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Red Scare
Around the end of World War I, shortly after the communists took power in Russia, there was a scare in the United States that we had been infiltrated by Communist spies or Americans who supported Communism. The workers organizations in particular were involved in numerous strikes blamed on socialists. There were also anarchists involved in violent activities in the US. -
HUAC
The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) was an investigative committee in the United States House of Representatives which was meant to look into suspected cases of subversion and disloyalty to the United States government. The actions of HUAC attracted a great deal of public attention while the committee was active, and it continues to be a topic of discussion and research among academics. -
Yalta Conference
In February, 1945, Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt met in Yalta in the Crimea. With Soviet troops in most of Eastern Europe, Stalin was in a strong negotiating position. Roosevelt and Churchill tried hard to restrict post-war influence in this area but the only they could get was a promise that free elections would be held in these countries. But stalin still does not keep his word. -
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Cold War
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Nuclear Arms Race
The nuclear arms race was central to the Cold War. Many feared where the Cold War was going with the belief that the more nuclear weapons you had, the more powerful you were. Both America and Russia massively built up their stockpiles of nuclear weapons. -
UN Created
The name "United Nations", coined by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt was first used in the Declaration by United Nations of 1 January 1942, during the Second World War, when representatives of 26 nations pledged their Governments to continue fighting together against the Axis Powers -
Postdam Conference
On 16 July 1945, the Big Three leaders met at Potsdam, Germany, near Berlin. In this, the leaders, President Truman, Soviet Premier Stalin and British Prime Ministers Churchill and Atlee discussed post-war arrangements in Europe, frequently without agreement. Future moves in the war against Japan were also covered. -
Trueman Doctrine
On March 12, 1947, in an address to Congress, President Harry S. Truman declared it to be the foreign policy of the United States to assist any country whose stability was threatened by communism. His initial request was specifically for $400 million to assist both Greece and Turkey, which Congress approved. -
Marshall Plan
George C. Marshall, Truman's Secretary of State, announced details of what became known as the Marshall Plan or the European Recovery Program (ERP). Marshall offered American financial aid for a programme of European economic recovery. -
Hollywood 10
Roy M. Brewer was interviewed by the HUCA in October, 1947. He claimed that he knew 13 writers, actors and directors he said were involved in communist activities -
C.I.A
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is responsible for providing intelligence on a wide range of national security issues to senior US policymakers. The Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (D/CIA) is nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate -
Berlin Blockade/ Berlin Airlift
In early 1948, the Russians decided to attempt to choke the Western nations out of Berlin by cutting off their access to supplies. They began by closing roads around Berlin, and then refused to allow supply trains to cross East Germany to reach Berlin. The civilian and military occupants of West Berlin faced a serious supply deficit. -
NATO
NATO, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is an international alliance of 26 countries of Europe and North America created to ensure the peace of the North Atlantic region. Signed April 4, 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty is NATO's founding document that details the principles in which NATO was created. -
Communist Takeover
When Mao and the Communists took over China in 1949, after decades of civil war and Japanese occupation, the country was in terrible shape. Roads, railways, farms and factories went bankrupt after its entire gold reserves were taken away to Taiwan by the Nationalists. -
Korean War
The Korean War was fought between June of 1950 and July of 1953. Also known as the Korean Conflict, the Korean War officially began after North Korea invaded South Korea by crossing the boundaries of the two regions known as the 38th parallel. Beginning as a civil conflict between two provisional governments competing for control, the Korean War quickly escalated into a multi-national conflict. It ended with a ceasefire between the two countries -
Joseph McCarthy
Senator Joe McCarthy is infamous for having exploited the specter of Communist infiltration in the government for his own aggrandizement. The man claimed to possess a list of 57 State Department employees who were known Communist moles. -
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was the a very long struggle between nationalist forces attempting to unify the country of Vietnam under a communist government and the United States (with the aid of the South Vietnamese) attempting to prevent the spread of communism. the us did not have the peoples support in this war. -
Warshaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact is the name given to an agreement between several Communist states of Europe. It is also known as the Warsaw Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance. The Warsaw Pact was established in 1955, in Poland. -
U2 Crisis
The U2 incident was where A united States spy plane was shot down over Russia.The U2 incident was where A united States spy plane was shot down over Russia. -
Space Race
The "space race" was a competition between USSR and The United States to get objects and people into space orbit, and eventually reach the moon. The USSR placed the first synthetic satellite in orbit ("sputnik"), placed the first human in orbit, preformed the first space walk -
Bay of Pigs
The Bay of Pigs was the invasion of Cuba by anti-Castro forces trained in the United States. The purpose of the invasion was to overthrow Castro. It was a total failure because it was meant to be a surprise attack but somehow Cuba was aware of this and Cuban forces were there waiting when the US forces landed. -
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was constructed by the Russians in 1961 in an attempt to cordon off the allied sector of West Berlin, occupied by the French, Americans, and British. The Berlin Wall stood until 1989, when it fell along with the rest of the Iron Curtain. The Berlin Wall is often used as an example of extreme isolationism, and was a serious diplomatic blow to relations between Russia and the rest of the world. -
Cuban Missle Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was the closest the world ever came to nuclear war. The United States armed forces were at their highest state of readiness ever and Soviet field commanders in Cuba were prepared to use battlefield nuclear weapons to defend the island if it was invaded. Luckily, thanks to the bravery of two men, President John F. Kennedy and Premier Nikita Khrushchev, war was averted.
