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The Russian Revolution 1917
The Russian Revolution was the first successful communist revolution in the world. It laid the ideological ground work for the differences that would become the Cold War in the 20th century. America supported the Mensheviks. -
The Potsdam Conference 1945
The Potsdam Conference was important to the Cold War because it made tensions between the Soviet Union and America raise. Harry S. Truman, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin meet in Germany to discuss the future of Germany, post war boundaries, territorial disputes, winning the war in Japan, and securing a last piece in Europe. Truman wants a democratic government with freedom and voting rights. Stalin wants to gain land in Europe and make it communist. -
Atomic Bombs 1945
On August 6, 1945 America dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Dropping the bomb was significant because not only did it make America win the war but it scared the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union was upset because it changed the future of warfare forever and because Stalin did not expect Truman to actually use it. -
Iron Curtain 1946
The Iron Curtain is the term Winston Churchill used to describe what was happening in Europe in a speech. It was the way Germany was divided between the Soviet Union in Eastern Germany and the United States, England and France in the rest of Germany. -
Hollywood 10 1947
The Hollywood 10 was a group of people that worked in Hollywood that refused to prove against the fact they were communists. They were blacklisted from Hollywood. This was important because people were willing to give up their jobs to stand against what was happening. It also shows how serious people all over the world were about not wanting communists in the United States. Anyone that did not talk would be blacklisted. -
Truman Doctrine 1947
The Truman Doctrine gave America the ability to give military and economic aid to Greece and Turkey, who were fighting communism. This address sent a clear message to the Soviet Union about where the U.S. stood in the future of Europe. -
The Marshall Plan 1947
The Marshall Plan was a massive economic assistance to Europe 1948. The U.S. gave 12 billion dollars to aid countries rebuilding their economy to resist communism and develop and democratic government. -
The Molotov Plan 1947
The Molotov Plan was the Russian's response to the Marshall Plan. It was a way to rebuild countries communist that were allied with Russia. -
The Berlin Blockade 1948
The Berlin Blockade is the first major confrontation of the Cold War. Stalin blocks all source of transportation and getting supplies in all of Germany because he does not want any part of Germany to be rebuilt. It tested the United States to see how President Truman would respond. Truman decided not to take military action and created Berlin Airlift to bring supplies to Germany. -
The Berlin Airlift 1948
The Berlin Airlift was a peaceful solution to Stalin's Berlin Blockade. It was the first major confrontation of the Cold War. Every three minutes a U.S. plane would land in Europe to bring supplies. -
NATO 1949
NATO is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It is an international military alliance to have power against the Soviet Union. Its original members were Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It was important to have enough deference to stop the Soviets if another war started. -
Soviet Bomb Test 1949
On August 29th 1949 the Soviet Union tested their first successful nuclear bomb. This was significant because it happened well before expert American scientists expected them to. This changed the Cold War because now America and the Russians were on an equal level. It also changed America because it was discovered that there were Soviet spies in the Manhattan project and they could be anywhere in the government. -
The Alger Hiss Case 1950
In 1950 Americans were worried about communist spies. Alger Hiss was a spy who worked in the state department. During his case he was charged for perjury and lying. This case scared Americans more because spies could be anywhere including in their government and they could have access to top secret information. -
The Korean War 1950
The U.S moved troops to help defend Korea. The U.S. succeeds in South Korea but does not protect North Korea. The fight against China ends in a treaty. The Korean War was the first time America used military to fight communists in the Cold War. -
The Rosenberg Trial 1951
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were arrested and then put on trial for giving the Soviet Union atomic bomb secrets. They were found guilty and they were executed in the electric chair. It proved to people that nobody could be trusted and spies were everywhere. -
Army-McCarthy Hearings 1954
Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy accused the army and one of their lawyers for having communist ties, they attacked back. The hearings were the first ever televised and they were watched by the whole nation. The trails made McCarthy look arrogant and less credible. McCarthy lost most of his followers and popularity. This was important because it ended McCarthyism in America. -
Battle of Dien Bien Phu 1954
The Battle of Dien Bien Phu was a war between the French and the Viet Minh. The French wanted to take Vietnam as a colony again and Vietnam wanted to be recognized as their own country. After fighting against the Viet Minh the French quit and told America it was their job to protect Vietnam from communism. This battle was important because it is the beginning of U.S.'s main involvement in Vietnam. -
Geneva Conference 1954
The Geneva Conference was a meeting in Switzerland between the world's powers. They met to discuss Asian problems and conflicts including the one between the French and Vietnamese. This is where the United States involvement in Vietnam became more serious. -
Warsaw Pact 1955
The Warsaw Pact was the Soviet Union's response to NATO. It was a defense treaty between the Soviet Union, Poland and seven Eastern Europe countries. It was important because the Soviet Union now had a defense against NATO -
Hungarian Revolution 1956
In October of 1956 Hungarian people demanded for a democratic government and began protesting. They wanted freedom from the Soviets oppression. Hungary removed themselves from the Warsaw pact and the Soviets crushed the Hungarians with tanks. The United States did nothing to help and it made people question United States roll in the world. -
U2 Incident 1960
In 1960 an American spy plane got shot down in Russia. It was important in the Cold war because it was an intense moment when we got caught spying. -
Bay Of Pigs Invasion 1961
After the Soviet Union took over Cuba a small army of Cubans trained by the U.S. CIA began to defend themselves. This failed miserably because the Cubans were out numbered and were defeated in the first 24 hours. This was important because it showed the Americans they need to be more involved in protecting small countries in order to help this resist communism. -
Berlin Wall 1961
After dividing Germany the U.S. and it's allies were rebuilding it to make it a strong democratic country. The Soviet Union didn't like this and wanted Germany to stay weak. In August the Soviet Union built a wall and stopped all trains to block the U.S. supplies from coming in to Germany. -
Cuban Missile Crisis 1962
During the Cuban Missile Crisis the Soviet Union was moving missiles to Cuba. A U.S. pilot saw the Soviets assembling a missile and reported it back to the U.S. This seemed like an immediate threat to America because armed Cuba is only 90 miles from Florida. This was important to the Cold War because it was the most intense 13 day period between the two leaders -
Assassination of Diem 1963
South Vietnam leader Ngo Dinh Diem was assassinated after the South Vietnamese army overthrew his government forces. This assassination brought chaos to the country which caused the United States to become more involved and push for anticommunism. -
Assassination of JFK 1963
The President of the United States of America was shot and killed on November 22 in Texas. John F. Kennedy was in Texas for a campaign visit. He was in a motorcade when he was shot in the neck and head. This was significant to the Cold War because the U.S. had a change in leadership. Lyndon B. Johnson became the new president which would change the strategies of the Cold War. -
Tonkin Gulf Revolution 1964
President Lyndon Johnson used this, saying he would do anything to stop communism in Vietnam. It was passed in congress after allegedly two naval destroyers were attacked off of Vietnam. This is important because this is when the United States became fully and officially involved in Vietnam. -
Operation Rolling Thunder 1965
Operation Rolling Thunder was the name U.S. attack on Vietnam. America nonstop bombed Vietnam to put military pressure on the Vietnamese communists. It is important to the Cold War because it was the first real attack from America on North Vietnamese territory. -
Tet Offensive 1968
The Tet Offensive was a surprise attack on America in 1968. During the Chinese new year America was expecting to have a break from fighting. They were unexpectedly attacked by the Vietnamese. This was significant because it was shown to the public as a major loss in the war. The Vietnam war lost support after the public saw the loss. -
Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. 1968
Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated in Memphis Tennessee. He was shot in the neck and rushed into the hospital but died an hour later. This sent the country into mourning and angered African Americans. His assassination helped the civil rights movements move faster for equal rights. -
Assassination of RFK 1968
