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Russian Revolution
Was happening from 1917 to 1918. America opposed communism because it took away personal freedom. Woodrow Wilson sent troops and aid to help the democratic resistors during the revolution in Russia. -
Potsdam Conference
Was happening from 7/17/1935 to 8/2/1925. Tensions emerged because Stalin wanted to spread communism and everyone else wanted to stop him. The conference was about control of Germany, post war boundaries, Japan, and securing a lasting peace. -
Atomic Bomb- Hiroshima/Nagasaki
Hiroshima was bombed on 8/6/1945
Nagasaki was bombed on 8/9/1945
The Atomic bomb upset the Soviet Union because they were surprised Truman used the bomb so willingly. The Atomic bomb reduced surprise attacks and nobody wanted a full scale out right war because of mutually assured destruction. -
Iron Curtain
First coined by Winston Churchill on March 5th 1946. The Iron Curtain Lasted until around 1989 when Communism started to decline in Europe. The Iron Curtain referred to the line of Communist nations the Soviet Union was using to protect their borders. It was a line of communist nations all along Eastern Europe. -
Molotov Plan
The Molotov Plan was in 1947. The Soviet Foreign Minister, V. M. Molotov, objected to accepting help from the US because the US would also be aiding Germany, which the Soviets would want control of; Molotov also wanted to know how much money the US would provide each nation with. After forcing the Soviet's allies into not accepting Marshall Plan help, Molotov created his own plan which would aid and restore countries in Eastern Europe that were politically and economically aligned with Soviets. -
Hollywood 10
When the Hollywood industry was under investigation for having possible communists, over 40 people tied in with the Hollywood industry were to appear in front of the HUAC. 10 screenwriters and directors would not cooperate with the investigations and challenged their legitimacy. They were all cited for contempt in November 1947 and found guilty April 1948, and later blacklisted in the Communist blacklist of the Hollywood Industry. -
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was first proposed to Congress on 3/12/1947 then further developed in the following July. Truman introduced this American foreign policy which would aid any democratic nation under threat from authoritarian forces through political, military and economic assistance. This became the foundation of the American foreign policy, eventually leading to the formation of NATO. -
Alger Hiss
First accused of being a spy in 1948. This case occurred Whittaker Chambers, an exposed ex-communist, accused Alger Hiss of being a communist and passing him top secret reports in front of the Huac. Hiss denied these charges, but later on he admitted he knew Chambers when personally speaking to him under a different name. When Hiss went to trial, he was charged with two counts of perjury, rather than treason, and found guilty in both in 1949 and 1950. -
The Marshall Plan
On this date, Truman would sign the Economic Recovery Act of 1948, known as the Marshall Plan which stretched until Europe was fixed. This act stated that the US would provide economic aid for the post-war restoration of Europe. Though this was not the only reason--the plan reduced the influence and power of Communist parties in Western Europe. In return, it further angered the Soviet Union, causing more tension within the Cold War. -
Berlin Blockade
The Berlin Blockade stretched from 6/24/1948 to 5/12/1949. During the occupation of post–World War II Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' access to the sectors of Berlin under Western control with a blockade. People of West Berlin were left to starve, having no clothing or medical supplies as well. Instead of aggressively responding, the Allies retaliated with an invigorating plan. -
Berlin Airlift
Began on 6/26/1948 to 5/12/1949. The Allies began to supply their sectors of Berlin through the use of cargo planes; they would deliver food, clothes, fuel and other items. The Soviets refused to tear down the Berlin Blockade until May 12th of 1949 when they had realized the failure of the blockade. By then, the Allies delivered about 2.3 million tons of items. This blockade only made the Soviets seem cold and cruel, while motivating the creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. -
NATO
NATO was created on April 4th, 1949 and lasts to this day. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is the formal alliance of North American and European territories created to defend each other from the possibility of communist Soviet powers taking control of their nations. This created further tensions in the Cold War when the Soviets created its own rival alliance, the Warsaw Pact. -
Soviet Bomb Test
The USSR successfully detonated its first atomic bomb which destroyed structures and incinerated animals. The US discovered this when on September 3rd, a plane flew over and picked up evidence of radioactivity. A physicist, Klaus Fuchs, was later on discovered for passing US nuclear secrets to the Soviets. The US went on to build up its conventional and nuclear weapons to contain the Soviet influence, furthering the nuclear arms race. -
Korean War
June 25, 1950 – July 27, 1953. Divided at the 38th Parallel, North and South Korea went to war on July 25th, 1950 when the North invaded the South. The US and United Nations aided South Korea while China and the Soviet union aided communist North Korea. The war came to an end on July 27th, 1953 when an armistice was signed. The entire war was practically caused by the Cold War-- the US did not want communism to spread any further than it already had. -
