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The Russian Revolution 1917
The Russian Revolution was the first successful communist revolution in the world. It laid the groundwork for the differences that would become the Cold War in the 20th century. -
The Potsdam Conference
The United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union leaders meet to discuss the future of Germany, Post-war boundaries, winning the war with Japan, and securing a lasting peace in Europe. -
The Atomic Bomb- Hiroshima/Nagasaki
Dropping the atomic bomb upset the Soviet Union because the US used it in the war. The atomic bomb is useless if every country has them because a standing army is no longer needed. -
Iron Curtain
The Iron curtain was a term used to describe the boarder between East and West Germany. with communism on one side and capitalism on the other. -
Truman Doctrine
A doctrine declaring economic and military aid to the countries of Greece and Turkey to stop the threat of communism. -
Hollywood 10
10 members of the Hollywood film industry who alleged communist influence in the American motion picture business. They were banned from working in Hollywood and were blacklisted. -
Marshall Plan
An American initiative to aid Western Europe in economic assistance to help rebuild Western European economies. -
Berlin Blockade
Stalin blocked the Western Allies' railway, road, and canal access to the sectors of Berlin under Western control. -
Berlin Airlift
In response to the Soviet blockade, the United States begins a massive airlift of food, water, and medicine to the citizens of Berlin. -
Molotov Plan
A system made by the Soviet Union to provide aid to rebuild the countries in Eastern Europe that were politically and economically in need. -
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an international alliance that consists of 29 countries from North America and Europe. -
Soviet Bomb Test
A program that was authorized by Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin to develop nuclear weapons during World War II. -
Alger Hiss case
Alger Hiss was an American government official who was accused of being a Soviet spy in 1948. -
Korean War
The United States help defend South Korea from communism. It was the first time that the US used their military to fight communism. It eventually became a war between the US vs. Chinese. -
Rosenburg trial
The Rosenbergs were both charged with espionage and got the death penalty. They were the first people to receive this penalty for their actions. -
Army-McCarthy hearings
A series of hearings held by the United States Senate's Subcommittee on investigations to investigate accusations with the United States Army and U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy. -
Battle of Dien Bien Phu
A climactic confrontation of the First Indochina War between the French Union's French Far East Expeditionary Corps and Viet Minh communist revolutionaries -
Geneva Conference
a conference among several nations intended to settle issues resulting from the Korean War and the First Indochina War. -
Warsaw Pact
A defense treaty between the Soviet Union and seven Eastern Bloc satellite states of Central and Eastern Europe. -
Hungarian Revolution
A nationwide revolution against the Hungarian People's Republic and its Soviet-imposed policies. -
U2 Incident
U-2 spy plane shot down by the Soviet Air Defence Forces while performing photographic aerial reconnaissance in Soviet territory. -
Bay of Pigs invasion
a failed military invasion of Cuba undertaken by the Central Intelligence Agency rebel group. -
Berlin Wall
A guarded concrete barrier that physically and ideologically divided Berlin into East and West Germany. The barrier included guard towers placed along large concrete walls. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
a 13-day confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union initiated by the American discovery of Soviet ballistic missile deployment in Cuba. -
Assassination of Diem
After the overthrow of his government by South Vietnamese military forces the day before, President Ngo Dinh Diem was killed by a group of soldiers. -
Assassination of JFK
John F. Kennedy was assassinated while riding in a presidential motorcade. He was fatally shot by a US marine from a nearby building. -
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
authorized President Johnson to take any measures he believed were necessary to retaliate and to promote peace and security in southeast Asia. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
An aerial bombardment campaign conducted by the United States which became the most intense air and ground battle waged during the Cold War. -
Tet Offensive
A series of surprise attacks by the Vietcong and North Vietnamese forces considered to be a turning point in the Vietnam War. -
Assassination of MLK
Martin Luther King Jr. was fatally shot at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee by James Earl Ray. -
Assassination of RFK
Robert F. Kennedy was shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles after winning the California presidential primary by a 22-year-old Palestinian -
Invasion of Czechoslovakia
a joint invasion of Czechoslovakia by five Warsaw Pact countries, the Soviet Union, Poland, Bulgaria, East Germany and Hungary. The invasion successfully stopped Prague's Spring liberalisation reforms and strengthened the authority of the authoritarian wing -
Riots of Democratic convention
At the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, thousands of Vietnam War protesters because of the concerning stance on Vietnam. -
Election of Nixon
Former Vice President Richard Nixon defeated the Democratic nominee to the win the 46th presidential election. -
Kent State
Four Kent State University students were killed and nine were injured when members of the Ohio National Guard opened fire on a crowd gathered to protest the Vietnam War. -
Nixon visits China
The visit to China was an important strategic and diplomatic change that marked the culmination of the Nixon administration's resumption relations between the United States and China after years of diplomatic isolation. -
Ceasefire in Vietnam
President Richard Nixon ordered a ceasefire of the aerial bombings in North Vietnam after a draft peace proposal was created. -
Fall of Saigon
The capture of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, by the People's Army of Vietnam and the VietCong. -
Reagan elected
Reagan beat democratic Jimmy Carter to with the 49th presidential election. His goal was to annihilate Communism as opposed to the current policy of containment. -
SDI announced
A proposed missile defense system intended to protect the United States from attack by ballistic strategic nuclear weapons by shooting them in mid air. -
Geneva Conference with Gorbachev
A Cold War-era meeting in Geneva, Switzerland where Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev met for the first time to hold talks on international diplomatic relations and the arms race. -
‘Tear down this wall’ speech
The speech Reagan made calling for the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, to open up the barrier which had divided West and East Berlin since 1961. -
Fall of Berlin Wall
The Wall cut off West Berlin from all of surrounding East Germany and East Berlin until government officials opened it in November 1989 because of Ronald Reagan's speech.
