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Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution, which occurred from March of 1917 until November of 1917, were multiple revolutions with goals to dismantle the Tsarist autocracy. It led to the rise of the Soviet Union and, later, the tensions that developed between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. -
Iron Curtain
The Iron Curtain was the name for the boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. It was created by the leader of the Soviet Union in an attempt to cut off communication with the U.S. and leave them in the dark about the union's doings. The iron curtain led to a meeting between the Soviet Union, United Kingdom, and U.S called the Potsdam Conference. It ended in 1991. -
Potsdam Conference
The Potsdam Conference was a conference between the U.S., England, and the Soviet Union from July to August of 1945. Its goal was to secure political freedom and democratic governments throughout post-war Europe. However, Stalin, the leader of the Soviet Union at the time, made plans to take control of the whole of Europe. This rebellion led to the start of the Cold War. -
Atomic Bomb-Hiroshima and Nagasaki
During World War Two, a secret project titled The Manhattan Project was put into motion by the United States government. It caused the development of the atomic bomb, which was used on Japan in the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in an effort to force the Japanese to surrender to the U.S. and its allies. The creation of this bomb, however, caused the Soviet Union to become wary of the U.S., as its army would be rendered useless if they were to become involved in an atomic war with the U.S. -
Hollywood 10
During the Red Scare, many actors, directors, producers, etc. were called to testify against communism in America. Most agreed to appear before court and compliantly answer all questions, but 10 of these people refused to answer questions and acted "suspiciously" at the time. These 10 people were called the Hollywood 10, and were eventually convicted of contempt and sent to prison. -
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was a foreign policy created by America to counter the expansion of the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It was announced to Congress by President Harry S. Truman. -
Molotov Plan
The Molotov Plan was the plan introduced after the Marshall plan was denied by the Soviet Union. It was a system created by the Soviet Union in order to provide aid to rebuild the countries in Eastern Europe that were politically and economically aligned to the Soviet Union. They created the Molotov plan because they believed that the Marshall Plan was an attempt to weaken Soviet interest in their satellite states and to make beneficiary countries economically dependent on the United States. -
Alger Hiss Case
Alger Hiss was accused of being a Soviet spy and convicted of perjury in 1950. Before he was tried and convicted, he was involved in the establishment of the United Nations both as a US State Department official and as a U.N. official. Hiss received to concurrent five-year sentences, of which he only eventually served three and a half years. His trial led to the beginning of a fear of communists within the United States, and many more followed Hiss' fate or worse. -
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was an American initiative to aid Western Europe, in which the United States gave over $13 billion in economic support to help rebuild Western European economies after the end of World War II. It was agreed to by all of the proposed states besides the Soviet Union, who thought the plan to be a way of weakening their government. The denial of this plan by them led to their creation of the Molotov Plan. -
Berlin Blockade
The Berlin Blockade was an attempt by the Soviet Union to force the citizens of east Berlin into submission of the Soviet Union. They cut of food, electricity, and other basic necessities. There was also no way to get in or out of the east part of the city. This eventually forced Americans to load planes with basic supplies, fly them over eastern Berlin, and send them down to the people so that they would be able to survive. This was called the Berlin Airlift. The blockade ended after a year. -
Berlin Airlift
The Berlin Airlift occurred during the Berlin Blockade in an attempt to aid those unable to get the proper necessities to live in West Berlin. For an entire year, aircraft flew over Berlin and delivered up to 8,893 tons of supplies each day. The Soviets were afraid to disrupt the aircraft because they believed it could start open conflict. In May of 1949, the Soviets finally gave up and lifted the blockade. -
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, is an intergovernmental military alliance between several North American and European states based on the North Atlantic Treaty of 1949. The organization aids its members in conflicts and assists other countries defenses. Currently, 29 countries are participating in the alliance. -
Soviet Bomb Test
The Soviet Atomic bomb test was the Soviet Unions first successful attempt at an atomic bomb. It came as great shock to the US because they had not expected the Soviets to accomplish an atomic bomb so soon. With the soviets in possesion of one of the world's greatest dangers, the United States became weary, and there was a world-wide fear of the beginning of a nuclear war. -
Korean War
The Korean War was a war between North Korea and South Korea, in which North Korea would attempt to spread its communistic government throughout the whole country. The United Nations, as well as the United States, came to the aid of South Korea while China and the Soviet Union aided the north. The war lasted three years and finally ended once an armistice was signed. This agreement created the Korean Demilitarized Zone which separated North from South Korea. -
Rosenburg Trial
Julius and Ethel Rosenburg were accused of conspiracy to commit espionage. They were United States citizens who were tried and convicted of committing espionage and were eventually sentenced to death. They were executed by electric chair and their deaths only aided to the growth of the fear of communism throughout America. -
