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The Russian Revolution
A revolution that occurred in Russia causing the downfall of the monarchy and the start of the Soviet Union. This is the first step to Russia becoming a threat to the world as Communism has just begun. Groundwork is laid for the beginnings of the Cold War -
The Potsdam Conference
The leaders of the Allies met up. Churchill and Truman wanted to secure political freedom and create democratic governments throughout Europe but Joseph Stalin had other plans. He wanted to control Europe completely and wanted to force Communism on other nations. -
The Atomic Bomb
The Potsdam Conference did nothing to build the bridges between the 3 nations. Stalin did not want to budge. The U.S. starts working on the Manhatten Project (AKA The Atomic Bomb). It's tested in the New Mexico desert and works successfully. Truman gives the ok and it destroys Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Stalin put spies in the Manhatten Project and started to build a Russian Atomic Bomb. This would lead to the main struggle of power and intimidation during the Cold War. -
The Long Telegram
George F Kennen, in an 8,000-word telegram, told the government what Stalin was trying to do and how to defeat him. The Soviets were trying to show the outside world's problems to hide their bloody regime. And that with enough force back, the Soviets would fall. -
Iron Curtain
The Soviet Union had taken over the countries of Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Poland, and the Eastern zone of Germany. Winston Churchill Talked about this saying "An Iron Curtain has descended upon the Country. This made the Soviets look more like an enemy instead of an ally. -
Molotov Plan
This was the Soviet version of the Marshall Plan. They want to aid and rebuild the countries under their influence. This effectively canceled out the Marshall Plan inside of the Soviet Sphere of Influence. -
The Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was a message that was broadcasted to the U.S. about taking up the duties of fighting that the British could no longer support. He asked for help from the people so that the U.S. could stand against the Soviets. This effectively started the main fight between America and The Soviet Union. -
The Hollywood 10
The House Un-American Activities Committee investigated communism influence in Hollywood. They held hearings and interviewed different directors, screen play writers, and actors/actresses to say what they thought about communism. Everyone was saying what HUAC wanted to hear except the Hollywood 10. They refused to speak upon their behalf and so the then were blacklisted by Hollywood. Soon enough more and more got boycott from the arts. -
The Marshall Plan
George Marshall went to Europe to check on other countries. He saw that they were in poverty and if they couldn't fix their country, Communism would spread to them. He proposed that the U.S. send financial aid to these countries in order to contain the Communist spread. It would cost $17 billion but in the end, it would be worth it. -
Berlin Blockade
After WW II, Germany was divided into 4 territories for each of the allies. The capital of Germany, Berlin, was deep into the Soviet territory. The struggles and tensions of the Cold War were seen here through the people. The Capitalist territories had created a new form of currency and Stalin revolted. He thought it was a democratic spread so he made a wall through Berlin. Roads, Railways, and power were also shut down. -
The Berlin Airlift
To counter the Berlin Blockade made by the Soviets, President Truman created the Berlin Airlift. This strategy flew planes above the blockaded areas and dropped packages of food, water, and other various supplies. This kept the affected areas well fed and kept them from going into communism. -
N.A.T.O
This was a group was created to combat the Soviets and their sphere of influence. It consisted of the countries of the United States, Canada, and 10 other European nations. This helped trigger the creation of the Warsaw Pact later in 1955 -
Alger Hiss Case
Alger Hiss was a man who worked for the state government and was accused of being an espionage for the Soviet Union. The trial did not have good enough evidence to prove he was guilty as they were trying to but were able to persecute him for perjury and send him to jail for five years. This case started up suspicion in the U.S and started to accuse anyone they could. -
First Soviet Bomb Test
The Soviets were not happy with the outcome of the Berlin Airlift but something was on the horizon. The Red Star tested its first atomic bomb in August which was years ahead of predictions. This marks the beginning of the main problem of the Cold War -
Chinese Communist Revolution
A Chinese man named Mao Zedong started a revolution against the Chinese government to allow communism into the country. He took over and was the linchpin for revolution across Asia. It inspired many more including in Vietnam, Cambodia, Korea, and Malaiya. -
Korean War
