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Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution was when the Russian peasants and working class people revolted against the government of Tsar Nicholas II. The Bolsheviks were the people who revolted to make the communist government and they were led by Vladimir Lenin. This led to the Cold War when the United States feared that the Soviet Union would spread Communism throughout the world and get rid of democracy. -
Potsdam Conference
The Potsdam conference was when the Soviet Union leader, United States President, and the British Prime Minister met in Potsdam to negotiate terms to end WWII. It was significant because it did not settle all of the problems and issues at hand which eventually led to the beginning of the Cold War. -
Atomic bomb - Hiroshima/Nagasaki
The atomic bomb was a nuclear bomb that was made of Uranium. The U.S on August 6, 1945 dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima that wiped out 90% of the city. On August 9, 1945 another atomic bomb was dropped on the Japanese city of Nagasaki. These bombings were significant because Stalin who was the leader of the Soviet Union wanted to be equal with the U.S and balanced in the weapon industry. Stalin feared that Truman would drop one on Russia which would annihilate the red army. -
Iron Curtain
The Iron Curtain was the speech in which Winston Churchill said that a certain "iron curtain has descended" on Europe. When he said this he was referring to the boundary line between Europe's two different political areas. This was important to the Cold War because the Western part of Europe was democratic and free while the Eastern part of Europe was under communism. This made Stalin frustrated because he wanted all of Europe to be under his rule. -
Hollywood 10
The Hollywood 10 was a group of Hollywood workers who refused to answer questions to stand up for there first amendment rights. This was important towards the Cold War because it made people in the U.S fear that there were more communists in the country that nobody knew about. Since the 10 people would not answer the questions many people thought that they were all guilty for being a communist. -
Molotov Plan
Molotov Plan was a system that was created by the Soviet Union, that would provide aid to Eastern Europe to rebuild it into a politically and economically aligned Soviet country. The Molotov plan symbolized the resistance to the Marshall plan that the Soviet Union had. This caused conflict in the long run between the Communist countries and the Democratic countries because it made the communists have more power and they tried to force Communism on Democratically aligned countries. -
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was created by Harry Truman that stated that the U.S would provide economical, military, and political aid to all democratic nations that were under threat from authoritarian forces. It played an important role towards the Cold War because it was made so that the democratic nations would have aid against the communists and communist nations which made Stalin, the ruler of the Soviet Union, mad at the U.S creating the gruesome Cold War. -
Berlin Blockade
The Berlin Blockade was a blockade that Joseph Stain formed between East and West Berlin that stopped all railway, canal, and road access between the two differing sides. This was significant because Stalin formed this because he did not like how West Berlin had become unified. He wanted all of Berlin to be communist and on his side. This caused conflict between the democratic free West side of Berlin and the communist east side. -
Berlin Airlift
The Berlin Airlift occurred when Joseph Stalin, who was the Soviet Union ruler, created the Berlin Blockade that shut off all transportation and supply lines from West to East Berlin. The U.S decided to fly B-29 planes into East Germany to help supply the citizens with food, medical equipment, and many other needs. This was significant to the Cold War because it made Stalin mad that the U.S was trying to strengthen and unify Germany when he wanted the country to be a Communist covered country. -
Alger Hiss Case
Alger Hiss was a former state department executive that was being questioned because of suspicious acts of communism. He was blamed by a Communist as being a communist spy that was spying on the U.S for the Soviet Union. People feared that this case was the beginning of the war with the Soviet Union. They also thought that the government needed to be checked because the Americans thought that it was filled with communistic people and that communism was going to overtake the country. -
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was an American initiative to help aid Western Europe after the WWII destruction, in which the U.S gave them $12 billion in economic support. The purpose of this was to help Western Europe become strong enough to resist communism from Joseph Stain and the rest of the Soviet Union. Stain was frustrated and did not want to participate in the p[an because he wanted not to rebuild Europe into a free country but into another part of the Communist Soviet Union. -