Rosenberg Trial
Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were accused of selling atomic bomb secrets to the Russians. On April 4th, , they were convicted of "Conspiracy to Commit Espionage" and were executed on April 6th. -
Dien Bien Phu
November 1953. 12000 French paratroopers landed there. France thought they would win easily, however, the Viet Minh won with Russian support. France’s largest defeat. France was then forced to leave Vietnam -
Army-McCarthy Hearings
The hearings occurred on 4/22/1954 and were about Senator Joseph McCarthy who claimed he held a list of 205 communists working in the state department which he used to manipulate and "influence" American society in the 1950's. McCarthy later accused the US Army of being soft on communism, leading to the disastrous hearings. McCarthy's case was seen as irrelevant and was voted by the senate in December to be censured. -
Geneva Conference
The US, USSR, People's republic of China, France and Great Britain came together to resolve problems in Asia.The US had been supporting the French in the battle between them and Ho Chi Minh's forces, but they were tired of the war. France decided to ask questions about Vietnam, which lead to the Geneva Agreements which stated France would withdraw their troops from northern Vietnam and that it would be divided at the 17th Parallel. France and the US refused to sign.Lasted 4/26/1554 to 6/21/1954 -
Warsaw Pact
Occurred on 5/14/1955. The Warsaw Pact was a military alliance of communist nations which formed as a response to NATO. It included Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the Soviet Union, becoming a potential militaristic threat; it could be seen as a sign of communist dominance, and a rival to American capitalism. -
Hungarian Revolution (10/23/1956)
A nationwide revolt against the Hungarian People's republic and the Soviet policies it imposed; people wanted a more democratic government. Imre Nagy was appointed as the new premier; he then stated that Hungary will leave the Warsaw Pact, wanting a democratic nation as well. On November 10th 1956, the Soviets brought an end to the revolt, using tanks against the protesters, killing thousands. Nagy ran, but was found and executed. It was the first major anti-Soviet uprising in Eastern Europe. -
U2 Incident
On May 1st, 1960, the Soviets shot down an American U-2 spy plane in Soviet areas and captured its pilot, Francis Gary Powers. President Eisenhower first tried to say it was a weather flight, but had to admit to the Soviets the CIA had been spying on them for several years. Powers was convicted with espionage charges and 10 years in prison by the Soviets; he was later released, exchanged for a captured Soviet spy. This raised tensions between the US and USSR. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
To overthrow Fidel Castro, a group of 1,500 Cubans who were trained and financed launched a botched invasion of Cuba. JFK approved this because he believed Castro was trying to spread Communism. This instead strengthened Castro's position. Castro then sent 20,000 troops toward the beach and Pres. Kennedy authorized B-26's to attack, but were shot down by Cubans. Prisoners were kept for 20 momths until Castro got $53M worth of baby food and medicine.
End date: April 19th, 1961 -
Berlin Wall
The Communist government of East Germany began to build a barbed wire and concrete wall in order to keep Western "fascists", the US and its allies, from entering. It stood until November 9th, 1989, when the communist party stated citizens could cross the wall whenever; that night, crowds swarmed the wall and crossed into Berlin or brought objects to break down the wall. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The US and Soviet union were in a 13-day political/military standoff over installations of nuclear-armed Soviet missiles on Cuba 90 miles from US shores. Seen as a threat, President JFK put a naval blockade around Cuba if they needed to neutralize the situation. People then believed nuclear war was near, but disaster was averted when the US made an agreement with Soviet leader Khrushchev to remove Cuban missiles if the US didn't invade Cuba, and remove US missiles from Turkey. (End: 10/28/1962) -
Assassination of Diem
Killed on 11/2/1963. After being overthrown by South Vietnamese military forces, Ngo Dinh Diem and his brother were captured and killed by soldiers. Celebration and political chaos ensued, so the US began to stabilize the South Vietnamese government all while beating communist forces. It was later discovered that the US was involved in the killings, encouraging the generals plans. -
Assassination of JFK
While traveling in Dallas, Texas, President JFK was fatally shot three times while passing the Texas School Book Depository Building by Lee Harvey Oswald and pronounced dead 30 minutes later. This assassination took place a couple of weeks after the killings of the communist Ngo Dinh Diem. -
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
On August 2nd, 1964, North Vietnamese torpedo boats attacked an American destroyer in the Gulk of Tonkin. Two days later, two US destroyers stationed in the Gulf of Tonkin in Vietnam radioed that they had been fired upon by North Vietnamese forces. President Johnson then requested permission from Congress to increase military presence in Indochina to secure peace and be able to retaliate if anything were to go further. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
