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Russian Revolution
A pair of revolutions that occurred in February and October. This led to a civil war from 1917 to 1922. This also led to the first upbringing of the Soviet Union. -
Iron Curtain
The name for the boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas. Used to symbolize the efforts by the Soviet Union to block itself and its satellite states from open contact with the West and any non-Soviet-controlled areas. -
Potsdam Conference
A meeting between the three main ally powers during World War II. The goal was to figure out how to divide Europe after the war and how to prevent further disturbance in Europe. -
Atomic bomb - Hiroshima/Nagasaki
America drops two atomic bombs on Japan. The after affects of the bomb caused up to 146,000 deaths in only Hiroshima, about half of the deaths happened during the initial bombing. -
Truman Doctrine
A speech from president Harry Truman proposing that America send assistance to Greece to protect them from being taken over by the USSR. -
Marshall Plan
America's plan to help rebuild Western European economics after World War II. The US gave over $13 billion in economic assistance. -
Berlin Blockade and Airlift
After Germany was split among the UK, US, France, and USSR, the USSR blocked any way into their portion of Germany, planning on starving out everyone trapped inside. The US and UK sent air supplies to save the civilians inside. -
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is a intergovernmental military alliance between several North American and European countries. Their purpose is to safeguard the freedom and security of its member countries by political and military means. NATO is still active today. -
Hollywood 10
Hollywood 10 is a 1950 American short documentary. In the film each film member made a short speech denouncing McCarthyism. McCarthyism is a campaign against alleged communists in the US government -
Korean War
Starting in 1950 and ending in 1953 a war between North and South Korea. The North being supported by China and the Soviet Union, and the South being supported by the United States. It began when the North Korean Communist army crossed the 38 Parallel and invaded non-Communist South Korea. There was no conclusive winner and Korea is still split today. -
Soviet Bomb Test
The first Soviet air-dropped bomb test. It was very important because it eliminated America's nuclear advantage over Russia. -
Khruschev Takes Over
Khrushchev led the Soviet Union as the First Secretary of the Communist Party from 1953 to 1964. Though he led a policy of peaceful coexistence with the West, he instigated the Cuban Missile Crisis by placing nuclear weapons 90 miles from Florida. -
Army-McCarthy Hearings
A series of hearings held by US Senates to investigate conflicting accusations between the US army and US senator Joseph McCarthy. The army accused chief committee counsel Roy Cohn of pressuring the Army to give preferential treatment to G. David Schine, a former McCarthy aide and a friend of Cohn's. -
Eisenhower's Massive Retaliation Policy
A military doctrine and nuclear strategy in which a state commits itself to retaliate in much greater force in the even of an attack. This policy hoped to counter the growing Soviet threat. -
Warsaw Pact
A defense treaty against NATO, some of the members included the Soviet Union, Albania, Poland, Romania, Hungary, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Bulgaria. It came to be seen as a quite a potential militaristic threat, and a sign of communist dominance -
The Vietnam War
Lasted from 1955 till 1975 the Vietnam War is one of the longer and costly wars the US participated in. A war between North and South Korea. The military won the war, but the politicians lost it. The Communists in North Vietnam actually signed a peace treaty, effectively surrendering. But the U.S. Congress didn't hold up its end of the bargain. -
Hungarian Revolution
A nationwide revolt against the communist government in Hungary. It only last a month. The Soviets succeeded. -
U2 Incident
In 1960 the USSR shot down and American spy plane in Soviet air space and captured its pilot. The Soviets convicted the pilot on espionage charges and sentenced him to 10 years in prison. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
A failed military invasion of Cuba and was financed and directed by the US government. The plan was to overthrow Fidel Castro and his revolution with 1,500 CIA trained exiles. -
Berlin Wall
A guarded concrete barrier that physically divided Berlin. It was built over night by the Communist East German authorities. Was used to stop East Germans from fleeing to the democratic West. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
A tense 13-day political and military standoff between the US and USSR. Caused by the Soviets building missile sits in Cuba. This was the closest the two superpowers came to a nuclear conflict. -
Detente Under Nixon
By definition detente means the easing of hostility or strained relations, especially between countries. This occurred between the US and the USSR from 1967 to 1979. Trade and cooperation with the Soviet Union increased. -
The Reagan Doctrine
A strategy orchestrated and executed by the US to overwhelm the global influence of the Soviet union in an attempt to end the Cold War. This was shown in the US's aid for the anti-Soviet fighters in Afghanistan. -
Reagan's Berlin Wall Speech
A speech written by Reagan about the Berlin Wall. Reagan spoke against the split between East and West Germany and asked for the gates to be opened. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
The day the spokesman for East Berlin's Communist Party announced that citizen were free to cross the country's borders. This signified the beginning of the end of the Cold War.