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
NATO was created in 1949 and is an international alliance between 12 member states (the original founding states) from Europe and North America. It was created so that if any of the states get attacked by an outside force then it is considered to be an attack on all of the states. The other states would provide military aid to whichever state was being attacked if necessary. It is significant to the Cold War because it was an alliance that was against the Soviet Union. -
Soviet Bomb Test
The Soviet bomb test was the first successful nuclear atomic bomb test that the Soviet Union had done. This was earlier than the U.S had expected that the Soviet Union would have a working nuclear weapon. This was significant to the Cold War because it made the Cold War into an atomic and nuclear weapon war that was more deadly and costed more. It also made the U.S citizens question whether or not they were safe in there country. -
Korean War
The Korean war stated in 1950 and ended in 1953. It was between North Korea and South Korea when they were two different countries. The U.S provided aid to South Korea while the Communist Chinese provided aid to North Korea. The U.S wanted to keep Korea a Communist free country. This was important towards the Cold War because the Soviet Union wanted to take control and spread communism throughout Korea while the U.S wanted to do the opposite by spreading democracy. -
Rosenberg Trial
The trial of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg occurred because the couple was accused of selling U.S nuclear secrets to the Russians and the Soviet Union. The Rosenberg couple was executed after the trial sentenced them to death for espionage. This was important because at the time the U.S was the only country with nuclear weapons. But now the Russians have nuclear weapons which would make the Cold War a more brutal and costly nuclear war. -
Army-McCarthy Hearings
The Army-McCarthy hearings were a series of hearings held buy the United States Senate committee to investigate the conflicts between the U.S army and the U.S Senator Joseph McCarthy. The army accused Joseph of blackmail while Joseph counter-argued and said that the army was full of communists. -
Battle of Dien Bien Phu
The Battle of Dien Bien Phu occurred in Indochina (Vietnam) between the French Union and the Viet Minh communist group. It lasted from March to May of 1954 and then the French finally accepted defeat. It lead to France having to terminate all involvement with Indochina (Vietnam). It also led to the signing of the Geneva Conference in 1954. This was significant because it was the first war that was between democracy and communism. It was between a Soviet Allie and a United States Allie. -
Geneva Conference
The Geneva Conference was a conference in Geneva that hosted several nations that discussed the issues with the Indochina war and the Korean War. There were two discussions in the conference. The first discussion was about Indochina and that consisted of the USSR, France, U.S, Viet Minh, PRC, and the U.K. The second discussion about Korea consisted of the U.S, PRC, USSR, and South and North Korea. This was important towards the Cold War because leaders from the US and USSR had to meet up. -
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact was a treaty between the communist countries, mainly the Soviet Union that established a mutual-defense organization. It was create to make a systematic plan to strengthen the Soviets hold over its satellites. It also helped to create a lever for the Soviet Union's trade agreements and system. -
Hungarian Revolution
The Hungarian Revolution was a nationwide revolt in Hungary against the Communist regime and the Soviet imposed policies. Once the Soviet leader found out he withdrew them from the Warsaw Pact and attacked the uprising country to end it once a for all. -
U2 Incident
The U2 incident happened in the morning of May 1, 1960 when a Soviet missile struck a plane that was in a top secret mission of the CIA to take photos of Russia in secret locations. The pilot that was shot down was Francis Gary Powers and he was captured by the Soviet Union and was imprisoned in Moscow Russia before being traded back to the U.S by the Soviet Union for one of there spy's back. -
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a concrete barrier that separated Berlin. It separated all of West Berlin from virtually all of East Berlin and Germany until the Government officials opened it in 1989. It lead to the Cold War because it made both sides of Berlin dislike each other more which made the U.S and the Communist Soviet Union dislike each other because the Soviets wanted to spread communism but the U.S wanted to stop it. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
