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The Russian Revolution
A new form of government was created called Communism. Communism was based on religion and violence. It caused tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union. -
Soviet Bomb Test
The Soviet bomb test project was classified development authorized by Joseph Stalin to make nuclear weapons during World War ll. Soviets had discussed this project since the 1930s, and proposed this project a couple years later. Their efforts to make this weapon was slowed due to the German invasion of the Soviet Union, -
Iron Curtain
The Iron Curtain was a boundary to separate Europe into two different areas beginning at the end of World War ll. The Iron Curtain kept the Soviets from getting into contact with the West side of Europe. The collapse of the Iron Curtain began when the Berlin Wall started opening up, giving thousands of prisoners a safe, legal escape. -
The Potsdam Conference
President Truman of the United States, Britain Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin met for a conference in Potsdam, Germany to discuss their next move on what to do with Europe. Truman and Churchill were on the same side, which was wanting peace and prosperity. Stalin wanted to dominate Europe for himself. -
Atomic Bomb- Hiroshima/Nagasaki
At the end of the war Japan was the very last to surrender. At the first atomic bombing in Hiroshima, wiped out 90% of the city, killing 80,000 immediately. Japan still wouldn't surrender. Finally 3 days later the US dropped another atomic bomb in Nagasaki killing another 40,000 people. That's when Japan unconditionally surrendered, they reached the moment where they could no longer fight after these cruel bombings. -
Molotov Plan
Vyacheslav Molotov was the Soviet foreign minister. The Soviet Union created the Molotov Plan, it refused aid from the Marshall Plan and did not allow any satellite states to accept aid. This plan was to decline any aid from America. -
Truman Doctrine
President Harry S. Truman made a new foreign policy called the Truman Doctrine. The purpose of the Truman Doctrine was to provide political, economic, and military aid to all the democratic states in danger to stop the spread of communism. Truman also asked congress for $400 million in military and economic aid for Turkey and Greece. -
The Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was an American initiative to aid Western Europe. The United States gave $13,000,000,000 in economic aid to help rebuild Western Europe after World War ll. The United States helped these nations to avoid any communist influence and to help Europe recover after being the damaged from World War ll. -
Berlin Blockade
The Berlin Blockade was one of the first biggest international crises of the Cold war. The Soviet Union set up this blockade to limit France's, United States, and Great Britain's ability to access their sectors of Berlin. This lead to all people of West Berlin to become prisoners with no food, clothing, or medical supplies. -
Berlin Airlift
After Stalin put up the Berlin Blockade, Truman didn't want a World War lll, so he sent out airlifts filled with supplies into West Berlin. The first couple planes took off from England and Western Germany. Planes landed into West Berlin each day, sending in supplies to support all the people. Soviets didn't interfere with the airlift to avoid open conflict such as another war. -
NATO
NATO stood for the National Atlantic Treaty Organization. It was a military alliance between many North American and European states. This alliance tied the US it's security to those of nations in Europe. -
Hollywood 10
The Hollywood ten was a group of 10 producers, directors, and screen writers who were charged with contempt after not answering questions about their involvement with a communist party. Since they refused to cooperate at the hearings dealing with communism, they served one year in jail. -
Alger Hiss Case
Alger Hiss was accused of being a member in a communist espionage ring while being an official of the American Government. A former U.S communist party member testified that Hiss was secretly a communist. Hiss was tried a second time and found guilty of both counts of perjury and sentenced to up to five years in prison. He only served 3 and a half years. -
The Korean War
The Korean War was a war between North Korea and South Korea, this war began when North Korea invaded South Korea. 75,000 soldiers crossed the 38th parallel (boundary separating North & South Korea). It was a war to liberate the North from communists. Americans worked on slowly making an agreement with North Koreans, if they were not stopped, it could have led to a World War lll. By the end of this war, about 5 million soldiers lost their lives. -
Rosenburg Trial
Julius and Ethel Rosenburg were accused of selling nuclear secrets to the Russians. David Greenglass was a machinist at Los Alamos where America developed their atomic bomb. Greenglass stated that Rosenburg asked to pass the confidential instructions on making atomic weapaons to the Soviets. The Rosenburgs were convicted and sentenced to be executed April 6th. -
Battle of Dien Bien Phu
