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Russian Revolution
Bolsheviks fought the nationalists in a civil war, and created the Soviet Union after winning. The Bolsheviks were a communist group, which eventually turned the whole Soviet Union communist. -
Iron Curtain
The Iron Curtain was a buffer zone that divided Russia from the West. After WW II, the land Russia obtained was used to create a barrier that shielded them from attack. -
Eisenhower's Massive Retaliation Policy
The policy directs that all inbound nuclear threats are to be met with a greater retaliation against the aggressor. The concept directly referred to the threat of the Soviet Union launching nuclear missiles against against the United States. -
Potsdam Conference
A conference held between the Soviet Union, United States, and United Kingdom. The point of the conference was to create a plan in order to destroy Germany. -
Atomic Bombing
America dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. The second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, on August 9, 1945. The bombs ended the war with Japan, and brought a death count of 120,00. -
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was an American Foreign policy in which, which stated its main purpose as countering communist geopolitical expansion. It was announced on March 12, 1947, an aided many people in resisting communism. -
Marshall Plan
Also known as the European Recovery Plan, the Marshall plan was the American aid given to the post- WW II European countries as a means of preventing further communist countries from developing. The plan cost 13 billion dollars at the time, which translates to 110 billion today. -
Berlin Blockade and Airlift
The Soviet Union blocked access to West Berlin in one of the first major crises in the Cold War. As a result allies air dropped supplies into the city to keep them from starving. -
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is a multi-country group formed between the allies after WW II as an opposition to Soviet Union activities. Nato was formed on April 4th 1949. -
Soviet Bomb Test
The first successful test of nuclear weapons by the Soviet Union. The development of the bomb relied heavily on spy rings within the American Manhattan Project and German scientist knowledge. -
Korean War
The first major militant conflict within the Cold War. The conflict began when North Korea invaded South Korea and the U.S. became involved. The Korean War has not technically ended but instead, an armistice was signed. -
Hollywood 10
A short film, in which 10 men denounced McCarthyism and the Hollywood Blacklisting. -
Khruschev Takes Over
Nikita Khruschev was selected as one of the five men, named to the new office of Secretariat of the Communist Party, in September 1953. Joseph Stalin's death caused struggle for power beween Malenkov and Khruschev. -
Army-McCarthy Hearings
The hearings were conducted by the United States Senate Subcommittee. The purpose of the hearings was to investigate conflicting accusations between the U.S. Army and U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy. -
Warsaw Pact
Formally known as the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, was a defence treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland. The Warsaw Pact served as a balance to NATO. -
The Vietnam War
Also known as the Second Indochina War, or in Vietnam the American War. The war took place in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam from November 1, 1955 to April 30, 1975. The war was officially fought between the U.S. backed South Vietnam and Soviet backed North Vietnam. -
Hungarian Revolution
Also known as the Hungarian Uprising, was a nationwide rebellion against the communist government of the Hungarian People's Republic and its Soviet-imposed policies. The Soviets crushed the rebellion, winning over Hungary once again. -
U2 Incident
On the first of May 1960 a U.S. Army spy plane was shot down while flying in Soviet Airspace. The plane was shot down in Kosuilino, Russia. -
Bay Of Pigs Invasion
The Bay Of Pigs Invasion, was a failed military attempt to take over Cuba. The mission was undertaken by the C.I.A., and ultimately failed due to a faulty plan and use of outdated equipment. -
Berlin Wall
The walls construction started on August 13, 1961 and was later destroyed on November 9, 1989. The wall served as a physical divider between East and West Berlin from 1961-1981. The purpose was to divide the Communist East from the Democratic West. -
Cuban Missle Crisis
Also known as the October Crisis of 1962, the Caribbean Crisis and, the Missile Scare. It was a 13-day confrontation between the U.S. and Soviet Union. It occurred due to both sides being disturbed by how close they had missiles placed to each other. The U.S. had missiles in Turkey and, Italy, while the Soviet Union had positioned missiles in Cuba. -
Detente Under Nixon
This was a period of time when tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union began to ease. The core goal of Nixons foreign policy was to avoid nuclear risks with the Soviet Union, and was characterized by his signings of SALT 1 and the Helenshi Accords. -
The Reagan Doctrine
A strategy implemented by the United States under the Reagan Administration which was an attempt to end the Cold War by overwhelming the Soviet Union with global influence. The U.S. aided anti-communist fighters in Africa, Asia and Latin America in an attempt to roll back their communist governments. -
Reagans Berlin Wall Speech
Also known as the "Tear Down This Wall!" speech. In the speech Reagan was calling for the reuniting of Berlin and for Gorbachev to tear down the wall. -
Fall Of The Berlin Wall
The destruction of the wall began on November 9, 1989 and continued on for days and weeks afterwards. East Germany also announced 10 new border crossings. the fall of the wall marked a critical step in the reuniting of Germany as a whole.
