953. -
Army-McCarthy hearings
Joseph R. McCarthy, Wisconsin senator, was known for interrogating suspected communists. He earned more attention for televised congressional hearings and turned these investigations to army security; they charged him with using improper influence to win preferential treatment. McCarthy countercharged that the army was trying to derail his embarrassing investigations of army security practices through blackmail. The congressional hearings were among the first to be televised. December 2 1954. -
Battle of Dien Bien Phu
The Battle of Dien Bien Phu was the climactic confrontation of the First Indochina War between the French Union's French Far East Expeditionary Corps and Viet Minh communist-nationalist revolution. This event marked the French's last control of Ho Chi Minh's Viet Minh forces. The French were trying to stop the Domino Theory. -
Geneva Conference
The Geneva Conference was a conference among several nations that took place in Geneva, Switzerland from April 26 – July 20, 1954. It was intended to settle outstanding issues resulting from the Korean War and the First Indochina War. This marked a turning point in the U.S's involvement in Vietnam. The United States had been supporting the French out of concern that a victory for Ho’s forces would be the first step in communist expansion throughout Southeast Asia. -
Warsaw Pact
This pact was a political and military alliance between the Soviet Union and several Eastern European countries. It was signed in Poland in 1955 and was officially called the Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Assistance. The pact was actually a military treaty, which the countries that were apart if this, would come to the aid of the others, should any one of them be the victim of foreign aggression. This pact ended March 31, 1991. -
Hungarian Revolution
This revolution took place because Hungary wanted an end to Soviet control in their country; they would be able to have more political freedom and economic improvement. Imre Nagy announced that Hungary was to leave the Warsaw Pact. Khrushchev sent the Red Army back in to Hungary and killed thousands of Hungarians. Khrushchev sent 1,000 tanks back into Hungary to take part in this battle. The revolution ended November 10, 1956. -
U2 incident
US U-2 spy plane (aircraft that takes secret photographs of enemy places) was shot down over the USSR. Confronted with the evidence of his nation’s espionage, President Dwight D. Eisenhower was forced to admit to the Soviets that the U.S. had been flying spy missions over the USSR for years. The U-2 spy plane incident raised tensions between the U.S. and the Soviets during the Cold War -
Berlin Wall
For 30 years, the Berlin Wall was the defining symbol of the Cold War, separating families and keeping the people from jobs and opportunity in the west. The initial official purpose of this Berlin Wall was to keep Western “fascists” from entering East Germany, however, it primarily served the objective of stemming mass defections from East to West. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a 13 day confrontation between America and the Soviet Union that was very political and a military standoff. This was caused over the installation of nuclear-armed Soviet missiles on Cuba. It was significant in the Cold War because it was the moment when the two countries came extremely close to nuclear conflict. -
Assassination of Diem
Ngo Dinh Diem and his brother are captured and killed by a group of soldiers. His death was celebrated in South Vietnam but it also caused chaos politically. The U.S became more involved in Vietnam trying to help their government beat communists rebels that were a threat. -
Assassination of JFK
John F. Kennedy was delivering a speech at the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce on this morning. He then flew to Dallas for a 10 mile tour where President and Mrs. Kennedy and the Governor and Mrs. Connally ride in an open convertible limousine. Lee Harvey Oswald fired 3 shots, 2 of which hit and killed JFK and another that wounded Connally. Lyndon B. Johnson succeeded to the presidency and took the presidential oath of office aboard Air Force One less than an hour after Kennedy died. -
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
Congress passed this which authorized President Johnson to take any measures he believed were necessary to retaliate and promote the maintenance of international peace and security in southeast Asia. This was created in response to the Tonkin Golf Incident. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
This was the first strategic bombing campaign during the Vietnam War that took place from March 1965 to November 1, 1968. The main reason that Operation Rolling Thunder was initiated was North Vietnam's attack on the U.S. Air Base. President Johnson soon after Operation Rolling Thunder had begun, sent the first U.S. ground troops into Vietnam. -
Tet Offensive
A series of major attacks by communist forces in the Vietnam War. Early in 1968, Vietnamese communist troops seized and briefly held some major cities at the time of the lunar new year, or Tet. North Vietnam achieved a strategic victory with the event, as the attacks marked a turning point in the Vietnam War and the beginning of the slow, painful American withdrawal from the region. This ended September 23, 1968. -
Assassination of MLK
