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Russian Revolution
Pair of revolutions in 1917 held to dismantle the Tsarist autocracy. Ended the reign of Emperor Nicholas II and ushered in Communism in Russia. Seemn as start of the Soviet Union. -
Period: to
THE COLD WAR
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Potsdam conference
At the end of the War, the world powers wdere desperate for peace, the whole world was. The Potsdam conference was held to be the event that planned the said peace and tried to enforce it on the post-war world but it did not work due to dofferent ideologies dictating what this peace should be. Truman, Stalin and Churchill were the main leaders at this event representing the United States, the Soviet union and Great Britain. Dove drawing by Pablo Picasso, Late 1940's -
Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The August 6th and 9th bombings of the Japanese Cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This is still remains the only nuclear attack in warfare. This is seen as the event that ends World War Two and the one that starts collective fear over nuclear technology and Cold War paranoia. 129,000-246,000+ were killed in total. Image: "Atomic Desert", 1952, Iri and Toshi Maruki. This is panel VI from the Hiroshima Panels. -
Iron Curtain
The Iron Curtain was a term coined to represent the division of Post-War Europe. It was the separation of two Ideologies that both had very different visions of how Europe should be run. It was also a term that represented how Stalin went to lengths and turned to certain methods to block off the Soviet union and it's satellite nations from the west and non-soviet friendly nations by making a barrier in ways. Image: Komar and Melamid, I saw Stalin once when I was a Child, 1981-1982 -
Truman Doctrine
A American foreign policy created to be used to counter the Soviet Union and the Soviet Union's sphere of influence and overall the spread of communism. It held financial aid over military aid and used the idea of containment to try to stop the sphere of communist influence as the Soviet union has entering Greece and Turkey. -
Molotov Plan
The system developed in late 1947 by the Soviet Union to aide Eastern European Nations -
Marshall plan
This was Americas initiative to aid Postwar Europe via money and supplies to usher in democracy in a fragmented and weakened Continent that was starting to turn to communism. -
Berlin Blockade/Airlift
The effort done by the Soviet Union to push the Allies of Great Britain, France and the United States out of Germany. The United States air force reacted to this by aiding the Germans by dropping supplies, food and candy (for the children). -
Alger Hiss case
Alger Hiss (1904-1996) was an American Government official accused of being a spy for the Soviet Union. He was accused then convicted of perjury in 1950. Before the case Alger Hiss worked for the United Nations as a U.S. States official and as an U.N Official. -
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It is a multi-nation and Transatlantic governmental and militaristic alliance founded in the late 1940's to protect the freedom and right's of it's members. -
Soviet Bomb tests
Mirroring the design of American nuclear weapons, the Soviet Union was warming up to the prospects of atomic weaponry. The main bomb test was held in Kazakhstan at Semipalatinsk -
Hollywood Ten
Alvah Bessie (Screenwriter), Herbert Bibermen (screenwriter and director), Lester Cole (Screenwriter), Edward Dmtyryk (director), Ring Lardner Jr (screenwriter), John Howard Lawson (screenwriter), Albert Maltz (Screenwriter), Samuel Ornitz (screenwriter), Adrian Scott (producer and screenwriter), and Dalton Trumbo (screenwriter) These were the Hollywood Ten. 10 who wouldnt not confess if they had Communist ties or not during the Hollywood Blacklist. -
The Korean War
The Korean war started in the summer of 1950 when the forces of the North of Korea invaded the South of Korea. The countries that came to aid were The soviets and Chinese for the North and the Americans and the United Nations aided South Korea. This war ended in 1953 and led to the division and polarization of North Korea and South Korea which have completely polar opposite governments and cultures today. -
Rosenburg Trial
Julius (1918-1953) and Ethel (1915-1953) Rosenburg were US Citizens from Manhattan, New York City, New York. They were convicted of being spies for the Soviet Union. They were accused for selling the US plans for nuclear bombs to the Soviet union and providing top-secret radar, sonar and jet propulsion engines to the soviet union. They were found guilty and were executed via electric chair. -
The Battle of Dien Bien Phu
This was the climatic ending to the First Indo-Chinese war between the French and the Viet Minh. This led to the temporary divisor of Vietnam at the 17th parallel and Communist victory. -
Army-Mccarthy Hearings
Hearings held from April to June 1954 held to investigate the conflicting accusations of the US Army and Senator Joseph McCarthy. This was heavily covered by the media and was broadcast-ed for 3 months on live national television. This led to the down fall of Joseph McCarthy and the use of McCarthyism in the United States. -
Geneva Conference (1953)
The topic of the conference was the restoring of peace in Indochina aswell as settling things from the Korean war and creating ceasefire accords covering Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. This resulted in the division of Vietnam. -
Warsaw pact
This was the founding of a alliance between the Soviet union and it's satellite nations. These nations were Albania (withdrew in 1968), Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany (Withdrew in 1990), Poland (Withdrew in 1990), Romania and the Soviet Union. -
Hungarian Revolution
A nationwide Revolution in the Nation of Hungary for about a month against the rule of the Soviet Union. This resulted in Soviet Victory. -
U-2 Incident
This involved the shooting down of a American plane in Soviet Airspace. This happened in what is now Aramil, Russia. -
The Bay of pigs invasion
This was the botched invasion of Cuba launched by the
CIA and attempted by 1400 Cuban exiles. This went down in the Bay of Pigs region of Cuba. This went don after the 1959 Communist takeover of Batista by Fidel Castro. -
Construction of Berlin Wall
