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United Nations
The UN is an international organization made to settle world problems and avoid armed conflicts. Their first meeting was held in San Francisco in 1945. -
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine stated that the United States would provide military and economic aid to countries threatened by Communism. -
Marshall Plan
The Marshall plan is the United States' plan for economic recovery for war-torn countries in Europe. There were $13 billion in U.S. loans and the plan was created by George Marshall, the U.S Secretary of State at the time. -
COMECON
The Council for Mutual Assistance was the Soviet plan to aid in rebuilding Soviet bloc nations. -
NATO
North Atlantic Treaty Organization was a military alliance where the allies would provide mutual help if one of them was attacked. The countries consisted of USA, Britain, France, Canada, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, and Norway. -
Korean War
UN forces were sent in to stop Communist aggression and expansion. The USSR supplied war material to North Korea and Chinese forces entered war on the side of North Korea. -
Hydrogen Bomb
The United States made the first hydrogen bomb, which is more destructive than the first atomic bombs. The picture shows what it would look like if a nuke exploded in your neighborhood. -
Eisenhower
During his presidency, Dwight D. Eisenhower managed Cold War tensions with the Soviet Union under the threat of nuclear weapons, ended the Korean War in 1953, and authorized covert anti-communist CIA operations around the world. -
Khrushchev
Nikita Khrushchev was the Soviet Union leader after Stalin's death. He removed Stalin's harsh policies and agreed to turn ships around during Cuban Missile Crisis. -
KGB
The KGB were Soviet Secret Police and were the world's largest spy organization. -
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact was the military alliance of Communist Block nations and a response to NATO. The countries involved were USSR, East Germany, Albania, Czech, Poland, Hungary, and Romania. -
Vietnam War
Vietnam was divided into 2 states: Communist North Vietnam and Democratic South Vietnam. President Johnson ordered American troops to Vietnam and didn't surrender because of the theory that if South Vietnam falls to Communism, other East Asian nations would too, know as the domino theory. -
Hungarian Revolution
The Hungarian Revolution were anti-Soviet demonstrations in Hungary. Khrushchev crushed the revolt. -
Sputnik
First satellite to orbit Earth sent by Russia and sent radio signals back to Earth. -
Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro was the leader of the Communist forces that seized control of Cuba- the Soviet supported the government set up in Cuba. -
U-2
U-2 was an American spy plane that was shot down by the USSR. Gary Powers was the pilot. -
Yuri Gagarin
Gagarin was a Russian Cosmonaut and the 1st man to travel in space. He traveled in the Vostok 1 spaceship. -
Bay of Pigs
CIA had Cuban exiles invade Cuba and lead revolt against Castro. -
Berlin Wall Built
Soviet Union built a wall to keep East Germans from fleeing to West Germany. The wall was highly guarded and a symbol of the division between the United States and Soviet Union -
John F. Kennedy
United States president that ordered the Bay of Pigs and ordered the blockading of Cuban ports during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He made an agreement with Khrushchev and stopped the Cuban missiles from reaching land. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was when the USSR tried to place nuclear missiles in Cuba, when President Kennedy orders the U.S. to blockade the ships carrying the missiles. The USA and USSR were on the brink of Nuclear war and this was the climax of the Cold War. Khrushchev agreed to turn the ships around and Kennedy agreed not to invade Cuba. -
Vietnamization
Vietnamization was Nixon's strategy aimed at ending American involvement in the Vietnam War by transferring all military responsibilities to South Vietnam. -
Detente
Detente is French for relaxation and refers to the period of improvement in United States and Soviet Union relations. -
SALT
The Strategic Arms Limitations Treaty, SALT, limited the number of nuclear weapons of each nation. -
Afghanistan
The Soviets invaded Afghanistan and had a 10 year war against Afghan Rebels. -
Berlin Wall Torn Down
The Berlin Wall was torn down, reuniting East and West Berlin, and an important symbol of the end of the Cold War. -
Cold War Officially Ends
Gorbachev and President Bush met to declare an official end to the Cold War. -
Perestroika
Perestroika, restructuring, is the gradual changing of Soviet economy allowing private enterprise dismantling of national bureaucracy. -
Glasnost
Glasnost, openness, was the freedom of expression for Soviet citizens that eased harsh treatment of opponents of Soviet system. -
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev was the president of the Soviet Union and had reforms and military cutbacks.
