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Stalin
He was the Soviet Union leader that enforced collectivization and industrial advancements. He was responsible for the Reign of Terror where millions of people died under his watch. -
United Nations
This is the world's largest international organization formed after WWII to maintain peace. Unlike the League of Nations, United Nations actually had military support to back it up. -
Ho Chi Minh
He was a Vietnamese communist leader who was the president and prime minister. He was a key figure and supporter of a communist Vietnam. He also founded the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945. -
Iron Curtain
This was the description of the separation of East and West Europe given by Winston Churchill. Some believe that this was the beginning of the Cold War. -
Truman Doctrine
This was President Truman's statement that the United States would aid Greece and Turkey so they would not fall to Communism. This was the beginning of the Cold War where the Soviets felt threatened by America. -
Marshall Plan
A United States program to aid and give money to European nations to prevent the spread of Communism. It helped West Europe grow and prosper while East Europe's society declined. -
Berlin Airlift
The Western Allies flew over and supplied the people in West Berlin with supplies. This embarrassed the Soviet Union and helped West Berlin grow and prosper. It prevented the spread of communism. -
NATO
This was a military alliance between North America and Western Europe. It was a system of defense for the other countries in the treaty to back them up if they were ever attacked. -
People's Republic of China
This is the world's most populated country with a single-party state under Communist rule. The historical significance is that the United States has diplomatic relations with a communist country. -
Korean War
This was the war with South Korea and the UN against North Korea, China, and the Soviet Union. This allowed the United States and the Soviet Union to indirectly fight each other. -
Explosion of the first hydrogen bomb
This destroyed an island and left a crater 175 feet deep. This bomb was more powerful than the atomic bomb. -
Khrushchev
He was the First Secretary of the Communist Party in the Soviet Union and he was later the Chairman of Council of Ministers. He was the first person that supported and responsible for de - Stalinization. -
KGB
This is also known as the Committee for State Security which is the security agency for the Soviet Union. They guarded the State Border as a military service and protected the Soviet Government. -
Geneva Accords
The European powers and the United States gathered at this conference to try and unify Vietnam and restore Indochina by signing these documents. These documents claimed that Vietnam should be separated into 2 zones and they could hold free elections for their own government. -
Warsaw Pact
Alliances between the Communist countries in Europe with Russia as the leader. Complicated alliances are one of the first steps that lead to war. -
Vietnam
This was the war between the Communist North Vietnam and the anti-Communist South Vietnam. This allowed the Soviet Union and the United States to indirectly fight each other. -
Suez Canal/Nasser
This is the canal that connects the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. This confrontation was between Egypt and Britain, France, and Israel. The Soviet Union and the United States worked together to stop a major crisis even though they do not have diplomatic relations. -
European Economic Cooperation
This was the alliance between Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, and West Germany. This alliance lowered tariffs for trade between these countries. -
Sputnik
This was the first artificial Earth Satellite by the Russians. Sputnik led to the Space Race which was a build up of technological and scientific developments between USSR and the United States. -
Berlin Wall is Erected
This wall completely cut off West Berlin from East Berlin. This separated the democratic countries from the communist countries. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
This was when the Soviet Union tried to deliver missiles to Cuba and the United States tried to prevent it with a naval blockade. This was the closest that the Cold War turned into a nuclear war. -
Brezhnev
He was apart of the Communist Party and the 4th leader of the Soviet Union. He also served in the military for a few years. Brezhnev is known for bringing back Stalin's ideas. -
Tet Offensive
A chain of attacks of the Viet Cong and North Vietnam on South Vietnam and the United States. Even though the Communist surprised the United States and South Vietnam, they were able to hold them back and beat them. -
Helsinki Accords
This was a set of basic rights to improve relations between everyone who wanted to be apart of the conference. The 33 countries were trying to solve conflict in southeast Asia and improve relations. -
Iranian hostage crisis
52 Americans were held hostage for 444 days in Iran. This led to poor relations between the United States and Iran when the US military failed to bring them back safetly. -
Russian Invasion of Afganistan
This is the war fought by the Soviet Union and Afghanistan against Pakistan, United States, Britian, China, Saudi Arabia, and Mujahideen. It resulted in many casualities and a large number fled the countries under attack. This war resulted in the Geneva Accords. -
Moscow Olympics
This was the first time the Eastern bloc hosted the Summer Olympics. 65 countries, including the United States, boycotted the games because of the Soviet War in Afghanistan. -
Lech Walesa and the Solidarity Movement in Poland
He was the 2nd president of Poland and the co-founder of the Solidarity Movement. The Solidarity Movement was the Soviet bloc's first trade union. -
Los Angeles Olympics
This was the second time that the United States hosted the games in Los Angeles. 14 Eastern European countries refused to participate in the games becasue of the anti-Soviet beliefs in the United States. -
Gorbachev
He was the first and last president of the Soviet Union. He tried to reform the Soviet Union and helped end the Cold War. -
Perestroika and Glasnost
These were the words that Gorbachev used to describe the reform of Soviet society and politics. These words were implemented by him and they actually worked and helped improve Russian society. -
Chernobyl
This explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant after an unexpected power source. This is known as one of the worst nuclear power plant accident in history and the damage effected the Soviet Union and its people. -
Tiananmen Square
In Beijing, students began to protest against the government and then the military got involved to end it. When the military got involved, they ended up killing the most people in the history of Beijing. They also mobilized the most troops. -
Berlin Wall is Torn down
This is when the citizens were able to go back and forth between East and West Germany. This made it possible for Germany to reunify and spread communism. -
Yeltsin
He was the first president of Russian Federation from 1991 to 1999. He was against communism and Gorbachev. He was the founding father of democracy in East Europe. -
End of the USSR
This is when all the states in the Soviet Union broke apart after Mikhail Gorbachev resigned. -
Putin
He is the President of Russia and a past Prime Minister of Russia. He ended the economic crisis of the 1990s.
