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Russian Communist Revolution
A revolution led by Vladmir Lenin to destroy the provisional government of Russia, which led to the initial spread of Communism and the transformation of Russia into the USSR, or Soviet Russia. -
Treaty of Versailles
The treaty created after WW1 assigning full blame to Germany. At the negotiations on the terms, there were apparently many misunderstandings between the West and Russia, as well as their behavior during the war making it impossible for the country to be considered an ally by most other participants. -
League of Nations
The League of Nations was created after WW1 as an attempt to bring order to countries around the world. However, when Russia attempted to join in 1917, it was denied membership because the Romanovs were killed, and its communist government generated fear in the West. -
Yalta conference
A conference held between America, Britain, and Russia to discuss countries' borders in the aftermath of WWII. An agreement that was made, but not upheld was for Russia to support Democratic elections in Poland. -
United Nation
Created after league of Nations failed to prevent another war. This failed because it was almost always at a stalemate between opposing countries like America and USSR. -
Nuremberg trials
Trials against the Nazis. The entire event's legitimacy was severely upset by Soviet representatives insisting a Count testify, and that there were multiple men who ordered the slaughter of 15,000 Polish civilians. -
Iron Curtain Speech
Delivered by Winston Churchill this speech was said to be the start of the Cold War. The US believed received this warmly as Joseph Stalin took this as "War Mongering." -
Baruch Plan
The USA presented the Baruch plan to give control of nucleur weapons to the United Nation. This planned failed and resulted in a nucleur arms race between the US and USSR. -
Truman Doctrine
After WWII Britain could no longer provide economic or military support and began to pull out. However Truman argued that if they allowed Communists to win in Greece it would then endanger the political stability of Turkey. So he proposed the Truman Doctrine which gave $400,000 in aid to support with no military force to Greece and Turkey -
Marshall Plan
After WWII Europe was left in shambles. So the US proposed the Marshall Plan. Used in Europe to rebuild and become economically stable again. US offered 13 billion dollars which were to be used only for the rebuilding and economical stability of Europe (not military purposes.) This plan was only taken by 16 nations and all Soviet nations declined the offer even if they wanted/needed it. -
Berlin Airlift
The Russians fearing the unification of western Germany began to block off highways, canals, and railroads to prevent aid from western powers. This was a strategy to starve western nations out of Germany. However, the western powers took airplanes and dropped supplies. This lasted a year before the soviets took down the blockade and made them look weak. -
NATO Created
NATO was created to form an alliance between US allies. This was a way of defense so if any nation in NATO was attacked it was considered "an attack on all of them" and then allies would take actions as seen fit including armed force. -
Mutually Assured Destruction
The act of retaliating to an attack with the same amount of force. Used in the Cold War as a deterrent from using nuclear weapons. -
Chinese Communist Revolution
Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong declared the creation of the People's Republic of China, supported by the Soviets. -
Korean War
Lasting until July 27, 1953, and began when North Korea invaded South Korea, widely considered to be the first military act of the Cold War. -
Army-McCarthy hearings
A widely televised event crushing the reputation of Joseph McCarthy, a Senator dedicated to rooting out "communist sympathizers" through cruel and shameless methods following the Red Scare. -
Warsaw Pact
An alliance created by Soviet Russia as a direct counter to NATO. Lasted until its final meeting in July, 1991 -
Vietnam War
A proxy war where Russia couldn't have troops participate because American troops were already there. -
Sputnik Launched
The launch of the Sputnik I did not only result in technological advancement , but also began the space age. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
A full scale invasion by 1400 trained Cubans who fled Cuba to overthrow Fidel Castro. However, it failed in less than 24 hours of fighting and making the US look weak. -
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a makeshift concrete and barbed wire bulwark to keep fascists out of socialist eastern Germany. -
Fidel Castro proclaims communist Cuba
In 1961 Fidel announced he was a Marxist-Leninist by that time Cuba already became dependent on the Soviet Union for economic and military support. -
Cuban missile crisis
When the US learned their were Soviet missiles in Cuba they created a naval blockade. This stopped soviet ships from delivering any form of weaponry. Later JFK and Nikita agreed to take missiles out of Cuba as long as the US didn't invade Cuba. They also secretly agreed to take missiles out of Turkey. -
Nuclear detterent
Form of mutually assured destruction involving the use of nucleAR weaponry. Ex: Cuban Missile Crisis -
Non-Proliferation Treaty
An agreement ratified by the US, Soviet Union, Britain, and over 180 other countries to limit nuclear arms ownership, effectively ending the Cold War. More countries have agreed to this treaty than any other disarmament agreement, attesting to its significance. -
Apollo 11
The Apollo 11 was the first manned spacecraft to land on the moon which meant the US won the space race vs. USSR. -
Kent State Shootings
During an altercation 28 guards opened fire on a crowd that killed 4 students and wounding 9. Following this was the closing of 500 colleges as well as shootings at an all black school on May 14th -
SALT
SALT 1 was a talk held in Helsinki, Finland between the US and Soviets that led to the Anti Ballistic Missile Treaty. SALT 2 was a talk held in Vienna, Austria and was signed by both nations, but the US refused to ratify the agreement as a result of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. -
Fall of Saigon
The capital of South Vietnam, with its capture ended the Vietnam War, and led to both the US retreating and Vietnam becoming a communist nation. -
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul made a pilgrimage to Poland for 9 days which caused an awakening in Poland. Millions of Poles realized that it was their country which led to the fall of communism. -
Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
Ending after a decade of grueling battle, the Soviets withdrew from their attempt to force this border country to be Communist-friendly -
Deng Xiaoping
Coming into power after Mao Zedung's death, this Communist leader conducted many economic and market reforms that helped repair the damage Mao did. His time in office was finished Nov. 7, 1987 -
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher is the British prime minister and helped to end the cold war. She talked to Gorbachev and said to Reagan that they could do business with him. She eventually nudged Reagan to talk to Gorbachev which led to the thawing of the cold war. -
Fall of Berlin Wall
Marking the true end of the war the communist leader of eastern Germany said at midnight people of both West and east could go from one side to the other. This lead to 2 million people flocking to the wall and after they could move freely began to chip at the walls with picks and hammers. This resulted in the reunification of Germany since 1945. -
Lech Wałęsa
Lech Wałęsa was the second president of Poland. He also created the Soviet Bloc's first independent trade union, and won the Nobel Prize in 1983. -
START 1/2
START 1 was a nuclear disarmament treaty causing the dismantling of 80% of the world's nuclear weapons. START 2 banned the use of MIRVs, which allowed for multiple small, independently guided nuclear weapons to be launched from a larger missile.
