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Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution was a governmental dispute, democrat vs communism. It led to a civil war inside Russia, America only helped and supplied aid to the democratic side. This is significant because it initially led to tension between the Soviet Union and the U.S. -
Potsdam Conference
The Potsdam Conference was about the control of defeated Germany, Postwar boundaries, and to finish the war in Japan. This is significant because it was suppose to provide lasting peace in the world -
Atomic bomb - Hiroshima/Nagasaki
The American use of an atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki upset the Soviet Union, because they realized that we had what they wanted. The significance is that countries now realize that armies are useless. -
Iron Curtain
The Iron Curtain was the name of the boundary that divided Europe into two separating Communist East and Democratic West. This is significant because it divided the two different ideals. -
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was a dramatic change in U.S. foreign affairs, it laid down the ground work for America to give money to support and aid non-communist countries. This is significant because was to counter Soviet political expansion into postwar countries. -
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was a plan of massive economical assistance. Revival of a working economy in the world so as to permit the emergence of political and social conditions in which free institutions. Giving out 13 billion dollars. This is significant because with the help in economic will help keep countries from turning to communism. -
Berlin Blockade
The Berlin Blockade was when the Soviet Union blocked all the Western Allies' accesses into the now unified western Berlin. They did this to try to control the expansion of democratic ideals. This is significant because the Soviet Union saw the union of west Berlin as a threat. -
Molotov Plan
The Molotov Plan was the system created by the Soviet Union in 1947 in order to provide aid to rebuild the countries in Eastern Europe that were politically and economically aligned to the Soviet Union. This is important because this was the Soviets version of the Marshall plan, trying to keep east Europe in Communism ideals. -
Soviet bomb test
The Soviets successfully tested their first nuclear weapon. This is significant because the Soviets had made and tested a bomb way earlier than expected. -
NATO
NATO or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was a military alliance of the U.S. and other democratic European countries in an attempt to defend against the Soviet Union. This is significant because it is viewed as a threat and then the Soviets create there own alliance. -
Berlin Airlift
Due to the Berlin blockade supplies going to unified western Berlin had secede. So the Berlin Airlift used bombers to send in supplies, like: food, medical supplies, and life essentials. This is important because it kept western Berlin from falling to communism. -
Hollywood 10
The Hollywood 10 was a small group of actors who were accused of being communist. They were brought in front of a committee for questioning and refused to answer questions. Because they refused to answer they were convicted by contempt. This is important because now we are saying that more public people are communist, it causes people to continue to feel panicked. -
Alger Hiss case
The Alger Hiss case involved an ex-communist Whittaker Chambers accused Alger Hiss, a former state department employee, of spying for the Soviet Union. He was convicted and sentenced to 5 years in prison. This is significant because this sends fear into Americans because now they don't know who they can trust. -
Korean War
When Soviet controlled North Korea invaded South Korea at the 38th parallel in an effort to spread communism the Korean War broke out. It was the first military action of the Cold War. United States backed South Korea as the war was against forces of communism. This is important because the U.S. had stopped the expansion of the Soviet Union into Korea. -
Rosenburg trial
The Rosenburg trial is when a Russian couple were accused of passing U.S. bomb secrets to the Soviets. They were persecuted as Jews and were sentenced to die. This is important because this is the first time that the U.S. had killed people with out good evidence. This causes people to be concerned of the people that they know and work with. -
Battle of Dien Bien Phu
The Battle of Dien Bien Phu was between the French in the valley and the Viet Minh on the mountains. With unexpected heavy artillery and Chinese aid, the Viet Minh eliminated the French airfield and overran the base. This is important because it was the first big loss by the French military. -
Army-McCarthy hearings
The Army–McCarthy hearings were a series of hearings held by the United States Senate's Subcommittee on Investigations to investigate conflicting accusations between the United States Army and U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy. The word "McCarthyism" comes from this incident. This is significant because it causes the everyday person to question their judgement. -
Geneva Conference
The Geneva Conference was a conference among several nations that took place in Geneva, Switzerland from April 26 – July 20, 1954. It was intended to settle outstanding issues resulting from the Korean War and the First Indochina War. This is important because it lead to the crumbling of the French empire. -
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact is the result to NATO. The Warsaw Pact is the Soviets Unions military alliance. This is important because now there are two opposing forces fighting for different things. This causes tension. -
Hungarian Revolution
The Hungarian Revolution was a nationwide revolt against the Soviet policies residing in the Hungarian Government. It was the first threat to communist Russia since they defeated Germany. This is important because to end the revolution, the Soviets drove tanks into Budapest and arrested thousands of Hungarians. -
U-2 Incident
The U-2 Incident occurred during the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower and the premiership of Nikita Khrushchev, when a United States U-2 spy plane was shot down while in Soviet airspace. This is significant because it raised tensions between the Soviet Union and the U.S. -
Bay of Pigs invasion
Cuban nationalist Fidel Castro brought his guerrilla army into Cuba's capital and overthrew Cuba's American-backed president. This leads to the invasion of the Bay of Pigs, where America is defeated and looks weak. This is important because this invasion makes the U.S. look weak to the Soviet Union. -
