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The Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution was a civil conflict beginning with the revolution of the working class on the Tsar's controlling dictatorship. This movement was led by Vladimir Lenin and his "Red Army" also known as the Bolsheviks. When communism enforced by Lenin took over, the Soviet Union was created. -
Potsdam Conference
After WWII, the three greatest world leaders at the time met in Potsdam, Germany to discuss the final outcomes of the destructive war. Joseph Stalin (U.S.S.R.), Winston Churchill (Britain), and Harry Truman (U.S.A.) negotiated terms to end the war with fairness, and a chance to rebuild what was lost. -
Atomic Bomb- Hiroshima/Nagasaki
The first atomic bomb ever used in combat was dropped, after countless warnings, by the U.S. on Hiroshima, Japan. Three days later, a second bomb dropped on Nagasaki. Both explosion were detrimental to the population of Japan. Tens of thousands lied immediately while many more died in following years due to radiation exposure. -
Iron Curtain
The Iron Curtain was a metaphorical term for the boundary dividing communist Europe from capitalist Europe. The Soviet Union created a sort of blockade to defend themselves from the united countries in Western Europe. -
Truman Doctrine
Harry Truman proposed a plan to Congress that the United States would provide economic, political, and military assistance to the democratic countries that were endangered after WWII. This was a way of protecting these countries from the overruling power communism that would have otherwise been forced upon them. -
Hollywood 10
The Hollywood 10 were a group of men who were blacklisted after refusing to cooperate with an investigation they were believed to be involved in. They were believed to be taking part in a communist organization within the United States; they knew their own rights allowed it. -
The Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan, proposed by General George Marshall, aided Western Europe's struggling countries after WWII. This not only helped the helpless but won over the countries without direction and convinced them to become capitalistic countries before the Soviet Union influenced them into becoming a communist government. -
The Berlin Blockade and Airlift
The Berlin Blockade was the U.S.S.R.'s way of trying to contain the purest form of communism left in the world. They closed off the city of Berlin and forced the residence to live off of the land. The U.S. aided the people by sending hundreds of loads of food and supplies to keep them alive. The U.S.S.R. could not refuse because a second war was not an option. -
NATO
NATO, also known as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is made up of 29 states from North America and Europe. NATO's purpose was to provide a collective military security against the U.S.S.R. -
Soviet Bomb Test
The Soviet Union had spies in the U.S. during the testing of the first atomic bomb. Only a couple months behind, the Soviet Union's scientists were developing nearly identical technologies to those further advanced in the U.S. The U.S.S.R. created a model city and used animals the measure the damage such a bomb would have if activated on a real city full of civilian lives. -
Korean War
A war between South Korea, supported by the U.S., and North Korea, aided by the Soviet Union, began when North Korea charged the 38th parallel. This was ultimately a war between the North Korean communists and the South Korean anti-communists that lasted three years. -
Khrushchev Takes Over
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev, a Soviet statesman stepped up and led the U.S.S.R. in the Cold War. He was Chairman of the Council of Ministers during the Cold War (1953-1964). -
Army-McCarthy Hearings
Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy started an extreme anti-communist movement in the United States. This movement became known as McCarthyism and later faced charges against the U.S. army. -
Eisenhower's Massive Retaliation Policy
This policy, passed by President Eisenhower, not only protected us for an attack from the Soviet Union but prepared us to retaliate. Our retaliation plan consisted of a severe nuclear attack on the U.S.S.R. -
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact refers to the treaty signed by Albania, Bulgaria, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the U.S.S.R. as an agreement of peace between listed nations. Officially called the 'Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation, and Mutual Assistance' this treaty was a military agreement and promise to help each other out in times of need. This treaty can be most similarly compared to NATO, the Northern version of such. -
The Vietnam War
During the 1950's the U.S. fought (and usually won) wars to end and trap the spread of communism. Vietnam, a French colony for many years decided to fight for their own freedom. After a war, the nation split into two separate beliefs: the communist North Vietnam and the non-communist South Vietnam. -
Hungarian Revolution
After an appalling speech given by Soviet Union's leader, Nikita Khrushchev, the Hungarian people felt encouraged to revolt against the little right they possessed and fight for their individual freedom. The revolt became physical quickly, resulting in an intervention by the U.S.S.R. who ended up executing revolution leader Imre Nagy. -
U2 Incident
Eisenhower was skeptical of the Soviet Union's next move, so he sent a single CIA pilot, Francis Gary Powers, to scout out the U.S.S.R. by air. The Soviet Union discovered and shot down Powers and his plane, the U.S. tried to cover up the mistake with various unbelievable stories that soon resulted in the exposure of the truthful mistake. Only weeks later, the U.S. finished the invention of the Corona, a technological advantage that did the job Powers had failed to complete. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
1,500 exiled Cubans, trained by the U.S. CIA made an attempt to invade their homeland. Expecting U.S. military backup, the exiled Cubans charged full force, but were unpleasantly surprised when no backup came to their rescue. The invasion was very soon announced unsuccessful. -
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was the Soviet Union's last try at keeping a communist strong Europe. Berlin, the heart of both Germany and communism seemed to be the best place to keep isolated from the outside, capitalist world. The people of Berlin began to suffer greatly due to the lack of proper hygiene and food. The U.S. brilliantly began to airlift supplies to the trapped people of Berlin to not only end their struggling but to win them over and convert them to a capitalistic way of living. -
The Cuban Missile Crisis
In 1962, the U.S. were storing nuclear weapons in Turkey to protect themselves from any possible attacks from the Soviet Union. Meanwhile, the U.S.S.R. planted their own nuclear weapons in Cuba for the same purposes. Instead of nearly starting a nuclear war once again, the two powerful nations removed nuclear powers from both Turkey and Cuba, making a sort of peace agreement. -
Detente Under Nixon
Detente, meaning "release of tension" became known as the event of the beginning of an understanding between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The president at the time, Nixon, met communist, Soviet General Leonid I. Brezhnev as the beginning of a sort of truce within the constantly rivaling nations. -
The Reagan Doctrine
The Reagan Doctrine, created under the Reagan Administration, provided support and advisement to anti-communist groups within communist nations. This was a huge help in ending the Cold War by eliminating communist countries greatly. -
Reagan's Berlin Wall Speech
President Ronald Reagan delivered a moving speech directed towards Soviet Union leader, Mikhail Gorbachev to demolish the wall separating Berlin from the rest of Germany. His speech's famous quote, "Tear down this wall!" caused a breakthrough to the modern world today. -
The Fall of the Berlin Wall
As the Cold War was coming to a close, the representative for East Germany announced a new development that at the start of the new day, East Berliner's would be allowed to cross the wall. This marks a huge event in history, and the beginning of the end of communism.
