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The Russian Revolution
A period of political and social revolution across the territory of the Russian Empire, also called the October Revolution. Overthrew the czar and brought the Bolsheviks, a Communist party led by Vladimir Lenin, to power. Ended November 7, 1917. -
Potsdam Conference
Meeting of leading powers from the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union to discuss the permanent borders of Germany and free elections in East European countries. Of which Stalin refused to hold in fear of anti-Soviet governments. -
Atomic bomb (Hiroshima/Nagasaki)
Hiroshima (08/06/45)
- Wiped out 90 percent of the city, instantly killed 80,000 people; later tens of thousands would die of radiation exposure. Nagasaki (08/09/45)
- Killed an estimated 40,000 people this leading Japan's Emperor Hirohitoto to announce his country's unconditional surrender in World War II in a radio address on August 15. -
Long Telegram
Written by George Kennan who had observed the Kremlin as an American diplomate in Moscow. He sent an 8,000-word telegram of analysis of USSR foreign policy and its possible future actions. It stated that the Soviet leadership was suspicious and aggressive and only a hard-line approach would be effective in containing Communism. -
Iron Curtain
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill rebukes the Soviet Union's policies in Europe and declares, "From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the continent." Churchill's speech is considered the beginning of the Cold War. -
Molotov Plan
A series of two-sided trade agreements, who's goals aimed to economically and politically correlate Eastern Europe to the U.S.S.R -
Truman Doctrine
Aimed to contain communism to areas already under Communist governments, the US would use diplomatic, economic, and military methods to combat the expansion of communism anywhere on the globe. Especially in Greece and Turkey. -
Hollywood 10
US government believed that film writers and actors were spreading communism through films and scripts. The HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee) was responsible for questioning suspects which they believed to be communist. Members of the Hollywood Ten believed the hearings were unconventional and refused to testify stating it's their first amendment right. -
Marshall Plan
Its purpose to renew a working economy in Europe and permit the development of political and social conditions in which free institutions can exist. $12 billion in addition to the money already lent and manufacturing equipment. -
Berlin Airlift
Western allies' response to the Berlin Blockade, ordered around-the-clock flights over the Soviet roadblocks, supplying provisions to West Berliners and defeating Soviet attempts to swallow up the western half of the city. -
Berlin Blockade
Stalin blocked traffic through the Soviet zone of Germany, including Berlin, in an attempt to reunify the city under Soviet control. Stalin's attempt to starve the people of Berlin into submission. -
NATO
N.A.T.O (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) is an anti-Soviet military alliance of Western governments said to "keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down" -
First Soviet Bomb Test
First Lighting, was the code name given to the soviet's first atomic bomb. The detonation occured years before United States scientists anticipated the Soviet Union would be capable of such weaponry. This leading to the superweapons race between Russia and the United States during the cold war. -
Chinese Communist Revolution
The overthrow of the Nationalist regime that culminated in the Chinese Communist Party's drive to power during the second part of the Chinese Civil War. Chiang Kai-shek:
A Chinese political and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China. He wanted to take out communism. Mao Zedong:
A Chinese Communist revolutionary and the founding father of the People's Republic of China, governed as Chairman of the Communist Party of China from its establishment in 1949. -
Alger Hiss Case
Committee member Richard M. Nixon drove the chase after Alger Hiss, a former state department employee, accused of being a communist agent and in August but was convicted of perjury. -
Korean War
A conflict between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea). Reached international proportions when North Korea invaded the South.
