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Russian Revolution
The U.S opposed Communism because they believed that the poor would strike back and start a revolution with the upper classmen. One of the main causes of the Russian Revolution was the shortage of food in Russia due to the lack of harvesting during war time. Due to the shortage of food, produce prices rose, making it hard for people to get food. Due to some events in the revolution such as, the poor weren't given much food or equal rights this caused later tensions between the U.S. and Soviets. -
Potsdam Conference
The participants of the conference were the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States. This confernce was about the determination to secure political freedom and democratic governments. During the conference tensions began to grow between partners, also Joseph Stalin was very determined to take over Europe. -
Atomic Bomb
The U.S. dropped a five-ton bomb onto the city of Hiroshima killing 80,000 people, but later thousands more died due to radiation. Three days later, the U.S. dropped another bomb onto Nagasaki, killing 40,000 people. This upset the Soviet Union because, Stalin knew he wouldn't be able to fight back. The atomic bomb changed future warfare because, allies had a confrontation that they couldn't afford -
Iron Curtain
A boundary dividing Europe into separate areas during the end of World War II and throughout the Cold War. The Soviet Union was trying to block itself from non-Soviet controlled areas. -
Molotov Plan
The Soviet Unions plan to provide aid to rebuild Eastern Europe countries, that were politically and economically aligned to the Soviet Union -
Hollywood 10
The Hollywood 10, were 10 members of the Hollywood film industry, who publicly exposed HUAC tactics. They also refused to answer questions. They were convicted of contempt and they were sent to prison. This caused the U.S. to create the Internal Security Act. -
Marshall Plan
Massive economic assistance for hunger, poverty, desperation, and chaos. They were afraid that Europeans would turn to communism without aid from the U.S. The Soviet Union was the only country to refuse money from the U.S. The U.S. donated many items to Europe such as, nets for fisherman, coal to fuel Danish industry, and much more. -
Berlin Blockade
Stalin blockaded Berlin to force out Western allies out of West Berlin and starve it's people into submission. Blocked the railway, road, and canal access to the sectors that the Westerns allies controlled -
Berlin Airlift
Due to Stalin blockading West Berlin, the U.S. flew day and night bringing supplies to re-supply the city. They brought things such as food and fuel, plus more. In fear of open conflict, the Soviets did not disrupt the airlift. -
Truman Doctrine
The United States would provide political, military, and economic help to all democratic nations under threat. President Truman asked congress for money to support Greece and Turkey. -
Alger Hiss Case
Ex communist, Whittaker Chambers, accused Alger Hiss, a former state department employee, of being a former communist and a spy for the Soviet Union. This caused people to fear a communist conspiracy to destroy the United States. Hiss was later sentenced to five years in prison, on each of the two counts. -
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was formed for the need of a united defense against the Soviets. NATO consisted of 12 countries during the Cold War. -
1st Geneva Conference
Comprise 4 treaties and 3 additional protocols, that created the standards of international law from humanitarian treatment in war. "For the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field" -
Soviet Bomb Test
The Soviets increased their project after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This came as a great shock to the United States because they were not expecting the bomb so soon. This Atomic Bomb lead Americans to question if they were safe or not. -
Korean War
Following World War II, Korea had been split in to the 38th Parallel. On the 25th of June, troops from North Korea marched into South Korea. On the 27th of June, President Truman ordered both Naval and Air forces to South Korea to aid the democratic nation to repel an invasion from North Korea. -
Rosenburg Trial
The Rosenberg's were accused of being Soviet spies, in connection of a plot to pass U.S. bomb secrets to the Soviets. They were convicted on March 29th and were sentenced to death. -
Battle of Dien Bien Phu
The first battle of the French Indochina War, between France and the Viet Mihn. It ended in a French defeat that influenced negotiations underway at Geneva. -
Army-McCarthy Hearings
Joseph McCarthy was a U.S. senator, who made accusations about there being 205 communist working in the Federal Government. He was eventually exposed as a fraud by a series of case hearings, where he couldn't keep up with his own story. -
Warsaw Pact
In response to the formation of NATO, the Soviets created the Warsaw Pact, a competing alliance to NATO. It consisted of the Soviet Union and seven of it's satellites, which put the Soviets in charge of the armed forces. -
Hungarian Revolution
A widespread revolt against the government of the Hungarian People's Republic and it's Soviet pressed policies. This was the first major threat to the Soviet control since the USSR's forces pushed Nazi Germany from it's territory. -
U2 Incident
A United States U-2 spy plane was shot down while in Soviet airspace. CIA pilot, Gary Powers, was conducting photographic aerial reconnaissance, when he was hit by a missile. He safely parachuted to the ground where he was then captured. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
Fidel Castro gained control of Cuba. The United States feared the worst of him because he looked and talked like a Communist. The U.S. military came up with a plan to take care of him. It consisted of an armed invasion of the Bay Of Pigs, in Cuba with CIA trained Cuban Rebels. But due to Kennedy's decline of Naval and Air support, the invasion force was crushed. Kennedy began to think that the Soviets would seize on the Bay of Pigs as a sign of weakness -