It was the confrontation of the First Indochina War between French and Viet Minh Communist-Nationalists. It culminated to French defeat that influenced negotiations at Geneva for the future of Indochina. -
Army-McCarthy Hearings
These were various hearings held by the US Senate's Subcommittee to investigate conflicting accusations between the US Army and US Senator Joseph McCarthy. There were 2 sides of the hearings, the US Army accusing their opponents of blackmail and McCarthy accusing the Army of communism. -
Geneva Conference
This conference took place in Geneva, Switzerland to settle results from the Korean War and first Indochina War. The "Big Four" all met together and discussed all it's issues. Geneva agreements were signed, leading to a turning point for the United States' involvement in Vietnam. -
Warsaw Pact
After NATO was formed, the Soviet Union created an alliance of their own. They were seen as a military threat because of communism. It was made as a balance of power. -
Hungarian Revolution
It was the Hungarian uprising, a nationwide revolt against the government of the Hungarian People's Republic. When it began there was no leader. It was a major threat to the Soviets. This revolution spread quickly across Hungary and the government collapsed. -
U2 Incident
This incident occurred during the Cold War. A United States U-2 spy plane was shot down while in Soviet airspace. The plane was being flown by pilot Francis Gary Powers. He parachuted safely and was captured. This incident brought embarrassment to the United States. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
This was a failed military invasion of Cuba undertaken by the Central Intelligence Agency. It was launched from Guatemala and Nicaragua and their forces were defeated three days later by Cuban forces under the command of Castro.In this armed revolt it overthrew the Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista -
Berlin Wall
This was a barrier so that germans could flee to a democratic West Berlin. The communist East Germans built up a wall to prevent any germans from fleeing. This was also to keep the US, France, and Great Britain from entering the city for good. Soviets aimed this to starve the West allies out of the city. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
This crisis was a 13-day confrontation between the US and the Soviet Union. Soviet leader Khrushchev agreed with Cuba's request to place nuclear missiles on the island to prevent an invasion. Khrushchev and Castro secretly met to construct various missile launch facilities. President Kennedy finally reached an agreement with Khrushchev that if the Soviets dismantle their missiles the US wouldn't invade Cuba. -
Assassination of Diem
The president of South Vietnam was arrested after a successful bloody overnight siege on Gia Long Palace in Saigon. Diem and his brother escaped to a shelter in Cholon. They'd agreed to to surrender and were promised safe exile. As soon as they were captured they were arrested and were executed. -
Assassination of JFK
President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas while riding in a presidential motorcade with his wife. He was fatally shot by former marine Lee Harvey Oswald. After the long investigation, it was concluded that Oswald acted alone and was killed before he could stand in Trial. -
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
Congress passed this resolution, authorizing president Johnson to take any measures he believed were necessary to retaliate and to promote the maintenance of international peace and security in southeast Asia. It was a response to the Gulf of Tonkin incident. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
It was America's sustained bombing campaign against North Vietnam during the Vietnam War. It was started in an effort to demoralise the North Vietnamese people and to undermine the capacity of the government in North Vietnam to govern. North Vietnam didn't have a lot of an air force, its leaders managed to mount an effective defense against the bombing raids. With assistance from China and the Soviet Union, the North Vietnamese constructed a sophisticated air-defense system. -
Tet Offensive
It was one of the largest military campaigns of the Vietnam War, launched by forces of the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam against the forces of the South Vietnamese Army of the Republic of Vietnam, the United States Armed Forces, and their allies. The name of the offensive comes from the Tết holiday, the Vietnamese New Year, when the first major attacks took place. -
Assassination of MLK
Martin Luther King Jr. the civil rights leader, was fatally shot at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. King was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:05 p.m. that evening. He was known for his use of nonviolence and civil disobedience. James Earl Ray, a fugitive from the Missouri State Penitentiary, was arrested on June 8, 1968, in London at Heathrow Airport, extradited to the United States, and charged with the crime -
Riots of Democratic convention
