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The Russian Revolution 1917
The Russian Revolution was the first successful communist revolution in the world. It laid the ideological groundwork for the differences that would become the Cold War in the 20th century. -
The Potsdam Conference July 1945
The U.S., Britain, and the Soviet Union met in Potsdam, Germany to discuss the future of Germany after the war, postwar boundaries, winning the war with Japan, and securing a lasting peace for Europe. The significance of this event is to also make sure that Stalin does not take over the surrounding countries trying to spread his Communist ideas. -
The Atomic Bomb 1945
U.S. President Harry Truman dropped two atomic bombs on Japan, one in Hiroshima and one in Nagasaki. This ended the war with Japan and also introduced a new future for warfare. The significance of this is that with atomic bombs and nuclear weapons, on the ground armies and combat would be useless. -
Iron Curtain 1946
The iron curtain was a term used to describe the border between East and West Germany, in which capitalism was on one side and communism on the other. The significance of this was to show how the sides of this 'iron curtain' were complete opposites in their political, military, and ideological beliefs. -
The Truman Doctrine 1947
The Truman Doctrine was an American foreign policy whose stated purpose was to counter Soviet geopolitical expansion. This is important because the Soviet's 'Communism' directly contradicts the U.S. democratic government, therefore we don't want this spreading to surrounding countries. -
The Marshall Plan 1947
The Marshall Plan was an American initiative which gave $12 billion in economic assistance to help rebuild Western Europe. Rebuilding Western Europe is significant to the United States because Western Europe is a valuable ally of ours and we rely on them for certain goods and resources. -
The Molotov Plan 1947
The Molotov Plan was a mirror to the United State's Marshall Plan, as it sent money and aid to eastern European countries that were politically and economically connected to the Soviet Union. This was in response to the Marshall Plan, as the Soviets felt like they had to do the same. -
Hollywood Ten
Ten members of the Hollywood film industry publicly refused to answer questions regarding communism, questions that were being asked too many people by the organization HUAC. The Hollywood ten were convicted of "Contempt of Court", and sent to prison. This event caused many people at a national level to question the anti-communist crackdowns spreading through the United States. -
Berlin Blockade 1948
The United States, Great Britain, and France came together and created a new currency for West Germany. This angered Stalin as he did not want to see the split Germany form together as one. In response to this, he blockaded Berlin, letting no one in or out. The significance of this was for Stalin to test is the U.S. would declare war or not, as a blockade is an act of war. -
Berlin Airlift 1948
Because of Stalin's blockade on Berlin, the people inside were not able to get food and resources they needed to survive. Instead of declaring war on the Soviets, the United States used their B29 bombers to fly over the blockade and drop supplies to the city. On the first day of this operation, eighty tons of provisions were delivered. -
NATO 1949
NATO is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It is an international alliance that includes 29 members. An attack on one member is an attack on all of the members. The significance of this at the time it was established was to stop the Soviets from attacking smaller countries while pursuing their goal of bringing communism to Europe. -
Soviet Bomb Test 1949
The Soviet successfully tested their first atomic bomb. This was years before experts predicted that the Soviets would be able to do this. The significance is that now the United States does not have the atomic bomb to hold over the Soviets now. This created tension on both sides as now the Soviets could match the United State's fire power. -
Alger Hiss Case 1950
Alger Hiss was a former U.S. State Department Official that was accused of spying for the Soviets. But he was convicted of perjury not spying. This was significant because it threw America into a period of great tension, no one knew who to trust. -
Korean War 1950
The United States helps defend South Korea from Communism. We were originally fighting the North Koreans but in the end, it was us vs. the Chinese. The goal was to unite all of Korea under Communist rule. This is significant because this was the first time that the U.S. used their military to fight Communism. -
Rosenberg Trial 1950
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were arrested for "Conspiracy to Commit Espionage". They were sentenced to execution by the electric chair. This is significant because they were the first American citizens to be executed for espionage. -
Army-McCarthy Hearings
The United States Army had public hearings with McCarthy to further investigate his claims about Communists in the Department of State. In the end, McCarthy lost all political support, as all his claims were found out to be false. -
The Geneva Conference
The Geneva Conference that took place in Geneva, Switzerland, which was attended by many nations. This conference was to discuss occurring problems from the recent Korean and Indochina wars. -
Battle of Dien Bien Phu
This was the first war of Indochina between the French Union's French Far East Expeditionary Corps and Viet Minh communist revolutionaries for control of a small mountain outpost on the Vietnamese border near Laos. The Viet Minh emerged victoriously, which marked the end of the eight-year war. -
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact was an agreement between the Soviet Union and seven of its satellite states. It established a mutual-defense organization with the same idea as the enemies NATO. This organization was established as a response to West Germany joining NATO. -
Hungarian Revolution
