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The Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution was communist Revolution in Russia in 1917. The set up the ideological differences between capitalistically America and communist Russia. -
Potsdam Conference
The Big Three--Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and U.S President Harry Truman--met in Potsdam, Germany. The Potsdam Conference was created to meet and defeat the Nazi. The Big Three also issued a declaration demanding "unconditional surrender" from Japan. -
Atomic Bomb-Hiroshima/Nagasaki
An American B-29 bomber dropped the worlds first deployed atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima and three days later another bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. The reason why the United States dropped the bomb on Japan was to teach them a lesson. Asking them wasn't enough to make Japan surrender. The first bomb was done because Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941. -
Iron Curtain
The Iron Curtain was named for the dividing boundary separating two areas of Europe. The term symbolizes the efforts by the Soviet Union to block itself and its satellite states from open contact with the West and its allied states. The Iron Curtain was a barrier to keep non-communist away. Eastern Europe fell under the influence of the Soviet Union a communist country while the western chose the U.S as the ally. -
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was an American foreign policy whose stated purpose was to counter Soviet geopolitical expansion during the Cold War. Truman Doctrine was a policy to counter Soviet communist policy expansion during the Cold War. President Truman established that the United States would provide political, military and economic assistance from all countries that needed it and were under threat. -
Marshall Plan
A plan which allocated aid money to Europe in order repair the nations damaged by World War II. This was in line with the US need for a stable Europe and Germany in order to guarantee a stable global economy, and eliminate the threat of another World War. However, it threatened the Soviets who feared a strong Germany, and this fed the split of the US/USSR alliance. -
Molotov Plan
The Molotov Plan was created in 1947 by the USSR, it was proposed by foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov provided aid to rebuild the countries in Eastern Europe that were politically and economically aligned to the Soviet Union. -
Berlin Blockade
The blockade was a Soviet attempt to starve out the allies in Berlin in order to gain supremacy. The blockade was a high point in the Cold War, and it led to the Berlin Airlift. -
Berlin Airlift
The Russians wanted Berlin for themselves so they closed all highways, railroads, and canals from Western Berlin. Instead of retreating from West Berlin,the U.S and its allies decided to supply their sectors of the city from the air. The planes carried more than 2.3 million tons of cargo into West Berlin, this lasted for more than a year. -
NATO
The organization North Atlantic Treaty Organization was established. NATO was the first peacetime military alliance United States entered into the outside of Western Hemisphere -
Alger Hiss Case
Alger Hiss was an American lawyer and government official that was convicted of being a communist in 1948 by Whitaker Chambers. chambers accused Hiss of being a Soviet Spy, during the trial Chambers presented four handwritten papers in Hiss handwriting and the sheaf of typewritten papers he claimed were copies of the state department documents that had been typed by Hiss in his home two weeks later, the pumpkin papers were rea;eased Hiss went to jail for 44 months for denying the papers. -
Hollywood 10
The House Un-American Activities Committee was charged with investigating allegations of communist influence and subversion in the U.S during the early years of the Cold War. Also known as the Hollywood blacklist- was the practice of denying all actors, directors, screenwriters etc. in the entertainment industry during the 20th century because they were accused of having connections with communism. -
Rosenberg trial
The Rosenberg are executed. US communists convicted for conspiracy to commit espionage during the war. They were assumed to have shared information about the atomic bomb with the soviets. -
Korean War
The Korean War began when the North Korean Communist army crossed the 38th parallel and invaded non-communist South Korea. As the north Korean army quickly overran South Korea, the United States came to South korea's aid.The Korean War came to an end. About 5 million soldiers and civilians lost their lives during the war. -
Soviet Bomb test
The Soviet atomic bomb project was the classified research and development program that was authorized by Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union to develop nuclear weapons during World War II. USSR successfully made their first atomic bomb which they dropped at Semipalatinsk. The United States was in shock because they didn't expect the Soviet Union to possess nuclear weapons so soon. The Soviet didn't want to be left behind in the nuclear race, so they went and made one for themselves. -
Amy-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. A series of hearings about the conflicting accusations between United States arm and McCarthy. -