The Bay of Pigs Invasion was a failed military invasion performed by the CIA to take control of the Southern Coast of Cuba where the Soviet Union planned to put missiles. It was done to overthrow the increasing communist government lead by Fidel Castro in Cuba. This helped lead to the Cold War because it increased the threat of communism taking over in the U.S. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union. The United States initiated the crisis by deploying ballistic missiles in Turkey and Italy because of how the Soviet Union put some in Cuba. The Soviet Union finally agreed top take out the missiles from Cuba if the United States agreed to not invade Cuba. The helped lead to the Cold War because if the two countries would not have backed down then the Cold War would of become a large nuclear war. -
Assassination of Diem
The Assassination of Diem was the killing of the Vietnamese political leader who had been in dictatorial power from 1955 of South Vietnam. He was killed by the South Vietnamese soldiers in order to overthrow the dictatorship Diem had created in the government. This made many Vietnamese happy but it also created political chaos in the nation of South Vietnam. This is related to the Cold War because the US wanted to stop communism of spreading but Diem's government was not trying to stop it. -
Assassination of JFK
The Assassination of JFK occurred when he was riding in a motorcade through Dealey plaza. He was shot by a former United States Marine, Lee Harvey Oswald, who had become crazy. The 35th president was pronounced dead thirty minutes after the attack on his motorcade. This lead to people fearing that there were communists living in the U.S because of how the conspiracy was created from the shooting of the president. -
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
The Tonkin Gulf Resolution was passed by congress for president Johnson to be able to take any measures he believed needed to be taken retaliate and maintain the peace in Southeast Asia. It was made in response to the Gulf of Tonkin incident. It was not a declaration of war but it acted like one. This was important towards the Cold War because when the Soviet Union ally Northern part of Vietnam attacks the U.S ally Southern part of Vietnam it creates a conflict between the countries. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
Operation Rolling thunder was a gradual and sustained bombing of Northern Vietnam by the U.S 2nd air division. This bombing lasted from March of 1965 to November of 1968. Its purposes were to improve the morale in Saigon, to persuade North Vietnam to not take support from the communists, and to destroy the trade a flow. It was significant towards the Cold War because When the U.S bombed the Northern Vietnamese the Soviet communists helped them created and unbearable air defense. -
Riots of Democratic convention
The Riots of Democratic convention happened when the delegates nominated a Democratic party presidential candidate in Chicago. Tens of thousands of protesters swarmed the streets in protest against the Vietnam War and the political status. It lead to chaos that was eventually violent. This effected the way American citizens looked at the U.S which affected the support the citizens had for the U.S government and troops in Vietnam and the Soviet Union. -
Invasion of Czechoslovakia
The Invasion of Czechoslovakia took place in 1968 when the five Warsaw Pact Countries, the Soviet Union, East Germany, Poland, Bulgaria, and Hungary attacked Czechoslovakia. It stopped the leader of Czechoslovakia from making the country more liberalized. After this attack the country became part of the Communist Regime. The way that the Soviet Union was using its power to attack neighboring countries to build a bigger communist world frightened the thought the U.S citizens had about the world. -
Tet Offensive
The Tet Offensive was a series of surprise attacks by the Vietcong on the south Vietnamese and U.S troops. It was considered to be the turning point of the Vietnam War. The U.S and South Vietnamese troops finally fought back against the Vietcong and eventually pushed back the North Vietnamese and Vietcong after about three months. This is directly related to the Cold War because it is a direct battle between the U.S and the Soviet Union that led to many deaths on both sides of the battle. -
Assassination of MLK
The Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., who was an American clergyman and civil rights leader, occurred at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. He was shot and killed by James Earl Ray who used a sniper to assassinate Martin Luther King Jr. Once he was assassinated many riots broke out between the black and the white people of the U.S. This was significant towards the Cold War because the U.S had become weak which made the Soviet Union and the rest of the communists prepare for an attack. -
Assassination of RFK
The Assassination of RFK occurred in the Ambassador hotel in Los Angeles after winning the presidential primary vote. He was shot multiple times by a 22 year old Palestinian and died. This assassination made an impact on the citizens of the U.S because they thought that it was a communist terror attack on the U.S which could create chaos. -
