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The Russian Revolution
In 1917, the peasants and working class of Russia revolted against he government, Tsar Nicholas II. It was a group called Bolsheviks led by Vladimir Lenin. The Bolsheviks executed Tsar and his family. This led to the creation of the Soviet Union. This established the first Communist government. -
The Iron Curtain
An imaginary/ nonphysical wall that divided Europe into two separate areas. It was a "buffer zone" for insurance against future invasions. -
The Iron Curtain
A non-physical, imaginary "buffer zone" created by the Soviet Union to prevent any future invasions. -
Potsdam Conference
In 1945, a meeting between three leaders of government: Harry S. Truman(US), Joseph Stalin(USSR), Winston Churchill(UK). They met the decide how to administer Germany, which had already agreed to an unconditional surrender. The conference was also done so that they could establish postwar European plans, peace treaty issues and the countering effects of war.A very ill-tempered conference. -
The Atomic Bomb
On August 6 and 9th 1945, the US detonated two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, two of Japans cities. Because Japan wouldn't agree to an unconditional surrender--they were forewarned. It had the consent form the UK--following the lines of the Quebec Agreement. The bombs killed anywhere from 129,000 to 226,000 people. Japan then surrendered on August 15, just 6 days later. -
The Long Telegram - Containment
George Kennan, who spent years studying Moscow, sent an 8,000-word telegram to the Department of State detailing his views on the Soviet Union and his view on containment instead of invading. Kennan's analysis gave the most influential plan for America's Cold War policy of containment. "highly sensitive to logic of force" . This formed the basis of America in the cold war for 50 years. -
Molotov Plan
A system created by the Soviet Union to give aid to Eastern Europe that were politically and economically aligned with the Soviet Union. A plan to prevent Eastern Europe from joining the Marshall Plan and have their economies closer to the USSR. -
Hollywood 10
The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) was created in order to root out communists in American society. The Hollywood 10 were people who didn't answer the questions--convicted with content and got blacklisted. Hollywood film agencies made anti-communist films to prove allegiance with US. -
The Truman Doctrine
An American foreign police were the main purpose was to counter the Soviets expansion plan during the Cold War. He's main focus was to aid and protect Greece and Turkey. -
The Marshall Plan
An American initiative passed to aid Western Europe, that the United States gave over $12 billion in economic assistance to help rebuild Western European economies after the end of World War II to prevent them from joining the Soviet Union. -
Berlin Blockade
Stalin ordered all land access into the city of West Berlin to be sealed off. America tried to unify the currency to help unify Germany but Stalin say it as a threat to the security of his country so he was going to kill Berlin by creating a wall around it and cutting them off from everything -- starving them into submission. -
Berlin Airlift
America then begins the Berlin airlift to get supplies into Berlin. Planes flew day and night bringing things such as food, coal and medical supplies to the people. On average a flight landed in Berlin every 3 minutes.more than 2 million tons of cargo was delivered into Berlin during the 15 month operation. Flights continued unchallenged. -
Alger Hiss Case
Ex communist Whittaker Chambers, accused former state department employee Alger Hiss of spying for the Soviet Union. The house committee was ready to release the case for lack of conclusive evidence. But US congressman Richard Nixon pressed the issue. Alger Hiss was convicted of perjury not of treason and sentenced to 5 years in prison. This lead to other people to be sought out as communists. -
NATO
The 'North Atlantic Treaty Organization'. NATO is a formal alliance between the territories of North American and Europe to help stop the spread of communism in Europe. -
First Soviet Bomb Test
Soviets stunned the world when they successfully tested their own atomic bomb years ahead of expert prediction. First initiated during WWII. -
Rosenberg Trial
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were arrested in connection with a plot to pass US bomb secrets to the Soviet Union. Rosenberg's denied the charges--being persecuted as Jews and for their left-wing views. The evidence suggested they played a small role in the spy ring. They were convicted and sentenced to die in electric chair. -
Chinese Communist Revolution
Mao Zedding lead nearly 500 million Chinese fell under communist rule. With decades to come Mao will be the linchpin of revolution in Asia. -
Korean War
It began when North Korea invaded South Korea following a series of clashes along the border. China fought on the side of North Korea, and the Soviet Union sent them military equipment. The United States sent about 90% of the troops that were sent to aid South Korea. It ended on July 27, 1953, when the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed. The agreement created the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) to separate North and South Korea, and allowed the return of prisoners. -
Army-McCarthy Hearings