Battle of Dien Bien Phu
In 1954 victory of Vietnamese forces over the French, causing the French to leave Vietnam and all of indochina. Vietminh rebels besieged a French garrison at Dien Bien Phu, deep in the interior of northern Vietnam. In May, after the United States refused to intervene, Dien Bien Phu fell to the communists. -
Geneva Conference
1954 peace conference at the end of the First Indochina War, prompted by the stunning French defeat at Dien Bien Phu.conference issued Geneva Accords -
Warsaw pact
The Warsaw pact is known to be a military alliance of communist countries that are joined by Eastern Europe. It Consists of Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia , East Germany,Hungary,Poland, Romania, and the USSR it is created to support and create defense when one nation is attacked -
Hungarian Revolution
The Hungarian Revolution of 1956, or Hungarian Uprising of 1956, was a nationwide revolt against the Marxist-Leninist government of the Hungarian People's Republic and its Soviet-imposed policies, lasting from 23 October until 10 November 1956. Although Hungarian remained as a communist country, people bravely fought for their freedom. Hungary revolted and withdraw Warsaw Pact which means they don't want to be a communist country anymore. -
U2 Incident
United States U-2 spy plane was shot down by the Soviet Air Defence Forces while performing photographic aerial reconnaissance deep into Soviet territory. The single-seat aircraft, flown by pilot Francis Gary Powers, was hit by an S-75 Dvina surface-to-air missile and crashed near Sverdlovsk. The U-2 Incident revealed that the Soviet Union were greatly exaggerating their nuclear capabilities. It raised tension between The United States and the Soviet Union. -
Bay of Pigs invasion
On April 17, 1961 the Bay of Pigs invasion happens when a CIA financed and trained group of Cuban refugees lands in Cuba. They attempted to topple the communist government of Fidel Castro the tap was a huge failure in was an embarrassment for the United States. the Bay of Pigs invasion was important to the Cold War because this event leads up to another huge event which is known as the Cuban Missile Crisis. -
Berlin Wall
A barbed wire and concrete wall was built in the east and west side of Berlin it marked a huge period of death and desperation that also made a separation between many families and other sad stories that made this a period of great tension between the Soviet Union and the united states. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
In October 14, 1962, U.S spy plane secretly photographed a nuclear building site being built by the Soviet Union on Cuba, this moment grew high tension and was the only situation in which something could have really led to a nuclear war, so by reaction of both leaders this was taken very seriously and secretly agreed by both nations it was peacefully arranged. -
Assassination of Diem
South Vietnamese leader Diem was losing support in South Vietnam and his decision to go after the Buddhists and make Catholicism the primary religion of the country brought violent demonstrations and a crisis. Kennedy gave his tacit approval to a plan by a group of South Vietnamese generals to overthrow Diem. The group assassinated Diem and the United States was left to deal with a secession of South Vietnamese governments that had less stability than the one headed by Diem. -
Assassination of JFK
President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963 in Dallas by Lee Harvey Oswald. Kennedy was visiting Dallas to start gathering support for the upcoming presidential election. His brief presidency was viewed as a high point of the postwar era and cast its influence on American politics during the 1960's and 1970's. -
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
The Tonkin Resolution was a joint resolution of the U.S Congress passed on August 7, 1964 in direct response.After North Vietnamese gun boats assaulted American ships that were organizing air strikes and military moves. Johnson and his advisers drafted the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution that committed the United States in Vietnam.It was passed by Congress and gave Johnson a "blank check" granting him full authority against North Vietnamese forces.This led to increased American involvement in Vietnam -
Operation Rolling Thunder
Operation in 1965 to bomb North Vietnam into submission but failed. Sent more than 500,000 US troops to Vietnam and converted the conflict into a protracted and bitter war. Also,launched in response to a Viet Cong raid on US military base at Pleiku that killed US servicemen. -
Tet Offensive
A major military operation by the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong in 1968. The nationalists successfully penetrated Saigon and took the United States embassy. Although the offensive was defeated, there were tremendous casualties and it shook American public confidence in the war effort since it plainly showed steady progress in winning the war was not being made. Popular support for the war vastly declined. -
Assassination of MLK
On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated at a Memphis hotel. James Earl Ray, white man who resented the increasing black influence in society. King's murder set off a new round of riots across the country, while both blacks and whites mourned the tragic death of a charismatic leader. -