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was started by East Germans, who were then controlled by the Soviet Union. Their goal was the create a barrier between the communist controlled Germany and the unified west. This is important because this is the Soviets Unions attempt to keep the east under their control. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis, a 13 day standoff between the US and USSR started after nuclear Soviet missiles were placed in the neighborly country of Cuba. This is important because the U.S. agreed to not invade Cuba as long as the missiles were moved. -
Assassination of Diem
President Ngo Dinh Diem and his brother are captured and killed by a group of soldiers. The death of Diem caused celebration among many people in South Vietnam. Diem was a corrupt with his government. This is significant because it caused the U.S. to get more involved in Vietnam. -
Assassination of JFK
resident Kennedy as assassinated in Dallas,Texas in his open-top convertible. Lee Harvey Oswald fired three shots from the 6th floor of the Texas School Book Depository Building fatally wounding President Kennedy and injuring Governor Connally. This is important because there is now a shift in power. -
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
Tonkin Gulf Resolution in also called the "Blank Check". Congress gave President Johnson the ability to wage war without any further authorization. This is important because it gave Johnson the power to do whatever he wanted. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
Operation Rolling Thunder was the codename for an American bombing campaign during the Vietnam War. U.S. military aircraft attacked targets throughout North Vietnam from March 1965 to October 1968. This is significant because it marked the first sustained American assault on North Vietnamese territory. -
Tet Offensive
The Tet offensive began with 70,000 Viet Cong in which fierce attacks on 100 cities and towns in South Vietnam began. The goal was to instigate rebellions among South Vietnamese and cause the United States to pull out military support. This is imortant because it caused the U.S. to pull out most of its troops. -
Assassination of MLK
Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. After leading the civil rights movement for more then 10 years, he achieved great advances for African Americans. This is significant because MLK was a figurehead of the time and the loss of him sent ripples through society. -
Kent State
In Ohio at Kent State, protesters set fire to the ROTC building and 900 national Guardsmen were sent to the campus. On May 4, 28 guardsmen fired on a crowed which killed four students. This is important because college students were killed during the protest. -
Assassination of RFK
On June 5, 1968, 42-year-old presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy was mortally wounded shortly after midnight PDT at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. He had just won the California presidential primaries in the 1968 election. This is important because he was a presidential nominee. -
Invasion of Czechoslovakia
Four Warsaw Pact nations lead an invasion of Czechoslovakia. Protesters were out to counter the invasion, more than 100 shot to death. This is important because the captured Dubcek and made him reduce his reforms. -
Riots of Democratic convention
At the 1968 Democratic National Convention, the Democratic Party fell apart as thousands of Vietnam War protesters battled police in the streets. Americans came out to declare the war was pointless. This is significant because they did not want to give the power to continue the Cold War at the concern for the safety of US citizens. -
Election of Nixon
Richard Nixon won one of the closest presidential elections in history, defeating Hubert Humphrey in 1968. Nixon promised to, "bring us together again," after the anti-war and civil-rights protests. He also promised to find a way to "peace with honor" in Vietnam. This is important because Nixon really wants to get out of Vietnam. -
Nixon visits China
In an attempt to start normalizing relations with China, Nixon traveled to Beijing for a week of talks and began re-establishing diplomatic relations with them. This is significant because Nixon surprised America as they had stopped recognizing China as a country after the communist revolution. -
Ceasefire in Vietnam
A ceasefire in Vietnam went into affect, however the South Vietnamese army still received US aid afterwards. Both sides eventually violated the ceasefire, taking back villages and trying to get more territory. This is important because it created a chain of retaliations. -
Fall of Saigon
The capital of South Vietnam, Saigon was captured by the Viet Cong. North Vietnamese tanks crashed into the gates of the Presidential Palace. It was the end of the Vietnam war, and start of the reunification of Vietnam under the Socialist Party. This is important because Vietnam was reunited as a communist nation. -
Reagan elected
Ronald Wilson Reagan was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th President of the United States from 1981 to 1989. Prior to the presidency, he was a Hollywood actor and union leader before serving as the 33rd Governor of California from 1967 to 1975. This is significant because his view is different from prior presidents. -
SDI announced
The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), also known as Star Wars. Was a sophisticated anti-ballistic missile system in order to prevent missile attacks from other countries, specifically the Soviet Union. The missiles would be shot out of the air with lasers. This is significant because this caused to USSR to fear the U.S. and the abilities it had. -
Geneva Conference with Gorbachev
President Reagan and Soviet leader Gorbachev met for the first time. Gorbachev wanted to negotiate an arms reduction if Reagan abandoned Star Wars, but Reagan did not agree. In private Reagan and Gorbachev started a beginning of a personal relationship that would transcend ideology, geopolitical differences and the Cold War itself. This is important because Geneva provided a historic breakthrough between US and USSR. -
‘Tear down this wall’ speech
Reagan traveled through West Germany to seek common ground on human rights. In front of the Berlin wall he made his appeal stating for Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall if he seeks peace. This is important because two years later, East and West Germans broke down the barrier. -
Fall of Berlin Wall
After the cold war began to dissolve, a spokesman for East Berlin announced citizens were allowed to cross the country's borders into West Germany at midnight. Two million plus people from East Berlin visited West Berlin that weekend and had a great street party. This is significant because East and West Germany were reunified.