The Democratic National Convention in Chicago, tens of thousands of Vietnam War protesters battle police in the streets, while the Democratic Party falls apart over an internal disagreement concerning its stance on Vietnam. There were riots in more than 100 cities, following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4. The convention also followed the assassination of Democratic presidential hopeful Senator Robert F. Kennedy of New York, -
Assassination of RFK
Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy was fatally shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, shortly after winning the California presidential primaries in the 1968 election, and died the next day while hospitalized. Sirhan Sirhan, a 24-year-old Palestinian/Jordanian immigrant, was convicted of Kennedy's murder and sentenced to death in 1969, although his sentence was commuted to life in prison in 1972. -
Invasion of Czechoslovakia
This joint invasion of Czechoslovakia by five Warsaw Pact nations, the Soviet Union, Bulgaria, Hungary, East Germany and Poland on the night of 20–21 August. Warsaw pact troops attacked Czechoslovakia that night, with Romania and Albania refusing to participate. East German forces, except for a small number of specialists, did not participate in the invasion because they were ordered from Moscow not to cross the Czechoslovak border just hours before the invasion. -
Election of Nixon
The United States presidential election of 1968 was the 46th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 5, 1968. The Republican nominee, former Vice President Richard Nixon, won the election over the Democratic nominee, incumbent Vice President Hubert Humphrey. Nixon is best remembered as the only president ever to resign from office. Nixon stepped down in 1974, halfway through his second term. -
Kent State
These were the shootings of unarmed college students by members of the Ohio National Guard during a mass protest against the Vietnam War at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. Twenty-nine guardsmen fired approximately 67 rounds over a period of 13 seconds, killing four students and wounding nine others, one of whom suffered permanent paralysis. -
Nixon visits China
This was an important step in formally normalizing relations between the United States and China. Occurring from February 21 to 28, 1972, the visit allowed the American public to view images of China for the first time in over two decades.It was very important because it showed that the U.S. was seeking to improve relations with a Communist country during the Cold War. -
Ceasefire in Vietnam
President Richard Nixon of the USA ordered a ceasefire of the aerial bombings in North Vietnam. The decision came after Dr. Henry Kissinger, the National Security Affairs advisor to the president, returned to Washington from Paris, France with a draft peace proposal. After the U.S. had withdrawn all its troops, the fighting continued in Vietnam, South Vietnam officially surrendered to communist North Vietnam. -
Fall of Saigon
The "Liberation" or 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. North Vietnamese forces steamrolled through the gates of the presidential palace in Saigon. Televised broadcasts captured the fall of Saigon, which marked the official end of the Vietnam War. -
Reagan elected
Reagan was was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th President of the United States from 1981 to 1989. Before his presidency, he served as the 33rd Governor of California from 1967 to 1975, after a career as a Hollywood actor and union leader. -
SDI announced
Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), also known as Star Wars, was a program first initiated under President Ronald Reagan. The intent of this program was to develop a sophisticated anti-ballistic missile system in order to prevent missile attacks from other countries. $200 Billion later President Ronald Reagan launched the Strategic Defense Initiative to develop and deploy an impenetrable shield to protect the United States from a Soviet missile attack. -
Geneva Conference with Gorbachev
For the first time in eight years, the leaders of the Soviet Union and the United States hold a summit conference. Meeting in Geneva, President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev produced no earth-shattering agreements. The two men engaged in long, personal talks and developed a sincere and close relationship.The meeting came as somewhat of a surprise to some in the United States, Reagan’s concerning communism and the Soviet Union. -
‘Tear down this wall’ speech
The day before Reagan's 1987 visit, 50,000 people had demonstrated against the presence of the American president in Berlin Berlin was closed off to prevent further anti-Reagan protests. The "tear down this wall" speech was not the first time Reagan had addressed the issue of the Berlin Wall: in a visit to West Berlin in 1982. It was a calling for the leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, to open up the barrier which had divided West and East Berlin since 1961. -
Fall of Berlin Wall
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. Crowds of East Germans crossed and climbed onto the Wall, joined by West Germans on the other side in a celebratory atmosphere.