MLK was shot but FBI's most wanted, James Earl Ray. Following King's assassination, violence and controversy followed. Senator RFK, a strong supporter for civil rights running for president, gave a speech announcing King's death. He told the American people that America didn't need segregation and violence, America needed loved and compassion. King's lifetime work as a civil rights activist changed America forever. -
Assassination of RFK
Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy was fatally shot on June 5, 1968 at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, shortly after winning the California presidential primaries in the 1968 election, and died the next day while hospitalized. -
Invasion of Czechoslovakia
The Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia, was a joint invasion of Czechoslovakia by five Warsaw Pact nations – the Soviet Union, Bulgaria, Hungary, East Germany and Poland. 137 Czechoslovakian civilians were killed and 500 seriously wounded during the invasion. This invasion ended September 20, 1968 -
Riots of Democratic Convention
At the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, tens of thousands of Vietnam War protesters battle police in the streets, while the Democratic Party falls apart over an internal disagreement concerning its stance on Vietnam. -
Election of Nixon
The Republican nominee, former Vice President Richard Nixon, won the election over the Democratic nominee, incumbent Vice President Hubert Humphrey. In his first term as President, Nixon successfully achieved voluntary desegregation of schools in seven Southern states. Also, he launched a $100 million dollar campaign to find a cure for cancer. He was inaugurated on January 20, 1969 and his he resigned in 1974. -
Kent State
The shootings that occurred at Kent State, where unarmed college students were shot by members of The Ohio National Guard. It happened during a protest against the Vietnam War. Four were killed and nine were wounded. The Kent State Shootings became the focal point of a nation deeply divided by the Vietnam War. -
Nixon Visits China
The President announced that he was going to visit China on July 15, 1971. His visit was a week long from February 21 to 28 1972. It gave the American public to view images of China for the first time in two decades. -
Ceasefire in Vietnam
South Vietnamese President Thieu notified the U.S. government that he would sign the Paris Peace Accords on behalf of South Vietnam. Knowing the peace agreement called for a cease fire in place, Thieu ordered his armed forces to regain as much territory as possible prior to the ceasefire. When this went into effect, Saigon controlled about 75 percent of South Vietnam’s territory and 85 percent of the population. The South Vietnamese were well equipped by the U.S before and after the ceasefire. -
Fall of Saigon
This marked the end of the Vietnam War and the capture of Saigon by North Vietnamese forces. Leading up to the event there was much chaos. American military and civilians were evacuated along with thousands of South Vietnamese in Operation Frequent Wind, which was the largest helicopter evacuation in history. -
U2 incident
A US U-2 spy plane (aircraft that takes secret photographs of enemy places) was shot down by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). They captured its pilot, Francis Gary Powers. President Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969) was forced to admit to the Soviets that the U.S. had been flying planes for several years. The U-2 spy plane incident raised tensions between the U.S. and the Soviets during the Cold War. -
Reagan Elected
U.S president during a portion of the Cold War and created some peace between the Unites States and Soviet Russia. Reagan went straight onto the offensive, increasing military spending. He initiated a defensive anti-missile system in space, the Strategic Defense Initiative. His presidency lasted from January 20, 1981 – January 20, 1989. -
SDI Announced
The intent of this program was to develop a sophisticated anti-ballistic missile system in order to prevent missile attacks from other countries, specifically the Soviet Union. SDI was nicknamed "Star wars". With the tension of the Cold War looming overhead, the Strategic Defense Initiative was the United States’ response to possible nuclear distance attacks. -
Geneva Conference with Gorbachev
U.S. president Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev met for the first time, in Geneva, to hold talks on international diplomatic relations and the arms race. The meeting was held at Maison de Saussure, a chateau owned by His Highness the Aga Khan. Reagan believed that a personal relationship among leaders was the necessary first step to breaking down the barriers of tension that existed between the two countries. -
'Tear Down This Wall' Speech
This was a line from a speech that President Reagan gave in West Berlin 1987. He was calling for the leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, to open up the barrier which had divided West and East Berlin since 1961. Reagan's speech received very little coverage from the media. However, the wall was torn down in 1989 -
Fall of Berlin Wall
As the Cold War began to thaw across Eastern Europe, the spokesman for East Berlin's Communist Party announced a change in his city's relations with the West. Starting at midnight that day, he said, citizens of the GDR (German Democratic Republic) were free to cross the country's borders. Some crossed freely into the west West, while others brought hammers and picks and began to chip away at the wall. Today, the Berlin Wall remains one of the most powerful and enduring symbols of the Cold War.
