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Russian Revolution
Tzar Nicholas II was overthrown in 1917, and was replaced by a democratic government known as the Russian Provisional Government. In the later part of that year, Vladimir Lenin and his group known as the Bolsheviks took over the democratic government and created a Communist regime. Soon, civil war broke out between the "Red" and "White" army, or the Bolsheviks and a group of counter-revolutionaries. This ended with another Communist victory. -
Potsdam Conference
The Potsdam Conference was a meeting held to determine what to do with the now defeated Nazi-Germany. The Soviet Union, United Kingdom, and United States were the participants, represented by Joseph Stalin (USSR), Winston Churchill, who was later replaced by Clement Attlee (UK), and Harrison Truman (USA) -
Atomic Bomb- Hiroshima/Nagasaki
Even after Nazi-Germany was defeated, Japan had decided to still fight on. As an almost last resort, the USA dropped two Atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing roughly 129,000 people. 6 days later, Japan finally surrendered. -
Iron Curtain
The "Iron Curtain" was a term used to describe the division between Europe during the Cold War. The Soviet Union and its Satellites cut off communication from other countries, and the first person to address this as the "Iron Curtain" was Winston Churchill. -
Hollywood 10
In 1947, HUAC had subpoenaed 79 people who worked in Hollywood, accusing them of putting Communist propaganda in films. Of these 79, 10 did not comply and even challenged the legitimacy of HUAC. They upheld their freedom of speech, yet were charged with contempt of congress, fined, put in prison for 6 months to a year, and were completely blacklisted. -
Molotov Plan
The Molotov Plan was a plan built by the USSR in 1947 that was their version of the Marshall plan, but for its satellites. It was a system of bilateral trade agreements. -
Truman Doctrine
Soon, after WW2, the Soviet Unions influence began to expand, and many surrounding countries fell to communist. In order to counter this, Truman released the Truman Doctrine. The Truman Doctrine announced that the USAs foreign policy would change, and that they would pledge to contain communism and give support to nations that were under threat of becoming communist. This support was financial, and $400 Million where sent. -
Alger Hiss Case
Alger Hiss was a US Government Official who was charged of being a spy for the USSR. He was convicted of two accounts of perjury, for which he served 3 and a half years in prison. This was a start to McCarthyism. -
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was a plan to aid European countries by sending them money and supplies. The actual point of this plan, however, was to keep communism contained so that the USSR couldn't spread further and so that those European countries would be on the USA's side on the Cold War -
Berlin Blockade
The first crisis of the cold war, USSR create a blockade in between west and east Berlin as a protest to the Deutsche Mark. -
Berlin Airlift
When the USSR started the Berlin Blockade, supplies couldn't get into East Berlin from West Berlin. So, the UN flew in supplies to East Berlin by plane. A plane landed every three minutes, and eventually the USSR lifted the blockade. -
NATO
NATO is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and it was created in order to create a large Anti-USSR alliance that could combat a possible WW3 against the Soviet Union and its satellites, or any other sort of outside attacker. -
Soviet Bomb Test
Once the Soviets discovered of the secretive Manhattan Project, they had planned to eventually make their own Atomic Bomb. After WW2 showing their destructive powers, the USSR's new plan was to make nuclear weapons as soon as possible. In 1949, they conducted their first successful weapons test, named First Lightning. -
Korean War
The Korean War was a small clash (although many say it's still ongoing) between USSR and China-backed North Korea and UN-backed South Korea. After roughly 3 years, an Armistice was signed. -
Rosenburg Trial
Two US citizens, Julius and Ethel Rosenburg, where charged with espionage and were found to be giving nuclear bomb secrets to the Soviets. They were both executed on June 19, 1953. Their trial and eventual death was extremely controversial, and many US citizens, political leaders, and even the Pope were against the execution. -
Army-McCarthy Hearings
The Army-McCarthy hearings were hearings that investigated Senator Joseph McCarthys accusations that the US Army had communists within their ranks and counter accusations by the Army. These hearings were broadcast on television, and were a primary reason for McCarthys decline in popularity. -
Battle of Dien Bien Phu
This battle was against Viet Minh soldiers and French soldiers. The French made a terrible tactical underestimation of the Viet Minh, and after a long siege, the French surrendered and withdrew from Indochina. This lead to the independence of Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam -
Geneva Conference
The 1954 Geneva Conference was a conference held to figure out how to solve the problems that came after the Korean War and the First Indochina War. This conference divided Vietnam into 2, the North and the South. -
Warsaw Pact
In response to the forming of NATO, the Soviet Union and its satellites formed the Warsaw Pact. It was functionally very similar NATO but with the USSR at the head of it. -
Hungarian Revolution
