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Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin became the dictator of the USSR in 1926, after the death of Lenin in 1924. Stalin began a massive effort to industrialize his country. Between 8-10 million peasants died as a result. -
Harry S. Truman
He was the 33rd president of the United States and was the person who decided to drop the atomic bombs on Japan. He became president after Franklin D. Roosevelt passed away due to his health issues. Truman was in office from 1945-1953 and had to endure the hard times of the Cold War. -
Unitied Nations
The United Nations is the largest international organization. It replaced the League of Nations. It was created to maintain peace and to promote coorporation in solving international conflicts. -
Truman Doctrine
This policy was developed as a way for the U.S. to help countries threatened by communism. It was first developed as a way of helping Greece fight off communist guerrillas and keep the Soviet Union out of Turkey. It also set the U.S. up as a major opponent of communism all over the Globe. This mindset would color American-Soviet relations for much of the Cold War. -
Containment
Containment was a United States policy using numerous strategies to prevent the spread of communism abroad. -
Marshall Plan
The Marshall plan was the plan to aid war-torn Europe finsncially after WWII. The plan supported Europe for 4 years. -
Berlin Airlift
The Berlin Airlift was a way that let the United States supply Berlin, without provoking a war with the USSR. The Soviets had cut all the supply lines to the city, so the US needed another way to get supplies into the city. Over a period of 11 months, the US airlifted supplies into Berlin. Over 2 million tons of food, medicine, and coal was shipped in. -
N.A.T.O.
N.A.T.O. is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty. N.A.T.O. is a orginazation made up of 28 countries that fight communism and support each others war efforts. -
Joseph McCarthy(McCarthyism)
An American politician who, starting in 1950, became the most visible public face in the cold war. He made claims that there were large numbers of communist's and communist supporters in the U.S. federal government. His accusations started in 1950 and continued until 1954. it caused many accused politicians and celebrity's to lose their jobs and reputation. -
Korean War
The Korean War was the first military attack of the Cold War. The United States could not allow the spread of communism in Asia. The Soviet Union was supplying North Korea with weapons. 5 million soldiers and civizlians lost their lives in the war. Everyone feared there would be a World War III. -
Dwight D. Eisenhpwer
Before Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, he was a five star general in the US Army during WWII. He is responsible for planning and supervising the invasion of North Africa. He was also successful with his invasion of France and Germany from the Western Front. -
Nikita Khrushchev
He served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, or Premier, from 1958 to 1964. After taking power in soviet russia, Khrushchev's rule saw the tensest years of the Cold War, culminating in the Cuban Missile Crisis. -
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong was leader of China and created the great leap forward, which was intended alternative model for economic growth to the Soviet model focusing on heavy industry that was advocated by others in the party. -
Warsaw Pact
A mutual defense treaty between 8 communist states of Central and Eastern Europe in existence during the Cold War. -
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a cold war era conflict between the United States and North Vietnam. The US supported the South Vietnamese governemt, lead by nationalist Ngo Dinh Diem. Diems actions caused tensions to rise between the North and South. Over 180,000 Troops were sent to Vietnam in total. -
John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy was the 35th President of the United States. He ordered the "Bay of Pigs Invasion" He was also responsible for the Cuban Missile Crisis. He did not want to attack Cuba because it might have lead to a nuclear war with the Soviet Union. He didn't, however, want to be faced with the increaed threat from close range nuclear weapons. -
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall stood as a symbol of communism in East Germany for over 30 years. East Germay tried to get the US, Britain, and France to leave Germany. When they refused, Khrushchev built the wall around Berlin, and ordering guards stationed on the wall to shoot anyone who tries to escape. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
A 13 day confrontation between the Soviet Union & Cuba on one side and the U.S on the other. It was because the Soviet Union tried to move nuclear weapons closer to the United States. -
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson was the Vice President to John F. Kennedy. After Kennedy's assassination, Johnson became the President of the United States. Johnson is responsible for designing the "Great Society" which created Medicare. Johnson also escalated American involvement in the Vietnam War. It was from 16,000 soldiers to 550,000 soldiers. The amount of American casualties went up, as well. He is known for being a part of the Civil Rights Movement, and the Immigration Act of 1965. -
Ronald Reagan
Between 1981 and 1989, Ronald Reagan, a republican polititian, served as the 40th president of the United States. During this time, he decreased the inflation rate by 8% and developed a huge defense system. He significantly contributed to the conclusion of the Cold War. He died in 2004. -
Iran Contra Scandal
This was a political scandal in the United States that came to light in November 1986. During the Reagan administration, senior administration officials secretly facilitated the sale of arms to Iran, the subject of an arms embargo. Some U.S. officials also hoped that the arms sales would secure the release of hostages and allow U.S. intelligence agencies to fund the Nicaraguan Contras. Under the Boland Amendment, further funding of the Contras by the government had been prohibited by Congress. -
Mikhail Gorbachev
He was a soviet leader in the 1980's. His reforms, perestroika and glasnost, allowed for privately owned enterprises, and for the freedom of speech and religion. This was the first time in decades that people in the USSR could openly discuss politics. His actions also lead to the distruction of the Berlin Wall. -
George H. W Bush
Met with Gorbachev and a part of a very important step to the end of the Cold War -
Fall of Berlin Wall
The fall of the wall separating East and West Berlin. Most of the wall was demolished in 1990, but people were allowed to merge with one another from East and West slightly prior. The fall of the wall also represented a fall of the Soviet Union in a way. -
Collapse of Soviet Union
The fall of the Soviet Union was a process of systematic disintegration, which occurred in economy, social structure and political structure.