After winning the California presidential primary Senator Robert Kennedy was shot several times in Los Angeles. This was significant because the democratic party was now split in who they wanted to vote for, making the Republican party strong and allow Richard Nixon to easily win the presidency. -
Invasion of Czechoslovakia 1968
In 1968 the Soviet Union used the Warsaw pact troops to invade Czechoslovakia. Brezhnev did not like the amount of change and reform that was happening in Czechoslovakia so he invaded in hopes of stopping this change. The quickly and easily took over knowing the U.S. would not intervene because of the conflict in Vietnam. This invasion is important because it lessened the tension between the U.S and the Soviet Union.n -
Riots of Democratic Convention 1968
The Democratic Convention brought many war protesters to Chicago to get the Democrats attention. Riots broke out and many protesters, police and bystanders were injured or killed. Tear gas was released and protesters quickly spread. This event was important because it made democrats reevaluate their position and figure out how to regain public support. -
Election of Nixon 1968
In 1968 Lyndon Johnson did not run for another term of presidency so the democratic party had to find a new candidate. After Robert Kennedy won the California presidential primary he was killed. This led to the second candidate being Hubert Humphrey. Hubert Humphrey made the democrats split on their support. This made the Republican party strong and Nixon easily won the election. This election impacted the Cold War because America now had a new leader from a different party. -
Kent State 1970
During the 1970's the Vietnam war had lost most of it's support. During a protest at Kent State University four students were killed and nine were injured after a Ohio National Guard member fired into the crowd of protesters. Following this incident students led more protest that forced colleges to temporarily close. This event is significant to the Cold War because it changed peoples opinion on the war even more and may have impacted Nixon's presidency. -
Nixon visits China 1972
After being complete enemies for years, President Nixon announced his trip to China. He went to China to begin changing the relationship between the two nations. His trip to China was important because it was successful in beginning to better the relationship between the two countries. -
Ceasefire in Vietnam 1973
President Richard Nixon ordered a ceasefire on the Vietnam War to get the American troops out of Vietnam. Americans handed the war over to the South Vietnam. This was important because Americans were done fighting in Vietnam and troops were home. -
Fall of Saigon 1975
Soon after American's left the war to the South Vietnamese, the North Vietnamese army made it to Saigon. The Americans still in Saigon knew they had to evacuate immediately. Helicopters came to help them escape as the communists closed in. Even some North Vietnamese were saved by their American coworkers. The fall of Saigon was important to the Cold War because that was when Vietnam became communist and all Americans left. -
Reagan's Election 1980
In the late 1970's to 1980 America was not thriving or improving. Ronald Reagan used this idea while campaigning for presidency. He talked about making America great again, and fixing some problems. People liked this idea and in November of 1980 Reagan won the election. This was important because he began to fix a lot of problems America was having and began to end the Cold War -
Strategic Defense Initiative Announced 1983
Ronald Reagan initiated the SDI, also known as Star Wars, in May of 1983. It was the idea of having laser beams destroy missiles and bombs in space to protect the United States. The strategy Reagan used was to tell the Soviet Union about this idea knowing they did not have enough money to work on this. The Soviet Union had to keep up with all of America's technology in order to try to win the Cold War. Star Wars was significant because it exposed that they were broke and unable to. -
Geneva Conference with Gorbachev 1985
The Geneva Conference between Reagan and Gorbachev was the first time in eight years the leaders met. They were there to settle an agreement on the Cold War. However, no agreements were made. The conference did end in a new forming relationship between the new leaders. -
'Tear Down This Wall’ Speech 1987
In June of 1987 Reagan traveled to West Berlin to give a speech at the Berlin Wall. He talked about having why the Berlin Wall should be taken down in order to fix the problems of the Cold War. Reagan's hope was to convince Gorbachev to take the wall down. -
The Fall of The Berlin Wall 1991
Brezhnev announced that Eastern and Western Germany could now freely cross the country's boarder, so Germans began to celebrate together. More than 2 million people showed up with hammers and picks to chip away at the Berlin Wall. The Fall of the wall was important to the Cold War because it was the true end to the conflict between the Soviet Union and the U.S.