This was built to divide Berlin. One side was Democratic and the other was Communist. -
The Cuban Missle Crisis
This was the 13 day conflict between the Soviet Union and America over the Soviet introduction of Nuclear weapons to the nation of Cuba. Cuba, like the Soviet Union, was a Communist nation. However, Cuba is right off the tip of the state of Florida. -
Assination of Diem
Following the protests by the South Vietnamese people primarily the Buddhist population of South Vietnam against the presidential candidate Diem (supported at first by the Kennedy Administration). This incident involved the arrest and assassination of Ngo Dinh Diem and led to political chaos in Vietnam. -
Assination of JFK
This incident happened 20 days after the assassination of Diem and involved the death of the 35th President of the United states John F. Kennedy. This happened in a motorcade driving trough the streets of Dallas, Texas and the assassin was Lee Harvey Oswald. -
The Tonkin Gulf Incident
This was the Sinking of a US ship off the coast of Vietnam in a region known as the Gulf of Tonkin. This led to the US being drawn into Vietnam more and more and eventually into war. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
This was the American military strategy at the Beginning to the height of the Vietnam War (1965-1968) and involved the constant bombing of the country. -
Prague Spring
This was a era of political Reformation in Czechoslovakia during Soviet control. It was led by the Czechoslovakian people against the Soviet Union. The freedoms the revolution one were the freedom of the media, the freedom of speech and the freedom to travel... well, kinda. -
Tet Offensive
Held during Tet (a holiday season similar to the Chinese New Year), this involved the surprise Viet Cong attack on American troops and the towns, villages and Cities of South Vietnam. This brutal attack was held at a time in the year that was a time of truces and peace. This Attack ended up being a strategic victory for America, however, the media portrayed the opposite and with this offensive grew a large population of anti-war Americans that went hand-in-glove with most of the youth cultures -
The assination of MLK
The Height of the War in Vietnam was going on during the height of political conflict in America. The legendary Civil Rights activist and preacher Martin Luther King JR would end up being killed outside the Lorriane Motel in Memphis Tennesee at the height of the political conflict in the 1960's. He was assassinated by James Earl Ray who was sentenced to 99 years in prison where he died in 1999. -
Assassination of RFK
The 1968 presidential election was not a pretty one, there was conflict and there were riots and clashes of cultures. Right after winning the California state primaries, Brother of the late John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California. He was shot in the hotel kitchen by Sirhan Sirhan an Palestinian/:Jordanian man who was sentenced to death in 1969. The Democratic nominee went to Hubert Humphrey. -
The riots at the DNC
1968 didn't just see political conflict in the form of assassinations. As America got closer and closer to electing the next president, citizens got more and more vocal on what type of president they wanted and what they wanted done. In Chicago, the masses of youth, those seeking peace and equality and those seeking for the end of war in Southeast Asia clashed with the government and the police forces of Chicago. What occurred were brutal and shocking riots in the streets of Chicago. -
The election of Nixon
The Assignation of RFK did lead to a democrat named Hubert Humperhies to be nominated. He ended up losing to Richard Nixon, a politician from the state of California who had previously lost to John F. Kennedy back in 1960. -
Kent State massacare
The Nixon administration saw as much trouble going on in Vietnam as the Johnson Administration did. Vietnam caused death and chaos overseas and on the home front. As Nixon did what he could do to end Vietnam conflict ensued as his tactics started to create more war. Back home, the American people were sick of what they were seeing on TV , sick of war, sick of death and wanted change. Colleges were home to protested among other places and Kent State was no exception. 4 were killed by US Soilders -
Nixon visits China
This was a series of talks held in China as well a visit to the People's Republic of China involving Richard Nixon. This included talking with the Chairman Mao Zedong and the results were less tense but still tense relations with the People's Republic of China. -
Ceasefire in Vietnam
Caused by the Paris Peace accords signed the day before. The ceasefire was ordered to bring an end to the war in Southeast Asia. -
The fall of Saigon
Known as the fall of Saigon or the Liberation of Saigon. This event consisted of the capture of Saigon by the North Vietnamese and the flee of many South Vietnamese. -
The Election of Reagan
Following the Presidency of Jimmy Carter, a politician from the state of Georgia, America was looking for a stronger republican candidate. Ronald W. Reagan was a former actor and governor for the state of California and ushered in a new face of Conservatism which won him the office. His new approach to leading would please some and anger others. -
SDI announced
To help combat the fear of Russian fueled nuclear war on America, President Reagan was in search for a magnificent weapon to stop threats from the Soviets. His answer? SDI or the Star Wars iniavtive as it was known by the media. It was a satelitle powered system of lasers that would shoot down Soviet nuclear weapons... IN SPACE. -
Geneva Summit
At the 1985 Geneva Summit held in Geneva, Switzerland, a phenomenon happened. No, it wasn't a Political breakthrough, the cold war didn't ended there, however, Gorbachev and Reagan got along and became friends. A friendship of leaders was born despite political differences. -
TEAR DOWN THIS WALL!
As the Cold War came to an end, President Reagan had one huge request. He wanted the divide of Berlin to fall and dissolve, recreating the free Berlin. The speech given help spark revolution that caused a wildfire of change throughout Eastern Europe. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
Following Reagan's spark of revolution throughout Europe, the Berlin Wall was one of the first places to see reform as the angry youth of Berlin tore the wall down in seek of independence.