The UN, with the United States as the primary participant, joined the war on the side of the South Koreans, and the People's Republic of China came to North Korea's aid. -
Rosenberg Trial
Involved Julius and Ethel Rosenberg who were American communists. They were executed for passing nuclear weapons secrets to the USSR. -
Army-McCarthy Hearings
Congressional hearings called by Senator Joseph McCarthy to accuse members of the army of communist ties. Inserting flout, favoritism and communist cover-ups. In this widely televised spectacle, McCarthy finally went too far for public approval. The hearings exposed the Senator as an arrogant, blundering tyrant. -
Warsaw Pact
A mutual military defense alliance among the U.S.S.R. and its Communist satellites (Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, East Germany, & Czechoslovakia). Putting the U.S.S.R. in command of all armed forces of the member states while vowing to come to the defense of any member attacked by an outside force and it set up a unified military command. -
Hungarian Revolution
A 12-day uprising beginning with thousands of protesters demanding a democratic system of government and freedom from Soviet tyranny. In response, Imre Nagy, a former premier dismissed for his criticisms of Soviet political policies was appointed. Sought to restore peace and urged Soviets to withdraw troops. They did. Nagy tried abolishing the one-party rule and the withdraw from the Warsaw Pact. Quickly ended when Soviet tanks killed thousands leading to the flee of nearly a quarter-million -
U2 Incident
American spy plane caught deep in Soviet territory gathering intelligence on Soviet military fortifications; shot down by Soviets in 1960. -
Bay of Pigs
A group of Cuban exiles organized and supported by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency landed at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba to overthrow Fidel Castro. The invasion ended in disaster when U.S destroyers could not enter the overly shallow waters of the bay. President Kennedy took responsibility for the invasion when it went bad. Forces Cuba ever further into the arms of the USSR. -
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a fortified wall made up of concrete and barbed wire made to completely cut off (by land) West Berlin (U.S.A) from surrounding East Germany (U.S.S.R) and from East Berlin. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Bay of Pigs incident ultimately led Castro to plead for Soviet aid creating the Cuban Missile Crisis. Nuclear-armed Soviet missiles were placed on Cuba, just 90 miles from the U.S. shore. -
Assassination of JFK
While beginning his campaign trail in Dallas, TX to be elected again for a second term ex U.S Marine Lee Harvey Oswald brutally shot Kennedy in the back of the head. Oswald lived in the Soviet Union coming back to the U.S one year before he killed JFK. -
Invasion of Czechoslovakia
Warsaw Pact troops and tanks invade Czechoslovakia to crush the “Prague Spring”—a brief period of liberalization in the communist country. Protested the invasion with displays of public non-violent demonstrations, but they were no match for the Soviet tanks. -
Nixon visits China
President Nixon visits China to normalize relations between nations. It is it was a great success and an important step toward normalizing diplomatic relations with China. 1979 the United States and China establish full diplomatic relations. Nixon's trip to the People's Republic of China prompted an immediate reaction from the Soviet Union. Soviet leader Lennon Bresnan invited next into visit Moscow in 1972. -
Reagan Elected
Republican president (1981-1989) who steered domestic politics in a conservative direction and sponsored a huge military build-up. -
SDI Announced
Reagan administration planned to announce the development of SDI or Strategic Defense Initiative, a missile-defense system over American territory to block a nuclear attack. Dubbed "Star Wars" by critics, the plan symbolized Reagan's commitment to vigorous defense spending despite his attempt to limit the size of government in domestic matters. It's goal, to force the Soviet Union to spend more money to technologically keep up despite dire economic problems. -
Geneva Conference with Gorbachev
Meeting in Geneva, Reagan and Gorbachev signed no agreements. However, the meeting did look well for the future, as the two men engaged in long, personal talks and seemed to develop an honest and close relationship. Reagan's aim was to persuade Gorbachev that he sincerely desired peace between the two superpowers. While Gorbachev's aim was to persuade Reagan to drop his plans for SDI and begin to establish a working relationship with the American government. -
‘Tear Down This Wall’ Speech
Given at the Brandenburg Gate, the entrance of the Berlin Wall, the speech declared the United States' position on communism and the Soviet Union. This was the United States official backing of the Germans in their attempt to reunify their country. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
East German government announced that East Germans could now travel to West Germany. This showing steps to the reunification of Germany. And with that East Germany ceased to exist, The Soviet Union withdrew its troops from what was East Germany while British, French and US troops remained in Western Germany.