Assassination of RFK
RFK, brother of JFK and anti-war candidate, is assassinated after he wins the California presidential primary. His assassin was Sirhan Sirhan, an Arab nationalist. He targeted Kennedy because of his support for Israel. assassinated at hotel after giving victory speech -
Invasion of Czechoslovakia
500,000 Warsaw Pact troops invaded Czechoslovakia and ended the Prague Spring. Little opposition to the invasion. Brezhnev ordered the Czech army to remain in its barracks in case it tried to fight back. -
Riots of Democratic convention
Held in Chicago.Purpose was to elect a suitable nominee to run as the Democratic Party's choice for prez in 1968 election. Events that led to convention were: assassination of Martin Luther King and JFK.Riots broke out from Anti-Vietnam war protesters during the time of the convention.These riots turned into bloody battles after the Chicago police tried to stop the protesters. Democrats settled on Hubert Humphrey but lost to Richard Nixon. Shows a large split in the party over the Vietnam War. -
Election of Nixon
37th president of US, orchestrated the US withdrawal from Vietnam in early 1970s. Elected in 1968 and claimed that there was a "silent majority" of Americans who still supported the war.engaged in Victimization to withdraw troops from Vietnam. Expanded scope of the war by secretly authorizing illegal military actions in Cambodia and Laos. Reelected in 1972, but was involved in scandals like Watergate and Pentagon Papers, resigned in 1974 to avoid being impeached -
Kent State
At Kent State University, an anti-war rally was held at noon on the Commons, a large, grassy area in the middle of campus which had traditionally been the site for various types of rallies and demonstrations. Fiery speeches against the war and the Nixon administration were given, a copy of the Constitution was buried to symbolize the murder of the Constitution because Congress had never declared war, and another rally was called for noon on Monday, May 4. -
Nixon visits China
February 21, 1972, President Richard M.Nixon arrived in China for an official trip. He was the first U.S president to visit the president Republic of China since it was established in 1949. This was an important step in formally normalizing relations between the United States and the peoples Republic of china. -
Ceasefire in Vietnam
1973: Ceasefire signed between U.S., South Vietnam, & North Vietnam
Conditions:U.S. to remove all troops,North Vietnam could leave troops already in S.V.,North.Vietnam would resume war with No provision for POWs or MIAs.Last American troops left South .Vietnam on March 29, 1973.1975: North Vietnam defeats South Vietnam. Saigon renamed Ho Chi Minh City -
Fall of Saigon
The Fall of Saigon was the capture of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, by the People's Army of Vietnam and the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam on April 30, 1975. The event marked the end of the Vietnam War and the start of a transition period leading to the formal reunification of Vietnam into a socialist republic, governed by the Communist Party of Vietnam. -
Reagan elected
He ran a campaign based on the common man and "populist" ideas.He served as governor of California from 1966-1974,he participated in the McCarthy Communist scare.Iran released hostages on his Inauguration Day in 1980.While president,he developed Reaganomics,the trickle down effect of government incentives.He cut out many welfare and public works programs.His meetings with Gorbachev were the steps to ending the Cold War. also responsible for the Iran-contra Affair which bought hostages with guns. -
SDI announced
When President Ronald Reagan announced SDI on March 23, 1983, It was a space based, laser-armed, anti-ballistic missile system. Also. SDI's nickname is Star Wars. 4 days after, Yuri Andropov accused the US of preparing a preemptive nuclear attack and unleashing nuclear war. They would have to spend more money to keep up despite economic problems. -
Geneva Conference with Gorbachev
A Cold War-era meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. It was held on November 19 and 20, 1985, between U.S. president Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev. The two leaders met for the first time to hold talks on international diplomatic relations and the arms race.Gorbachev and Reagan began to form a personal friendship, although no agreements were made on arms control. -
‘Tear down this wall’ speech
"Tear down this wall!" is a line from a speech made by U.S. President Ronald Reagan in West Berlin on June 12, 1987, calling for the leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, to open up the barrier which had divided West and East Berlin since 1961. Reagan challenges the leader of Soviet Union to tear down the Berlin Wall. He wanted to make sure If Gorbachev would really tear down the wall to unite West and East Berlin. -
Fall of Berlin Wall
On November 1991, as the Cold War began to thaw across Eastern Europe, the spokesman for East Berlin's Communist Party announced a change in his city's relations with the West. Starting at midnight that day, he said, citizens of the GDR were free to cross the country's borders. As Reagan told his speech, East destroyed the wall and unite with the West. Freedom and Unity.
