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Stalin
He was the U.S.S.R leader after Lenin. He met with the U.S. and Great Britain at the Yalta confrence. He was a hrsh ruler that sent waves of Soviet troops because there were so many. He was important because he was a major leader in communism. -
Ho Chi Minh
In 1921 he developed the Intercolonial Union. He declared Vietnam independence and became president in 1945. He was also a communist dictator. He a major player in the maing of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. -
United Nations
This was an alliance between many nations. They tried to stop the war. This was a important because this was like the league of nations but had a military support this. -
Iron Curtain
This, like the Berlin wall, was the devision of East and West European. This was important because it was a symbol of the communist/democracy split. -
Truman Doctrine
This was introduced Harry Truman. Truman wanted to help Turkey and Greeece. This was important because people believe that this was the start of the Cold War. -
European Economic Cooperation
This is when countries across Europe started to cooperate and lower tariffs. This made the European Union and helped the Marshell Plan. -
The Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was the U.S. supporting European countries finiciallly. The U.S. hoped to make allies with the people that they helped. This was important because it helped the U.S. make allies and lessen the amount of communist countries. -
Berlin Airlift
This was a system of getting food and other things that were needed the West Berlin when the Soviets closed off access to them by land. The Western Allies (specfically the U.S.) would fly food, medicine, etc. to West Berlin. It ended on may 12, 1949. This showed that the Western Allies were not going to give up on West Berlin and were ready to fight for thier independence. -
North Atlantic Treat Organization NATO
This was the Western countries allying together to fight the Soviets. The allies would defend each other. This showed how far the Western countries would go to stop communism. -
Peoples Republic of China
China was taken over by communism. Mao Zendong became the leader at this time and he started the great leap foward, communes, and the cultural revolution. This messed up their relationship with the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. This was important because the Chinese sided with the U.S. -
Korean War
The Korean war was a war between North and South Korea. The U.S. was allied with South Korea while the North was allied with the Soviets. This was important because it was a war between the two major powers and their beliefs. -
Fisrt Hydrogen Bomb Explosion
This was a weapon that was created by the fusion of hydrogen atoms together. This was important because it showed how far technology and weapons had come. -
Khrushchev
He was the leader after Stalin. He tried to rely on missiles but, that was overturned. He was in charge of the Cuban Missile Crisis. -
KGB (Committee for State Security)
It was a police agency for the Soviets. This kept them in line and stopped the uprisings. This showed that the Soviets were willing to spy on their own people. -
Geneva Accords
It was an attempt to end the warfare over Vietnam and unify Indochina. They agreed to put troops in each place and that led to the divide of Vietnam. -
Warsaw Pact
The warsaw pact was an alliance between the communist nations (Soviets). The NATO of communism. This was import because in created the iron curtain. -
Vietnam
This was were North and South Vietnam and the place for the Vietnam War. South was backed by the U.S. and the North supported communism. This was important because it showed the U.S.S.R vs. U.S. -
Sputnik
Sputnik was the first satilite that worked. It would orbit the world. This was important because it made the U.S. fear the Soviets and work on their own space program. -
Berlin Wall is built
The Berlin wall was built after Berlin spilt into East and West Berlin. People from East Berlin were escaping to the wealthy West Berlin. There were guards that would shoot anyone trying to cross the walll. This was important because it kept people from crossing into West Berlin. It isolated West Berlin, too. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Soviets allied with Cuba and brought missiles to Cuba. It took thirteen days for President Kennedy to get Khrushchev to not bomb the U.S. The U.S. sent planes that flew over Cuba and took pictures. This was the closet the U.S. got to having a nuclear war. -
Leonid Brezhnev
He was the leader of the Soviets for 18 years, his reign ending in 1982. He built up nuclear weapons for the Soviets. He joined the Communist party in 1929 and when Stalin had his Great Purge, he rose quickly through the ranks. He joined WWII and became a political leader in the army. He supported Khrushchev until he was booted out of the office. Then, Brezhnev became Genral Secretary of the Central Committee and leader of the Soviets. He signed SALT I in 1972 and met Nixon in 1973. -
Iranian hostage crisis
This was when Americans in the American Embassy in Tehran were kidnapped by Iranians who supported the revolution. This caused the U.S. to join forces with Iraq in the up coming war. -
Helsinki Accords
This was drawn up for 35 countries that would not bind them together, The Western countries were trying to communicate with the Eastern countries. The Eastern countries were still communist. This showed that the West was trying to get along with the East. -
Russian Invasion of Afghanistan
It was a war that was between the Soviets and the Afghans. It lasted for 9 years. The soviets did this to spread communinsm. It was important because The U.S. helped Afghanistan to stop the spread of communism. -
Moscow Olympics
This was the first Easten European olympics. it was boycotted by the U.S. and many other countries because it was in the Soviet Union. This was important because it showed that the U.S. wanted to have no ties with the Soviets. It ended on August 3. -
Lech Walesa and the Solidarity Movement in Poland
He created a the "Solidarity" or a Independent Self-Governing Trade Union. This was important because it was the first non-communist union in a communist area. He became the president of Poland, also. -
Los Angeles Olympics
Went until August 12. Los Angeles got the Olympic because everyone else dropped out. This was due to an Iranian social and political change. This was the second time it was held there. It was important because the Eastern Bloc boycotted the games. -
Chernobyl
This was an explosion at a place a few miles from Chernobyl, Ukraine. The Soviets were building an atomic bomb and one of the reactors melted causing the radiation to spread. It took 2 years to put out the fires and many of those firefighters are dead, deing, or suicidial. 7 million people were effected by this and the heaviest of this population is in Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia. Many of those close to the radiation have cancer. -
Perestroika and Glasnost
This was a meeting between Gorbechev and the central committee. Perestroika and Glasnost were Gorbechev'd main goals for the economy. He wanted to change the Soviets society. This was important because it caused a change in the politics in the U.S.S.R. -
Berlin Wall is torn down
The Wall was torn down when people started to hit it with sledgehammers. This was when East and West Berlin merged to form Berlin again. The importance is that it ended the communist rule over East Berlin. -
Tiananmen Square
This was a massacre of school children who were protesting. The Chinese Government killed them. It was in Beijieng. This was important because it showed how far the government would go to stop the vocalization of complaints against them. -
Gorbachev
He treid to reform the U.S.S.R and he was the cause of the end of the Soviet Union. Also, he tore down the wall and met with Presidient Reagan. -
Yeltsin
Yeltsin was the first president of Russia. He was one of the reason the economy colapsed. He was important because he corupted Russia. -
End of the U.S.S.R
Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev resigned and gave the nuclear launch code to Boris Yeltsin. Yeltsin took the U.S.S.R flag down and put the new flag up. This was the end to the first Communist State and ended the Cold War. -
Putin
Hw was after Yeltsin. He in the current president of Russia. He is important because he helped Russia's econmy since he came into office. -
Suez Canal and Nassar
The Suez canal was wanted by many countries. The Egyptain leader, Nassar, let the Soviets pretty much by the Canal. This was important beause it gave the Soviets control over the Canal.