The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 was a full scale revolt that lasted only a couple of weeks. It started with a march, but soon sprung into a revolution that completely took over the government. However, the USSR came in and retook it over and reestablished a communist government. -
U-2 Incident
In 1960, one of our U-2 spy planes that was spying on the Soviets was caught and shot down. It degraded our relations with the USSR greatly. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
The Bay of Pigs invasion is a failed military invasion of Cuba that was meant to assassinate Fidel Castro and topple the current government. This event would definitely be a major factor leading up to the Cuban Missile Crisis. -
Berlin Wall
The Berlin wall was a concrete wall that divided east and west Berlin. It also included guard towers, beds of nails, anti-vehicle trenches, ect. It came to physically symbolize the USSR's Iron Curtain. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
After the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, the USSR decided to place nuclear missiles on Cuba. This was also a response to US missiles that were put in Turkey. Soon, the US found out about the nuclear weapons in Cuba and created a blockade to prevent more nuclear weapons from getting there. This was the closest moment the Cold War came to turning hot. But, eventually the USSR and USA agreed to take their nuclear weapons away from Cuba and Turkey, and the USA agreed to not invade Cuba again. -
Assassination of Diem
During the Vietnam War, the leader we supported was a cruel dictator named Ngo Dinh Diem. After 9 years of many human right atrocities and a continuous downward spiral of losing support for the war, him and his brother were both captured and assassinated. -
Assassination of JFK
US President John F. Kennedy was Assassinated in Texas while riding in a presidential limousine with his wife and others. Lyndon B. Johnson became the president after that. -
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
Congress had given LBJ nearly limitless power to do whatever he wished involving the Vietnam War. Also known as "The Blank Check" -
Operation Rolling Thunder
Operation Rolling Thunder was a 3 year continuous bombing campaign meant to severely weaken the N. Vietnamese. More bombs were dropped in this than in both the Korean War and WW2 -
Tet Offensive
The Tet offensive was a very huge and coordinated surprise attack made by the N. Vietnamese. However, after the initial startling attacks, the US and South Vietnam had beat back the N. Vietnamese and the N. Vietnamese suffered extremely heavy casualties. However, the Tet offensive was seen as a loss by the American public, and much support had been lost for the war. -
Assassination of MLK
Civil Rights leader, Clergyman, and Nobel Peace Prize winner Martin Luther King Jr. Is shot and killed at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. -
Assassination of RFK
Robert F. Kennedy, brother of JFK, is shot and killed at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California. He is one of only two sitting US Senators to be assassinated ever -
Invasion of Czechoslovakia
Members of the Warsaw pact made q joint invasion of Czechoslovakia, and it stopped the current liberal reforms and strengthened the communist party that was there. -
Riots of the Democratic Convention
About 10,000 protesters gathered in Grant Park to demonstrate, but were eventually attacked by police. The protesters then clashed back, and today this is called the Chicago Police Riots. This violence showed the division within the Democratic party, and was a primary reason Richard Nixon was elected. -
Election of Nixon
In 1968, Republican nominee Richard Nixon won the presidential election against Democratic nominee Hubert Humphrey. -
Kent State
All around the US, many people protested the Vietnam war. In Kent State, 4 students where shot and killed and 9 others were wounded during a protest by National Guard. -
Nixon visits China
Richard Nixon visits China for 7 days, and ends a 25 year period of no communication and increased tensions. This visit helped relieve tensions and very important in establishing relations in China. -
Ceasefire in Vietnam
Richard Nixon ordered a ceasefire of the continual bombing. On 1/27/1973, The Vietnam war had ended. -
Fall of Saigon
Saigon is attacked and taken over, and soon South Vietnam is taken over by North Vietnam. The city was renamed Hồ Chí Minh City, -
Reagan elected
In the 1981 presidential election, Republican nominee Ronald Reagan is elected. He will be absolutely key to escalating but then ending the Cold War. -
SDI announced
SDI (also known as Star Wars) is announced by Ronald Reagan publicly. It was a concept of lasers from space that would render nuclear weapons obsolete. Although we didn't have the technology, the USSR completely believed we did and went bankrupt trying to counter these space lasers. -
Geneva Conference with Gorbachev
The Geneva Summit was a meeting between Reagan and Gorbachev to discuss cutting down nuclear weapons and SDI. Although nothing of that sort was truly accomplished, relations had grown between Reagan and Gorbachev. -
‘Tear down this wall’ speech
Ronald Reagan gave this speech at the Berlin Wall, and he challenged Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall. -
Fall of Berlin Wall
In 1989, Günter Schabowski had announced that travel between East and West Berlin was now allowed. Finally, Demolition of the wall was ordered. The Iron Curtain had fallen.