Went from Mar 2, 1965 to Nov 1, 1968. Johnson authorized the constant bombing of North Vietnam. Operation was supposed to last for 18 weeks but went on for 3 years. Cost almost 1 billion in taxpayers dollars. -
TET Offensive
Shortly after General Westmoreland proclaimed that war seemed to be coming to an end on 1/30/68 there was a coordinated attack towards nearly every military and political center in South Vietnam. The capital and US embassy were attacked along with almost every other populated area in South Vietnam. The attack lasted until 9/23/1968 when the US eventually won, however, afterwards Americans stopped supporting the war. -
Assassination of MLK
On April 4, 1968 Martin Luther King Jr., a well known civil rights leader, was shot at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. He was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital, and was pronounced dead the same day. He was shot with a sniper bullet to the neck and died at 39 years of age. -
Assassination of RFK
On June 5, 1968, Robert F. Kennedy, a US Senator was mortally wounded at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. He had just won the California presidential primaries in the 1968 election. He was taken to the hospital and died on June 6, 1968. He was shot multiple times with a handgun. -
Invasion of Czechoslovakia
On August 20-21 1968 the Warsaw Pact invaded Czechoslovakia. The USA let the Soviet Union take it, in an effort to reduce global tensions. Small groups continued to revolt against the Soviet Union until early 1969. It was a surprising offensive and managed to slow down the splintering of communist nations in Eastern Europe. While also creating the Brezhnev Doctrine which let the Soviet Union go wherever a communist government was threatened. -
Riots at the Democratic Convention
On August 28 1968, at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Democrats couldn't agree on the Vietnam issue. Fights broke out trying to defend personal positions and this led to tens of thousands of Vietnam War protesters battle police in the streets. -
Election of Nixon
As Republican Vice President Richard Nixon won the presidential election on 11/5/1968 and took office in 1969. His term lasted until 8/9/1974 when he stepped down after facing certain impeachment. He wanted to hand the war back to South Vietnam, called Vietnamization. During his term his administration had waged an illegal war on the home front against political opponents, members of the media and leaders of the anti-war movement. -
Kent State
On May 4, 1970, four Kent State University students were killed and nine injured when members of the Ohio National Guard opened fire during a demonstration protesting the Vietnam War. -
Nixon visits China
February 21, 1972 President Nixon visited China. This was the first time for any president since 1949. It was significant at the time because it drove a wedge between China and Soviet Union. It gave the US more power when negotiating with Soviet Union. Today this visit is important because it was what started the US/China trade relationship. -
Ceasefire in Vietnam
When the ceasefire was first reached the Saigon government rejected it. Eventually the ceasefire was agreed to on 7 pm January 27, 1973, on the condition that America would interfere if the Communists tried to invade South Vietnam -
Fall of Saigon
Saigon was attacked by Communist Vietnam on April 30, 1975. Despite Nixon's promise to aid if the Communists attacked, no help was given to South Vietnam. Because of this Vietnam was reunited as a Communist nation and Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh. This lead to the largest helicopter evacuation in history 7000+ people out of Saigon. President Ford wanted to aid South Vietnam because it was America's moral responsibility, however, Congress wouldn't let him. -
Reagan Elected
Reagan became president in 981 and his main goal was destroying communism. He proposed building the military using 1.5 trillion dollars. He didn't agree with containment policies, because he didn't want communism to exist. By the end of his first term defense spending was 23 million dollars an hour. -
SDI Announced
On March 23, 1983 President Reagan announced the creation of the Strategic Defense Initiative or SDI. SDI was an idea that satellites would intercept ballistic nukes, exploding them in space. It would protect America from nukes giving people peace of mind even though it never existed. It was called star wars by the press. The Soviet Union took it as a serious threat and invested everything to try and keep up with American military spending. This scares them and eventually led to their demise -
Geneva Conference with Gorbachev
The Geneva Summit took place on November 19 and 20, 1985, between U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev. No arms agreements were made at the conference. However, Gorbachev and Reagan became friends. -
'Tear down this wall' speech
Reagan went to Berlin and on June 12, 1987 he called Gorbachev to 'tear down this wall' in reference to the Berlin wall segregating the people of Berlin and symbolizing the iron curtain. Reagan sought to common human rights, and to bring peace to the wold with the end to the cold war. Gorbachev agreed, and the cold war was ended. -
Fall of Berlin Wall
Once the wall was gone on November 9, 1989, the people in East Germany all fled. In 1990 Germany was given back to the Germans and a democracy was established. After the wall fell citizens in all countries rose up, showing their support for the end of the cold war and communism. Countries opened their borders and communism was forced out of most USSR nations.
