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The Russian Revolution
Though the revolution had begun way before the Cold War, it's impact grew little by little. For the ultimate purpose of protection, communism expanded throughout the entire Soviet Union. The United States had been against this ideal because of it's restraint on freedom and violent nature. After the second World War, Soviets began to further the protection by taking advantage over recovering countries in Europe, spreading their influence. This would result in major tension with the US. -
The Potsdam Conference
Following World War II, allies President Truman and Winston Churchill organized a meeting between themselves and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. Tensions had recently rose after it was discovered that Stalin was converting Russia's surrounding countries to communism. -
The Atomic Bomb
Credit to the US victory over Japan in WW2 was given to the use of a newly invented atomic bomb. With the US having access to this kind of weapon, terrified the Soviet Union for they could be wiped out without even having face to face combat with American troops. -
An Iron Curtain
After Stalin's influence of communism spread through Eastern Europe, Prime Minister Winston Churchill delivered a message to citizens of the allied countries, explaining that an "iron curtain" had "descended across the country". -
The Molotov Plan
Created by the Soviet Union, the Molotov Plan was an act designed to provide aid towards counties aligned with the Soviets under communism. -
Truman Doctrine
Action was needed to be taken in order to stop the spread of communism to the west. Thus President Truman made an address stating that the United States would aid vulnerable and recovering countries in Europe to prevent the Soviets from capitalizing on them. Truman requested that America started with Greece and Turkey, providing food, machinery, and tools. -
Hollywood 10
It was evident that there would be communist supporters in America. Throughout the war, many people were accused of being communist, even going as far investigations for potential Soviet spies. One of these investigations were on the Hollywood 10, a group of actors, producers, etc, who were held accountable for spreading communist influence through their films and productions. -
Alger Hiss Case
Convicted of being a Soviet spy, Government official Alger Hiss was put on trial for many years after the accusations. This lead to a widespread of more accusations. -
The Marshall Plan
Also known as the Economic Recovery Act, the Marshall Plan was an act signed by President Truman promising that the U.S. would provide economic assistance for rebuilding and creating a stronger framework of Europe's allied countries, as well as repel against communism in the meantime. Not only did this plan aid Europe but it also promoted prosperity and democracy. -
Berlin Airlift
As a counter of the blockade in Germany, Western allies decided to act, creating the Berlin Airlift in which planes would fly over delivering things such as food and fuel to the deprived city of Berlin. The Soviets were unable to react as they feared it could lead to open conflict. -
Berlin Blockade
Stalin's bitter hatred for Germany didn't end after World War 2. Within postwar, it was decided that Germany would be divided into 4 sectors between the US, France, Britain, and Soviet Union. With Stalin's control over Berlin, he ordered a blocked on the city, depriving them of necessities such as food, water, and electricity, essentially an attempt of killing off the population. This was later countered by the US, who dropped goods from air crafts for the citizens of Berlin. -
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, known as NATO, was an alliance between North America and Western Europe. It was designed to stand against the Soviets. -
Soviet Bomb Test
The USSR had tested their first atomic bomb & the explosion was nearly equal to U.S's first atomic bomb "Trinity". In order to observe the impacts of its explosion, civilian structures were placed, as well as caged animals to measure its radiation. With the help of a German physicist, the Soviets were able to learn about the U.S's atomic bombs & how they succeeded in bombing Japan. Both the USSR and the U.S. had possessed nuclear weapons, which would result in the first nuclear war in history. -
Rosenburg Trial
Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were tried for and accused of being low level Soviet Union spies living within the U.S. It was stated that they were part of the Communist party and had been releasing atomic bomb information to the Soviet Union and were eventually executed. However, it was later admitted that the two were falsely accused and were both innocent due to false evidence, information, and documents. -
Korean War
Soon after the election, President Eisenhower had decided to visit Korea during wartime. From there, Eisenhower had decided that it was time for a change and Korea needed a break. Eisenhower had also thought that the U.S's nuclear weapons would make use of speeding up Korea's peace process. Eventually, an armistice was made & prisoners of war could decide whether or not they would stay where they were or go back to their homeland. A border between North & South Korea had also been the result. -
Battle of Dien Bien Phu
The Battle of Dien Bien Phu was the climactic confrontation of the First Indochina War between the French Union's French Far East Expeditionary Corps and Viet Minh communist-nationalist revolutionaries -
The Geneva Conference
The Geneva Conference was a conference which took place in Geneva, Switzerland, whose purpose was to attempt to find a way to settle outstanding issues in the Korean peninsula and discuss the possibility of restoring peace in Indochina. -
Army-McCarthy Hearings
McCarthy was known to accuse everyone of being a communist. Such accusations included accusing General Marshall of being a communist sympathizer, as well as accusing the army of consisting of many communist traitors. He strongly believed that if you criticized U.S. policy, you were a communist. Generally, these accusation ruined many peoples' reputations. His authority intimidated and harassed many, many innocent individuals, resulting in him being condemned by the U.S. Senate. -
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact was a military alliance between the Eastern Europe communist countries. These countries included Soviet Union, Albania, Poland, Romania, Hungary, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Bulgaria. The military alliance was under the influence of the Soviet Union. It was established when Western Europe became a member of NATO and was in response to the membership as well. The pact was of course unequal & unfair for countries and instead became a political advantage to the Soviet Union. -
