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Russian Revolution
February 1917, the Russian people had a public demonstration for a higher bread ration leading to the Tsar being overthrown and a new government. The second Russian Revolution was launched in October 1917 by Vladimir Lenin, seizing control of Russia and established the new modern soviet social estate. The United States and United Kingdom made it clear to Russia that the West would do anything to stop the spread of Communism. -
Iron Curtain
1945-1991
The Iron Curtain was a boundary that divided Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II to the end of the Cold War. It was first stated to have fallen by former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in a speech. "From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the continent." This Iron Curtain was considered on of the opening volleys announcing the Cold War's beginning. -
Potsdam Conference
A meeting of the grand alliance, a coalition of the three leading Allied powers of World War 2 discussed who would have control of defeated Germany, post-war boundaries, winning the war with Japan and securing a lasting peace for Europe. The Potsdam Conference attendees were split into two different sides, President Truman and Prime Minister Churchill wanting to spread democratic government and Joseph Stalin spreading Communism. -
Atomic bomb - Hiroshima/Nagasaki
On August 6, President Truman gave the final order to drop the first U.S. atomic bomb on Japan, destroying Hiroshima and killing 80,000 people. later tens of thousands more people die due to the radiation exposure. Three days later on August 9, the U.S. dropped their second atomic bomb on Nagasaki killing another 40,000 people. -
Molotov Plan
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.While the Marshall Plan was, in part, created to stop the spread of communism, the Molotov Plan was there to encourage it. Money from the Soviet Union could be used to prop up nascent communist states in a similar way that the money from the Marshall Plan was attempting to rebuild western-style democracies. -
Hollywood 10
Ten members of Hollywood's film industry denounced the tactics that an investigative committee of the U.S. House of Representatives called the House of UnAmerican Activities used. The ten members were given jail sentences and were banned from working with any of Hollywood's major studios. This is significant to the Cold War because this demonstrated America's negative feelings towards communism, the government of the Soviet Union. -
Truman Doctrine
It was first announced to Congress by President Harry S. Truman on March 12, 1947 "I believe that it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures. The free peoples of the world look to us for support in maintaining their freedoms. If we falter in our leadership, we may endanger the peace of the world and we shall surely endanger the welfare of this nation." -President Harry Truman -
Marshall Plan
A program of assistance to help Western European economies put forward by George C. Marshall. "Our policy is directed not against any country or doctrine but against hunger, poverty, desperation, and chaos. Its purpose should be the revival of a working economy in the world so as to permit the emergence of political and social conditions in which free institutions can exist." -George Marshall -
Berlin Blockade
The Berlin Blockade was an attempt in 1948 by the Soviet Union to limit the ability of France, Great Britain and the United States to travel to their sectors of Berlin, which lay within Russian-occupied East Germany. Eventually, the western powers instituted an airlift that lasted nearly a year and delivered much-needed supplies and relief to West Berlin. Coming just three years after the end of World War II, the blockade was the first major clash of the Cold War. -
Berlin Airlift
The United States, United Kingdom, and France did not debate whether it was worth it to stay in Berlin. It only took a couple days for them to organize the plans for the day and night flights to deliver food, coal, and medical supplies to West Berlin. The United States, United Kingdom, and France expected the Soviet Union to retaliate but they never did, because the Soviet Union could not retaliate without declaring war. -
NATO
In 1949, the prospect of further Communist expansion prompted the United States and 11 other Western nations to form the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The alignment of nearly every European nation into one of the two opposing camps formalized the political division of the European continent that had taken place since World War II (1939-45). This alignment provided the framework for the military standoff that continued throughout the Cold War (1945-91). -
Soviets Bomb Test
At a 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. The atomic explosion, which at 20 kilotons was roughly equal to “Trinity,” the first U.S. atomic explosion, destroyed those structures and incinerated the animals. -
Alger Hiss Spy Case
Official Alger Hiss is convicted of perjury. He was convicted of having perjured himself in regards to testimony about his alleged involvement in a Soviet spy ring before and during World War II. Hiss served nearly four years in jail, but steadfastly protested his innocence during and after his incarceration. -
Korean War
On June 25, 1950, the Korean War began when some 75,000 soldiers from the North Korean People’s Army poured across the 38th parallel, the boundary between the Soviet-backed Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to the north and the pro-Western Republic of Korea to the south. This invasion was the first military action of the Cold War. By July, American troops had entered the war on South Korea’s behalf. -
Rosenberg Trial
The trial of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg begins in New York Southern District federal court. Judge Irving R. Kaufman presides over the espionage prosecution of the couple accused of selling nuclear secrets to the Russians (treason could not be charged because the United States was not at war with the Soviet Union). -