Army-McCarthy Hearings
The Army-McCarthy hearings were a series of held by the United States Senate's Subcommittee on Investigations. It investigated conflicting accusations between U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy and the United States Army. The army accused a Chief Committee Counsel, Roy Cohn, of pressuring the army to give special treatment to G. David Schine. Schine was a former aide of McCarthy and a friend of Cohn's. McCarthy refuted these accusations. -
Battle of Dien Bien Phu
The Battle of Dien Bien Phu was the climatic confrontation in the First Indochina War between the Viet Minh communist-nationalist revolutionaries and the French Union's French Far East Expeditionary Corps. The French meant it to be a battle to draw out the Vietnamese and destroy them. However, the battle ended in a French defeat. The outcome of the battle influenced negotiations that were occurring at the Geneva Conference at the time. -
Geneva Conference
The Geneva Conference was a conference among several nations the took place in Geneva, Switzerland. It was held to help settle issues resulting from the Korean War and the First Indochina War. It did not end up affecting Korea, but it did have long-lasting repercussions on the dismantling of French Indochina. The agreement temporarily separated Vietnam into two zones, and three separate ceasefire accords were signed which covered Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. -
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact was a military alliance between the Soviet Union and several Soviet satellite states in Central and Eastern Europe. It's motto was union of peace and socialism. It was the military complement to the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance, which was economical organization for the socialist states in Central and Eastern Europe. The Warsaw Pact aided to the expansion of military forces and their integration into the respective blocs. -
Hungarian Revolution
The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 was a nationwide revolt against the Hungarian People's Republic and it's Soviet-imposed policies. When it first began, it was unorganized and leaderless, but it was still a major threat to Soviet control. The revolt spread quickly and the government soon collapsed. A new government was established which pulled Hungary out of the Warsaw Pact and disbanded the ÁVH. It also pledged to re-establish free elections. -
U-2 Incident
The U-2 incident occurred during the Cold War in 1960. During the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower, a United States U-2 spy plane was shot down while in Soviet airspace. The plane was taking photos of military bases and contained American spy technology. When the Soviets came forward with this technology and the plane's captured pilot, the U.S. was forced to reveal the military intent of the plane's mission. The incident led to great embarrassment to the U.S. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
The Bay of Pigs Invasion was a failed invasion in Cuba by the CIA-sponsored paramilitary group Brigade 2506. The group's aim was too overthrow the increasingly communist government of Fidel Castro. Unfortunately, the group was defeated by Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces within three days. The failed invasion helped strengthen the position of Castro's leadership and made him a national hero. It also cemented the previously rocky relationship between the U.S. and Cuba. -
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall divided Berlin from 1961 to 1989. It was constructed by the German Democratic Republic, and it cut of West Berlin from the rest of the city and ideally quarantined the section. The division was an attempt by the Soviet Union to force Berlin's people to accept communistic rule. No food or supplies was allowed in the West Berlin, and soon its citizens were starting to starve and suffer. This eventually led to the Berlin Airlift. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a 13-day confrontation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. It concerned the Soviet Union's missile deployment in Cuba. The Soviet Union placed missiles on Cuba in order to deter any future invasions after the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion. The U.S. feared the Soviet Union would use the missiles in an attack. It resulted in withdrawal of the missiles from Cuba and an agreement between the Soviet Union and the U.S. that they would not invade Cuba without provocation. -
Assassination of Diem
Ngo Dinh Diem was the U.S. supported president of South Vietnam. He was greatly disliked by his people and he wasn't seen as truly Vietnamese. Eventually, Diem, along with his brother, were arrested and assassinated by ARVN officers. The plot was also known of and supported by the United States, because they had grown to dislike South Vietnam leader. This led to the U.S. instituting a new leader, but he was eventually discovered to be just the same as the last U.S. supported leader. -
Assassination of JFK
John F. Kennedy was riding in a presidential motorcade in Dallas, Texas when he was shot and killed by a former U.S. Marine. The marine, Lee Harvey Oswald, acted alone in carrying out the assassination. Kennedy's death marked the fourth time an American president had been assassinated. -
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
The Tonkin Gulf Resolution was a joint resolution to promote the maintenance of international peace and security in southeast Asia. It was passed by the United States Congress in response to the Gulf of Tonkin incident. The resolution authorized the president to use military force in Southeast Asia without a formal declaration of war by Congress. The resolution began the rapid escalation of U.S. military involvement in South Vietnam and open warfare between North Vietnam and the U.S. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
Operation Rolling Thunder was a campaign conducted the the U.S. 2nd Air Division, U.S. Navy, and Republic of Vietnam Air Force which had four main goals. The campaign wanted to boost the morale of the Saigon regime in the Republic of Vietnam, to persuade North Vietnam to stop its efforts to make the South contain a communistic government, to destroy North Vietnam's transportation system, industrial base, and air defenses, and to stop the flow of men and material into South Vietnam. -