Korea was split into North and South Korea. North was Communist and South was Capital. North Korea started an invasion on South Korea as they were ill-equipped. The United Nations created the U.N. force and helped support the South Korean Territory. After 3 years of fighting, they signed an agreement that created a buffer zone in between the 2 sides. This was the first successful fight against Communist spread for the United Nations. -
Rosenburg Trial
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were a Jewish couple who worked on the Atomic Bomb for the U.S also known as The Manhattan project. They were sent to trial on the crime of being spy's and sharing secrets about the bombs to the Soviet Union. Although there was not much evidence on the crime they were still convicted and executed by electric chair. -
Army - McCarthy Hearings
Joseph McCarthy used the Red Scare to gain political power. He claimed he had a list of 205 names of communist working in the State Department. His allegation caused panic all across the United States and he ultimately was caught in his lies. -
The Warsaw Pact
A treaty between the Soviet Union and 8 other Eastern European countries during the Cold War. It was the counter to NATO. -
The Hungarian Revolution
The Hungarian Revolution was a nationwide rebellion against the Hungarian's government policies that had been compromised by communism. It began as a student protest which ended up attracting thousands for marches. The revolt spread quickly and led to the governments collapse. -
U2 Incident
The U.S had created a plane to spy on and take photos of the Soviet Union. The Soviets saw it and shot it down. The pilot used his parachute to land safely but then was captured. The U.S tried to cover it up by saying it was a weather surveillance plane but was forced to admit it was a spy plane after the Soviets salvaged the spying equipment from the crashed plane. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
The military leader named Fidel Castro took over Cuba but was talking like a communist which was a threat to the United States. The U.S. decided to to a full invasion on Cuba on the Bay of Pigs. Kennedy accepted it but then tripled it by refusing air and navel support. It humiliated the Kennedy administration. -
Berlin Wall
The West Berlin area was thriving and showing that Democracy and Capitalism worked miracles. When Kennedy met with Khrushchev, he stood his ground so that the Soviets could not get West Berlin. This made Khrushchev build a wall divided the two halves of Berlin. It diverted war but it was a burden for West Berlin. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
Soviet ships were headed to Cuba carrying nuclear weapons. It frightened America as the nukes were right next to the country. When the crisis became critical, the U.S was planning a full on attack on Cuba. If it reached def-con 1, it would mean global nuclear war. If Cuba were to launch a missile at the nation, they would fire back at all of the Soviet's important cities. Kennedy talked with Khrushchev and they agreed to lower their respective nuclear weapons. -
JFK Assasination
JFK was assassinated on November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas while riding in a presidential motorcade. They tried to rush him to the nearest hospital but he was announced dead 30 min after. -
Invasion of Czechoslovakia
250,000 Warsaw Pact troops attacked Czechoslovakia. They were trying to force them into submission to Communism. East Germany did not join because they were ordered by Moscow to not cross the border hours before the invasion started. 137 Czechoslovakian civilians were killed and 500 were seriously wounded. -
Nixon Visits China
Communist China welcomed Richard Nixon into their country. Ho Chi Minh and Nixon made great strides to normalize their relations. Even the Soviet Union reached out to the west. Leonid Brezhnev saw Detente as a way to gain access to valuable foreign aid and open its borders to international trade. The U.S. and Soviet Union sat down and signed an agreement to limit the number of nuclear weapons. -
Reagan Elected
Ronald Reagan was the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. Prior to his presidency, he was a Hollywood actor and union leader. Unlike other presidential candidates her promised to try and destroy communism rather than just contain it. -
SDI (Star Wars) Announced
The Strategic Defense Initiative was a proposed missile defense system intended to protect the United States from attack by nuclear weapons. He called upon the scientists and engineers of the United States to develop a system that would render nuclear weapons obsolete. When this idea was heard by the Soviet Union it scared them and it helped lead to the Geneva Conference with Gorbachev -
Geneva Conference With Gorbachev
A meeting was held for Reagan and Gorbachev to talk about the arms race and diplomatic relations. Reagan wanted to make personal relations with him to loosen up the tensions between the two countries. Reagan also wanted it to be a mission of peace. They talked about the situation for two days that ended in a joint statement. -
"Tear Down This Wall" Speech
President Ronald Reagan flew to Berlin and made a speech to Gorbachev to take down the Berlin Wall. A little later, the wall was breached and Berlin was whole again. -
The Fall Of The Berlin Wall
The end of the Berlin Wall signified that the United States won the Cold War and that the Soviet Union was gone.