Joseph McCarthy was a US senator claimed he had a list of 205 communists working in the state department. His audacity knew no bounds--accusing Secretary of state George Marshall(the architect of the Marshall plan) of communism. During 50's this caused people to panic and question everyone. The question stood--could America still win the Cold War without sacrificing liberties that were trying to safeguard. -
The Warsaw Pact
In response to NATO, the Soviet Union had it's satellites form a competing alliance. -
Hungarian Revolution
Hungarian Uprising: a nationwide revolution against the Hungarian People's Republic and its Soviet-made policies. Began without a leader and was the first big threat to Soviet's since the Red Army. Started as a student protest then attracting thousands more marching through Budapest to the Hungarian Parliament building. One student died and was wrapped in flag and raised above the crowd--as news spread violence & disorder erupted throughout capital. Revolt spread--destroyed government. -
U-2 Incident
A confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union that started with shooting down a U.S. U-2 reconnaissance plane over the Soviet Union causing the collapse of a summit conference in Paris between the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and France. -
Berlin Wall
The Wall cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany, including East Berlin. The barrier included guard towers placed along large concrete walls, as well as a wide area that contained anti-vehicle trenches, and other defenses. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
Ship carrying explosives to Cuba--U2 spy plains flew over Cuba and recovered that there was missile sites on Cuba. A quarantine on all offensive military equipment on shipments to and from Cuba. Any missile launched towards US was considered an attack made by Soviet Union requiring a retaliation. Emergency troop mobilization--if anything launched it would've become a nuclear war. Kennedy had secret meeting with Soviet leader ending the crisis. -
Assassination of JFK
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 35th President of the US, was killed in Dallas, Texas, when riding in a presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza. Kennedy was riding with his wife, Texas Governor John Connally, and Connally's wife. When he was fatally shot by former U.S. Marine Lee Harvey. Governer Connally was wounded. Rushed to the hospital where Kennedy was pronounced dead about 30 minutes after the shooting; Connally recovered. Oswald was arrested 70 minutes after shooting. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
An armed invasion of Cub--the CIA had armed and trained Cuban exiles for the operation. Kennedy approved mission but crippled it by refusing air and navel support--caused it to fail, and them be embarrassed. -
Invasion of Czechoslovakia
A communist reformer Alexander Dubcek tried to put a new image of socialism through his political reforms but it was destroyed by the Soviet Union who led Warsaw Pact troops to invade Czechoslovakia to deal with the reformist trends in Prague problem. Even though the Soviet Union's action successfully stopped the progress of the reform in Czechoslovakia, it created unintentional consequences for the unity of the communist bloc. -
Nixon visits China
Richard Nixon visited the People's Republic of China was an important strategic and diplomatic opening that started good relations between US and China after years of diplomatic isolation. Nixon's visit to Beijing ended 25 years of no communication/ diplomatic ties between the two countries. The President and his senior advisers had important discussions with the PRC leadership, and a meeting with Chairman Mao Zedong, while First Lady Pat Nixon toured schools, factories and hospitals in Beijing. -
Reagan elected
The 1980 United States presidential election was the 49th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 4, 1980. Republican nominee Ronald Reagan defeated Democrat Jimmy Carter. With his promise to defeat the Soviet Union. -
SDI Announced
An announcement that Reagan made announcing an SDI (Strategic Defense Initiative "Star Wars") in a nationally televised speech, stating "I call upon the scientific community who gave us nuclear weapons to turn their great talents to the cause of mankind and world peace: to give us the means of rendering these nuclear weapons impotent and obsolete." $180 billion. Soviets playing "poker" with Reagan going all in--raising the bar, challenging USSR. -
Geneva Conference with Gorbachev
The Geneva Summit of 1985 was a Cold War-era meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. It was between U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev. The two leaders met for the first time to hold talks on international diplomatic relations and the arms race. Trying to get together to discuss reducing nuclear arms--they become friends and built a relationship, later reducing arms. -
‘Tear down this wall’ speech
Speech given by US President Ronald Reagan in West Berlin, the speech was also known as the Berlin Wall speech. Reagan called for the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, to open the Berlin Wall. One of Reagan's most prominent call of reunification of west and east Berlin--a bold challenge towards Gorbachev showing Reagan's seriousness towards reunification. Cracks in Soviet Union began to show--wall goes down. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall, a guarded concrete barrier that physically and ideologically divided Berlin from 1961 to 1989. The tear down of the wall was 5 days after a big protest(1/2 million people). Televised.