Tet Offensive
The Tet Offensive was one of the largest military campaigns during the Vietnam War. It was a surprise attack by North Vietnam against command and control centers throughout South Vietnam. It resulted in heavy casualties on both sides, a U.S. and South Vietnamese tactical victory, a North Vietnamese propaganda, political, and strategic victory, and depletion of Viet Cong leading to the use of greater North Vietnamese manpower. -
Assassination of MLK
Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated by a sniper, James Earl Ray, while he was staying at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. The death of the Civil Rights Movement's most famous leader brought the black community even closer together and fueled their fight for justice. -
Assassination of RFK
Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. He was killed not long after winning the California presidential primaries in the 1968 election. Sirhan Sirhan, a 24-year-old Palestinian/Jordanian immigrant, was convicted of Kennedy's murder and sentenced to death in 1969. However, he ended up serving a life sentence in prison. His death took a blow to the optimism of the U.S. population. -
Invasion of Czechoslovakia
The Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia was a joint invasion by five Warsaw Pact nations. These nations were the Soviet Union, Bulgaria, Hungary, East Germany, and Poland. The country was attacked at night by 250,000 Warsaw pact troops. It resulted in the Warsaw Pact victory, which instituted the Moscow Protocol, resignation of the First Secretary of the Communist Party, election of a new secretary and the beginning of the Normalization era. -
Riots of Democratic Convention
The riots of democratic convention occurred in Chicago when tens of thousands of Vietnam War protesters battled with the police in the streets. At the democratic convention, the Democratic Party was debating its stance on Vietnam. The riots sparked a large-scale change in American society; Americans started to oppose the war because they believed it was pointless and wrongheaded. -
Election of Nixon
Richard Nixon ran as the Republican nominee and won the 1968 election. He campaigned to bring peace to the U.S. and end the war. Nixon also pledged to bring the divided nation together. -
Kent State
The Kent State shootings occurred during a protest by college students on the unnecessary U.S. involvement of the Vietnam War. Four unarmed college students were killed by guardsmen trying to contain the protest. Nine others were also wounded. The event created a national response-over 4 million students went on strike, causing schools to close. The event also further affected public opinion over the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. -
Nixon Visits China
President Nixon's visit to China was an important strategic and diplomatic overture which caused the rapprochement between the U.S. and China. Nixon stayed in China for seven days, and his arrival there brought an end to 25 years of no communication or diplomatic ties between the two countries. The visit resulted in a peaceful settlement of the political status in Taiwan and to open trade in other contacts. -
Ceasefire in Vietnam
In the beginning of 1973, President Nixon ordered a ceasefire on the aerial bombings in North Vietnam. After Dr. Henry Kissinger came back to Washington from France with a draft peace proposal, the decision was made. However, combat missions continued in South Vietnam. -
Fall of Saigon
Saigon fell when North Vietnamese forces began there final attack on the city. They bombarded the Army of the Republic of Vietnam forces with heavy artillery. The fall of Saigon resulted in the end of the Vietnam War, where Vietnam had a provisional government. There was a mass surge of refugees, Vietnamese reunification, and Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City. -
Reagan Elected
Reagan was elected in the 1980 presidential election. The main debate between the election's candidates was on the ongoing Iran hostage crisis. Reagan proposed to lower taxes to stimulate the economy, have less government involvement in people's lives, focus on states' rights, and harness a strong national defense. Reagan brought changes to the U.S. economy and expanded its military, and he also was a key contributor to the end of the Cold War. -
SDI Announced
The Strategic Defense Initiative Organization(SDI), was a proposed missile defense system to protect the United States from attacks by ballistic strategic nuclear weapons. The concept was announced by Ronald Reagan, who asked U.S. scientists and engineers to develop a nuclear weapon defeating system. The plan was unofficially labeled "Star Wars". At the end of the Cold War support for the SDI collapsed and it ended in 1993. It paved the way for the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization(BMDO). -
Geneva Conference with Gorbachev
The Geneva Conference was held in Geneva, Switzerland. Talks were held by President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev on international diplomatic relations and the arms race. The conference did not accomplish much, but did lead to more similar conferences in the future with Gorbachev and George W. Bush when he later became president. -
"Tear Down This Wall" Speech
Ronald Reagan traveled to West Berlin in 1987 to confront the Soviet leader to tear down the wall that had divided West and East Berlin for so long. It was a call for change and human rights, and it was a daring and moving speech. Soon after the speech was made, the Soviet leader did tear down the wall and united Berlin once more. -
Fall of Berlin Wall
Two years after the famous "Tear Down This Wall" speech made by Ronald Reagan, the Berlin Wall began to be demolished. People with any tool they could find attacked the wall and took as much of it as apart as was possible for themselves. Bulldozers knocked down walls and crowds appeared on both sides cheering and waiting with anticipation to reunite with family and friends for the first time in many years. The fall of the wall marked the first critical step towards German reunification.