Hungarian Revolution
Hungary, being tired of Soviet rule revolted, causes mass chaos, which soon lead to the Soviets calling in tanks to finally quite the protesters. Many Hungarians traveled to the west to escape. -
U2 Incident
An international diplomatic crisis was brought to attention when the USSR shot down an American U-2 spy plane in Soviet air space and captured its pilot, Francis Gary Powers. This pushed President Eisenhower to admit that he had been using spy planes. -
The Bay of Pigs Invasion
Cuba, not being far from the United States, had been currently under a dictated rule, and it was rumored that they had ties with the Soviets. This sparked fear in America. The Bay of Pigs invasion was a failed mission to come to Cuba and stop the communism spread. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis began when the Soviet and Cuban government placed nuclear weapons in Cuba. Eventually, United States discovered these weapons and decided to take drastic measures. However, the tactics used by the U.S. to contain the nuclear weapons within Cuba did not end well and instead resulted in dilemma. Such dilemma included a failed invasion by U.S. forces off the shore of Cuba. -
The Assassination of Diem
The brutal murder of ruler of South Vietnam, Ngo Dinh Diem, and his powerful brother and adviser, Ngo Dinh Nhu, was a major turning point in the war in Vietnam. It was done in hopes of new democratic leadership rising. -
Assassination of JFK
President John F. Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Shot twice, and an hour after his death Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested for the crime. -
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, authorizing President Johnson to take any measures he believed were necessary to retaliate and to promote the maintenance of international peace and security in Southeast Asia. They provided what was called a "blank check" -
Operation Rolling Thunder
Operation Rolling Thunder was the aerial bombardment campaign conducted by the US 2nd Air Division US Navy, and Republic of Vietnam Air Force against the Democratic Republic of Vietnam from during the Vietnam War. -
The Tet Offensive
The Tet Offensive was one of the largest military campaigns of the Vietnam War, launched by forces of the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam against the forces. US troops fell victim to this surprise attack, believing that there would be a break for their holiday. -
Assassination of MLK
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated by a sniper as he stood on the balcony of his hotel room in Memphis. King was known as the leader of the Civil Rights Movement. -
The Assassination of RFK
The assassination of Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy, a United States Senator and brother of assassinated President John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy, took place shortly after midnight, in Los Angeles, California, during the campaign season for the 1968 presidential election. -
Riots of Democratic Convention
At the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, tens of thousands of Vietnam War protesters battle police in the streets, while the Democratic Party falls apart over an internal disagreement concerning its stance on Vietnam. -
Invasion of Czechloslovakia
While the western allies had been debating plans, the soviets invaded Czech to stop their peace reform from going through. They succeeded their invasion, this caused unforeseen consequences. -
Election of Richard Nixon
The United States presidential election of 1968 was the 46th quadrennial presidential election. The Republican nominee, former Vice President Richard Nixon, won the election over the Democratic nominee, incumbent Vice President Hubert Humphrey. -
Kent State
During a mass protest against the Vietnam war, many unarmed college students of Kent State fell victim to a mass shooting performed by members of the Ohio National Guard. -
Nixon Visits China
President Richard Nixon meets with Mao Zedong in Beijing. Nixon's visit to the People's Republic of China was an important step in formally normalizing relations between the United States and China. -
Ceasefire in Vietnam
When the cease-fire went into effect, Saigon controlled about 75% of South Vietnam’s territory and 85% of the population. The South Vietnamese Army was well equipped via last-minute deliveries of U.S. weapons and continued to receive U.S. aid after the cease-fire. -
The Fall of Saigon
The Fall of Saigon, or the Liberation of Saigon, was the capture of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, by the army of North Vietnam and the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam. This was due to Nixon's agreement to pull US troops out of the country. -
Reagan is Elected
The battle of the presidency was between Democratic President Jimmy Carter and his Republican opponent, former California Governor Ronald Reagan. When Reagan won office, he set out to make major changes regarding the Cold War. -
The SDI is Announced
President Reagan proposes the creation of the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), an ambitious project that would construct a space-based anti-missile system, also known as "Star Wars". This terrified the Soviets for they would not be able to keep up with the American technology to create the systems. This project was designed to stop any incoming missiles via lasers, should the Soviets ever fire one. -
Geneva Conference with Gorbachev
It was agreed that President Reagan would come to Geneva to meet up with new Russian Leader Mikhail Gorbachev at a conference, to discuss negotiations. It was requested that Reagan scrap the plans for SDI, in which he refused. Though no agreement was ultimately made, Reagan and Gorbachev grew a mutual respect for one another, bringing the countries even closer to peace. -
"Tear Down This Wall!"
The Berlin Wall, referred to by the President, was built by Communists to keep Germans from escaping Soviet-dominated East Berlin into Democratic West Berlin. After agreements of peace were made between Reagan and Gorbachev, the President traveled to Berlin to deliver one of his most famous speeches, demanding that Gorbachev tear down the wall and unite Germany. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
As the Cold War began to thaw out, it was announced that starting at midnight, citizens of East Berlin were free to cross the borders without harm.