Army-McCarthy Hearings
From April to June 1954, the Senate Committee on Government Operations in order to find out if McCarthy had used improper influence in order to win preferential treatment for a former member of the senator's staff who had been drafted after McCarthy began to investigate army security. These were among the first congressional hearings to be televised. -
Battle of Dien Bien Phu
he Battle of Dien Bien Phu was the decisive engagement in the first Indochina War. After French forces occupied the Dien Bien Phu valley in late 1953, Viet Minh commander Vo Nguyen Giap amassed troops and placed heavy artillery in caves of the mountains overlooking the French camp. Boosted by Chinese aid, Giap mounted assaults on the opposition’s strong points beginning in March 1954, eliminating use of the French airfield. Viet Minh forces overran the base in early May. -
Geneva Conference
In an effort to resolve several problems in Asia, including the war between the French and Vietnamese nationalists in Indochina, representatives from the world’s powers meet in Geneva. The conference marked a turning point in the United States’ involvement in Vietnam. Representatives from the United States, the Soviet Union, the People’s Republic of China, France, and Great Britain came together in April 1954 to try to resolve several problems related to Asia. -
Warsaw Pact
The Soviet Union and seven of its European satellites sign a treaty establishing the Warsaw Pact, a mutual defense organization that put the Soviets in command of the armed forces of the member states.The Warsaw Pact, so named because the treaty was signed in Warsaw, included the Soviet Union, Albania, Poland, Romania, Hungary, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Bulgaria as members. -
Hungarian Revolution
Hungarian students take to the street and protest against Russian Rule, demanding an end to Soviet military occupation, democracy, and Imre Nagy's return to power as prime minister. Resistance fighters called Partisans hunted and killed government officials. On October 24, Soviet tanks entered Budapest. This same day, Imre Nagy was reinstated as Prime Minister. However, the fighting did not end until October 28th. -
U-2 Incident
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) shot down an American U-2 spy plane in Soviet air space and captured its pilot, Francis Gary Powers. Confronted with the evidence of his nation’s espionage, President Dwight D. Eisenhower was forced to admit to the Soviets that the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had been flying spy missions over the USSR for several years. -
Bay Of Pigs Invasion
The CIA launched what its leaders believed would be the definitive strike: a full-scale invasion of Cuba by 1,400 American-trained Cubans who had fled their homes when Castro took over. However, the invasion did not go well: The invaders were badly outnumbered by Castro’s troops, and they surrendered after less than 24 hours of fighting. -
Berlin Wall
The Communist government of the German Democratic Republic, or East Germany began to build a barbed wire and concrete between East and West Berlin. The official purpose of this Berlin Wall was to keep Western “fascists” from entering East Germany and undermining the socialist state, but it primarily served the objective of stemming mass defections from East to West. -
Cuban Missle Crisis
The U.S. and Soviet Union leaders engaged in a tense, 13-day political and military standoff over the installation of nuclear-armed Soviet missiles in Cuba. The U.S. blocked Cuba which leads to Khrushchev and President Kennedy to agree that the Soviet's would remove their missiles and the U.S. would not invade Cuba. President Kennedy also secretly agreed to remove the U.S. missiles from Turkey. -
Assassination of Diem
Following the overthrow of his government by South Vietnamese military forces the day before, President Ngo Dinh Diem and his brother are captured and killed by a group of soldiers. The death of Diem caused celebration among many people in South Vietnam, but also lead to political chaos in the nation. The US became more involved in Vietnam as it tried to stabilize the South Vietnamese government and beat back the communist rebels that were becoming an increasingly powerful threat. -
Assassination of JFK
The Kennedys and Connallys waved at the large and enthusiastic crowds gathered along the parade route. As their vehicle passed the Texas School Book Depository Building at 12:30 p.m., Lee Harvey Oswald allegedly fired three shots from the sixth floor, fatally wounding President Kennedy and seriously injuring Governor Connally. Kennedy was pronounced dead 30 minutes later at Dallas’ Parkland Hospital. He was 46. -
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution authorized President Lyndon Johnson to “take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression” by the communist government of North Vietnam. It was passed by the U.S. Congress after an alleged attack on two U.S. naval destroyers stationed off the coast of Vietnam. The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution effectively launched America’s full-scale involvement in the Vietnam War. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
Operation Rolling Thunder was the codename for an American bombing campaign during the Vietnam War. U.S. military aircraft attacked targets throughout North Vietnam. This was intended to put military pressure on North Vietnam’s communist leaders and reduce their capacity to wage war against the U.S.-supported government of South Vietnam. ORT marked the first sustained American assault on North Vietnamese territory and represented an expansion of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. -
TET Offensive