Election of Nixon
The Election of Nixon was the 46th quadrennial election held in November. Richard Nixon was a Vice President and the Republican candidate who beat the Democratic candidate Hubert Humphrey. This event had an effect on the Cold War because President Johnson left in the middle of the War. Nixon had a different approach to the War which changed the entire dynamic of the army and the Cold War. -
Kent State
The Kent State incident occurred in May of 1970 when a mass anti-bombing protest was happening, shots rang out, killing 4 unarmed college students and injuring another 9 unarmed students. There were 67 rounds shot over a 13 second period by the Ohio National Guard. This affected the Cold War because people did not want to support the U.S and began supporting other types of government because the U.S looked bad from the unnecessary shootings of innocent young people. -
Nixon visits China
Nixon visit to China was a visit that was made so that the U.S and China's relationship would grow. It was created for the sake that the two countries would cooperate, and to gain more leverage on the Soviet Union. This effected the Cold War because it put a wedge between the Soviet Union and China's ties. It helped the U.S gain China's respect to the U.S and American way of life which in turn gave the U.S the opportunity to gain another country to be against the Soviet Union. -
Ceasefire in Vietnam
The Ceasefire in Vietnam occurred in 1973 when all of the warring parties in the Vietnam War signed a ceasefire in prelude to the Paris Peace Accord. This ceasefire led to the Vietnamese people gaining peace and the North and South stopped fighting. It also led to the bringing of the U.S troops back home. This is important towards the Cold War because this was an important battle in the Cold War and it was ended in a civil and peaceful way after all of the fighting and death. -
Fall of Saigon
The Fall of Saigon, also known as the liberation of Saigon, was when the Viet Cong and the PAVN captured the South Vietnam capital which was Saigon. Saigon fell which made all of the U.S troops have to flea by helicopter out of the capital. The Viet Cong gained control over South Vietnam and renmed the capital of Saigon to Ho Chi Minh City. This led to the end of the Vietnam War which helped to end the Cold War and the conflict between the Soviet Union and the U.S. -
Reagan elected
Reagan was elected on November 4, 1980 in the 49th quadrennial election. He beat the democratic Jimmy Carter in the election. Reagan was a Republican and Conservative candidate.Reagan won the election by a landslide against the other two candidates. This was important towards the Cold War because with a new president being elected the way the war was going to go was going to be different as well. Ronald Reagan's way of thinking was not the same as the previous presidents way. -
SDI announced
SDI was the Strategic Defense Initiative that Ronald Reagan announced in 1983. It was a plan to have a missile defense system that would protect the United States from attack by a nuclear type missile or ballistic missile. It was a technological achievement that the Soviet Union could not meet which made the Soviet Union frustrated. This caused the Soviet Union to see this as a direst attack on there country because they thought that the U.S was using it against the Soviet Union. -
Geneva Conference with Gorbachev
The Geneva Conference with Gorbachev was in 1985 and had to do with the way that the Soviet Union and the United States relationships were handling. Gorbachev who was the Soviet leader met with Reagan who was the U.S leader to discuss the diplomatic relations and the arms race that was occurring. The impact this had on the world was that the to massive countries leaders had more meetings like this to discuss the same things to keep the peace between both countries. -
‘Tear down this wall’ speech
The ‘Tear down this wall’ speech was given by Ronald Reagan in 1987 at West Berlin near the Berlin Wall. He wanted the wall to be torn down so that the East and West sides of Berlin could become one Berlin. This influenced the way that the U.S and the Soviet Union thought about each other because after that speech the wall was torn down and both sides had to intermingle. The East and West sides of Berlin used to be the Communist against the Freedom side but then they became one side. -
Fall of Berlin Wall
The Fall of Berlin Wall occurred in November of 1989. It marked the end of the Cold War because then both sides of Berlin were able to be with each other. It took a couple of years to deconstruct the entire wall until it was gone. It also marked the first crucial step to reunifying Germany. It influenced the U.S because they wanted to unify the East and West Germany for a long time. It helped to secured the trust in the U.S citizens in there government and in there officials.