Berlin Wall
By the 1960's West Berlin was a rising cosmopolitan city, while East Berlin was hungry, disfranchised, and in poverty. East Berliners began fleeing over across the open border into West Berlin. As a response Khrushchev issued an ultimatum to the U.S. President that stated, to withdraw the U.S. troops that are currently occupying West Berlin or face a blockade. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Soviet Union sent ships across the Atlantic to Cuba where they anchored, with a plan to bomb the U.S. The United States military forces were preparing for the Soviet Union to invade Cuba. In response to a future missile launch by the Soviets, we had the 'Minutemen Missiles', which were poised to destroy every major city in the Soviet Union. The situation finally ended by diplomacy, where Khrushcher agreed to remove missiles from Cuba. -
Assassination of Diem
Early on November 2nd, Diem agreed to surrender, where he was then arrested. After, his attempted escape and being caught again, he was assassinated. The convoy that he was on stopped at a railroad crossing, where he was then assassinated -
Assassination of JFK
Assassinated while riding in a motorcade in Dealey Plaza. He was fatally shot by Lee Harvey Oswald, while riding with his wife. There was a ten month investigation, concluded without absolute proof that Oswald acted alone -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
The North Vietnamese navy was deliberately and repeatedly attacking U.S. Navy ships that were present in international waters. President Lyndon Johnson got authorization to use conventional military force in Southeast Asia. It authorized the President to do whatever necessary in order to assist "any member of protocol state," which included involving armed forces. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
U.S. military aircraft attacked targets throughout North Vietnam. This was intended to put military pressure on North Vietnam's Communist leaders to lower their size to wage war against the U.S. supported government of South Vietnam -
Tet Offensive
A campaign of attacks against military and civilian command and control centers across South Vietnam. During this time TV coverage had filmed a lot of details on the front line. Although, the U.S. won the battle, it was a mental win for the Vietcong. In March of 1968, Lyndon B. Johnson surrendered from office. -
Assassination of MLK
King was fatally shot in Memphis. He was then rushed to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. James Earl Ray, a fugitive from Missouri State Penitentiary, was arrested for the crime. -
Assassination of RFK
Presidential candidate, Robert Kennedy, was fatally shot in Los Angeles. He died the next day in the hospital. He was shaking hands with Juan Romero, a busboy, when he was shot by Sirhan Sirhan by a .22 Iver-JohnsonCadet revolver. -
Invasion of Czechoslovakia
Around 250,000 Warsaw Pact troops attacked Czechoslovakia, Romania and Albania refused to take part. East Germany was ready to participate, but they were ordered from Moscow to not cross the border just hours before the invasion. 108 citizens were killed and around 500 were wounded. In the end the Warsaw Pact won. -
Riots of Democratic convention
Tens of thousands of Anti-War protesters battled police in the streets, while the Democratic Party falls apart over an inside disagreement about its stance on Vietnam -
Election of Nixon
Republican and former Vice President, Richard Nixon, won the election over Democratic nominee, Hubert Humphrey. Nixon won the popular vote by a narrow margin. This election was a major "realigning election" as it disrupted the New Deal Coalition, which had dominated presidential politics for 36 years. -
Kent State
When President Nixon announced that 150,000 more soldiers needed to be drafted for an expansion of the Vietnam War effort, it provoked massive protests. Including Kent State, where protesters set fire to the ROTC building, in which the governor sent 900 guardsmen to Kent State. During an altercation, 28 guardsmen opened fire on a crowd, killing 4 students and wounding 9. -
Nixon visits China
Nixon's first step towards normalizing relations with the communist people's Republic of China, by traveling to Beijing for a week. This began the slow process to re-establishing relations between the United States and China -
Ceasefire in Vietnam
South Vietnam was well supplied via last minute deliveries of U.S. weapons and they continued to receive aid from the U.S. after the ceasefire. Even though the ceasefire began on time, both sides violated it. -
Fall of Saigon
The People's Army of Vietnam and the Viet Cong, captured Saigon. This marked the end of the Vietnam War and the start of a transition period to reunification of Vietnam. The capture of the city was preceded by the evacuation of almost all American civilian and military personal. -
Reagan Elected
Reagan won the election, where he captured about 51 percent of the popular vote. In his inaugural speech, he said, "In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problems; government is the problem." -
SDI Announced
The Strategic Defense Initiative was a proposed missile defense system that was intended to protect the U.S. from attack by nuclear weapons, which was to be deployed into Outer Space. This was Reagan's way to try to bring an end to MAD. -
Geneva Conference
President Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev meet for the first time to talk about international diplomatic relations and the arms race, which provided a historic breakthrough. Although, they didn't meet any agreement, they did forge a new relationship. -
'Tear Down This Wall' Speech
In Reichstag, at the Bradenburg Gate, President Reagan gave a speech, telling Gorbachev to take down the Berlin Wall. After the speech many nations began protesting and fighting for their freedom. -
Fall of Berlin Wall
East Berlin's Communist Party's spokesman, said that at midnight citizens of the GDR were free to cross the country's border. This was a change in his city's relations with West. More than 2 million people from East Berlin visited West Berlin that weekend to celebrate.