A coordinated series of North Vietnamese attacks on more than 100 cities and outposts in South Vietnam. The offensive was an attempt to foment rebellion among the South Vietnamese population and encourage the United States to scale back its involvement in the Vietnam War. U.S. and South Vietnamese forces managed to hold off the attacks, despite heavy casualties, North Vietnam achieved a strategic victory with the Tet Offensive. -
Assassination of MLK
Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. An event that sent shock waves reverberating around the world. A Baptist minister and founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), King had led the civil rights movement since the mid-1950s, fought segregation and achieve significant civil-rights advances for African Americans.Helped speed the way for an equal housing bill that would be the last legislative achievement of the civil rights era. -
Assassination of RFK
Senator Robert Kennedy is shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles after winning the California presidential primary. Immediately after he announced to his cheering supporters that the country was ready to end its fractious divisions, Kennedy was shot several times by the 22-year-old Palestinian Sirhan Sirhan. He died a day later. -
Invasion of Czechoslovakia
Approximately 200,000 Warsaw Pact troops and 5,000 tanks invade Czechoslovakia to crush the “Prague Spring”–a brief period of liberalization in the communist country. Czechoslovakians protested the invasion with public demonstrations and other non-violent tactics, but they were no match for the Soviet tanks. The liberal reforms of First Secretary Alexander Dubcek were repealed and “normalization” began under his successor Gustav Husak. -
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. Over the course of 24 hours, the predominant American line of thought on the Cold War with the Soviet Union was shattered. -
Election of Nixon
February 1968, he had sufficiently recovered his political standing in the Republican Party to announce his candidacy for president. Taking a stance between the more conservative elements of his party led by Ronald Reagan and the liberal Northeastern wing led by Governor Nelson Rockefeller, Nixon won the nomination at the Republican National Convention in Miami Beach. -
Kent State
Four Kent State University students were killed and nine were injured when members of the Ohio National Guard opened fire on a crowd gathered to protest the Vietnam War. In its immediate aftermath, a student-led strike forced the temporary closure of colleges and universities across the country. Some political observers believe the events of that day in northeast Ohio tilted public opinion against the war and may have contributed to the downfall of President Richard Nixon. -
Nixon Visits China
In an amazing turn of events, President Richard Nixon takes a dramatic first step toward normalizing relations with the communist People’s Republic of China (PRC) by traveling to Beijing for a week of talks. Nixon’s historic visit began the slow process of the re-establishing diplomatic relations between the United States and communist China. -
Ceasefire in Vietnam
When the cease-fire went into effect, 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 ceasefire deadline and the communists tried to capture additional territory. -
Fall of Saigon
The outskirts of Saigon were reached by the North Vietnamese Army (NVA). The US knew that their presence in the city would quickly become unwelcome, and the remaining Americans were evacuated by helicopter or fixed-wing aircraft.The surrender of Saigon was announced by the South Vietnamese president, General Duong Van Minh: "We are here to hand over to you the power in order to avoid bloodshed." General Minh had become South Vietnam’s president for two days as the country crumbled. -
Reagan elected
Ronald Reagan a former actor and California governor, served as the 40th U.S. president from 1981 to 1989. Dubbed the Great Communicator, the affable Reagan became a popular two-term president. He cut taxes, increased defense spending, negotiated a nuclear arms reduction agreement with the Soviets and is credited with helping to bring a quicker end to the Cold War. Reagan, who survived a 1981 assassination attempt, died at age 93 after battling Alzheimer’s disease. -
SDI announced
The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), also known as Star Wars, was a program first initiated under President Ronald Reagan. 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. With the tension of the Cold War looming overhead, the Strategic Defense Initiative was the United States’ response to possible nuclear attacks from afar. -
Geneva Conference with Gorbachev
The leaders of the Soviet Union and the United States hold a summit conference. The meeting boded well for the future, as the two men engaged in personal talks and seemed to develop a sincere and close relationship.The meeting came as somewhat of a surprise to some in the US considering Reagan’s often incendiary rhetoric concerning communism and the Soviet Union, but it was in keeping with the president’s desire to bring the nuclear arms race under control. -
‘Tear down this wall’ speech
The Berlin Wall, referred to by the President, was built by Communists to keep Germans from escaping Communist-dominated East Berlin into Democratic West Berlin. The twelve-foot concrete wall extended for a hundred miles, surrounding West Berlin, and included electrified fences and guard posts. The wall stood as a stark symbol of the decades-old Cold War between the United States and Soviet Russia in which the two politically opposed superpowers continually wrestled for dominance. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
The head of the East Germany Communist Party announces that GDR could cross the wall whenever they pleased. That night masses of people swarmed the wall. Some crossed freely, while others chipped away at the wall itself with hammers and picks. The Berlin Wall is one of the most powerful and enduring symbols of the Cold War.