Hungarians revolted against the Soviet-run government when a student was shot and killed in a protest at the Hungarian Parliament Building. This is significant because it was the first major threat to Soviet control since the end of World War Two. -
U2 Incident
The Soviet Air Defense Forces shot down an American U2 plane while performing photographic aerial reconnaissance over Soviet territory. This event was embarrassing for the U.S. as they tried to lie about it at first, resulting in a further deterioration of the U.S. - Soviet relations. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
Cuban was taken over by a man named Fidel Castro, who looked and acted like a Communist. We launched an invasion on Cuba, but during this invasion, JFK refused naval and air support. The invasion was crushed. This is significant because the Soviets could down upon this failure as an act of weakness. -
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a concrete wall that divided East and West Germany, both physically and ideologically. The purpose of this wall was to keep the beliefs and practices of West Germany from undermining the East German socialist state. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
This was a tense 13-day standoff between the Soviets and the U.S. regarding the Soviet's movements to install nuclear-armed missiles on Cuba. This is very significant because this lead many citizens to believe the world to be on the edge of a nuclear war. -
The Assassination of Diem
The assassination Ngô Đình Diệm, the president of South Korea, began with an arrest of him and his brothers. They were then executed in the back of the vehicle heading back to the military base. This marked the culmination of a successful CIA-backed plan. -
Assassination of JFK
JFK was assassinated at 12:30 P.M. on November 22, 1963, while riding in a presidential motorcade through Dallas, Texas. He was campaigning in Texas trying to win them over for his relection. -
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution which authorized President Johnson to do whatever his heart desired to protect Americans in Vietnam. This was also called a 'blank check', referring to the ability to put any amount of money you want on a blank check. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
This was a codename for a Vietnam bombing campaign from March 2, 1965-----November 1, 1968. U.S. military attacked targets in North Vietnam. -
Tet Offensive
This was a military campaign during the Vietnam War, in which the Vietcong and North Vietnamese carried out a number of surprise attacks on scores of cities, towns, and hamlets throughout Vietnam. This was considered to be a turning point in the war. -
Assassination of MLK
Martin Luther King Jr. was shot at the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee at 6:01 p.m. He was then taken to St. Joseph's Hospital, where he died at 7:05 p.m. -
Assassination of RFK
Robert Kennedy was shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California after winning the California presidential primary. Immediately after announcing his plans to the spectators, Kennedy was shot many times by 22-year-old Palestinian Sirhan Sirhan. -
Invasion of Czechoslovakia
Soviets, along with WarsawPact troops, invaded Prague, Czechoslovakia in order to break up recent reformist trends. While successfully ending the reformists, the Soviets did not account for the unintended consequences for the unity of the communist bloc. -
Riots of Democratic Convention
This convention was held during a year of violence, public turbulence, and civil unrest. Many of the riots occurring during this period were in response to the murder of Martin Luther King Jr., who was assassinated earlier that year on April 4. -
Election of Nixon
Former Vice President Richard Nixon beat democratic nominee Hubert Humphrey. This election permanently distrupted the New Deal Coalition that had dominated presidential politics for the past 36 years. -
Kent State Massacre
Unarmed college students were shot by members of the Ohio State National Guard during a protest against the bombing of Cambodia by the United States military forces. -
Nixon Visits China
President Nixon takes the first steps in making peace with China when he announces his future week long talk with the Chinese in Bejing. This started the slow and steady process of rebuilding relations with communist China. -
Ceasefire in Vietnam
President Nixon ordered a ceasefire of the aerial bombing of Vietnam following the arrival of his National Security Affairs advisor, Dr. Henry Kissinger. Kissinger came bearing news of a draft peace proposal. -
Fall of Saigon
Saigon is the capital of South Vietnam, which was captured by the Vietcong and North Vietnamese. After the capture, Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh after the North Vietnamese's fallen leader. -
Reagan Elected
Ronald Reagan beat Democrat Jimmy Carter in the 49th quadrennial presidential election. Reagan's goal as a president was to annihilate Communism as opposed to the current policy of containment. -
SDI Announced
As Reagan announces, this Strategic Defense Initiative was a program that potentially would shoot down incoming nuclear missiles with lasers. Because of the fictional ideas surrounding this plan, it was nicknamed 'Star Wars'. -
Geneva Conference with Gorbachev
On November 19-20 1985, President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Mikhail Gorbachev met for the first time to hold talks on the international diplomatic relations and the arms race. One important outcome of this conference was that Gorbachev and Reagan developed a personal friendship with each other. -
Tear Down this Wall Speech
On June 6, 1987, Ronald Reagan stands in West Berlin, talking to its citizens and to Soviet General Gorbachev himself. Reagan requests Gorbachev to tear the Berlin Wall down, which has divided East and West Berlin since 1961. -
Fall of Berlin Wall
The fall of the wall first begun when the spokesperson for East Berlin's Communist Oparty announced a change in his street relations with West Berlin. This being that citizens were now able to cross the border freely. Demolition of the wall began immediately after, and when the wall was finally down people could really say the Cold War was over.
