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Russian Revolution
Inspired by German philosopher Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin led a revolution to bring Communism to Russia. His interpretation was religious and violent, causing him to form the Bolsheviks and launch the Revolution in October 1917. -
Potsdam Conference
A meeting between the leaders of Great Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union in July 1945. The strict contrast between America and the Soviet Union was highlighted in this conference, as Stalin refused to allow free elections in Poland and other Eastern European nations. -
Atomic Bomb - Hiroshima/Nagasaki
A new class of weapon was developed by the United States to give leverage in discussion with Stalin and generally in the war. The Manhattan Project brought the atomic bomb into certain reality, and the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki brought WWII to an end. -
Iron Curtain
Formed by Truman in 1946, this form of containment was aimed to prevent the spread of Communist rule in Europe. It consisted of the Soviet Union, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and Albania. -
Truman Doctrine
A form of assistance for Greece and Turkey with economic and military aid. This helped gather support for the resistance of Soviet influence. -
Marshall Plan
Introduced by George Marshall in June 1947, this plan was dedicated to the open aid of European nations in need. As a result of this revival, Western Europe was thriving by 1952. -
Berlin Blockade and Airlift
A combined effort by American and British officials to resist the blockade of Berlin by Stalin in June 1948. Flying in food, fuel, medicine, and more, these supply drops were the reason for the survival of West Berlin. -
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was formed on April 4, 1949, between the United States, Canada, Belgium, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, and Portugal. Serving as a defensive military alliance, these nations established that an attack on one would be considered an attack on the whole alliance. -
Hollywood Ten
Released in 1950 by ten members of the Hollywood film industry, this film condemned the tactics encouraged by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). -
Korean War
A conflict between North and South Korea. Sparked by an attack by North Korea on June 25, 1950, this was the first military offense of the Cold War -
Soviet Atomic Bomb Test
The first successful atomic bomb test by the Soviet Union occurred on August 29, 1949. This was not expected so soon by the United States, and the Soviet Union's success caused a question for safety. -
Army-McCarthy Hearings
From April to June 1954, a subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Government Operations questioned McCarthy's preferential treatment of former staff David Schine on televised hearings. -
Eisenhower's Massive Retaliation Policy
On January 12, 1954, Secretary of State John Foster Dulles announced that Eisenhower planned to protect allies of the United States through "deterrent of massive retaliatory power." Therefore, he would rely on the nuclear arsenal as a dominant defense system. -
Warsaw Pact
On May 14, 1955, a treaty to put the Soviets in command of the armed forces within Albania, Poland, Romania, Hungary, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Bulgaria as a mutual defense organization, was signed. The Warsaw Pact officially ended in 1991. -
Vietnam War
Japanese control of Vietnam was a result of WWII, and France’s desire to regain control caused a clash between Ho Chi Minh of Viet Minh and France. The United States, as an ally to South Vietnam, went to war against Communist North Vietnam, resulting in the deaths of over 3 million people. The U.S. military was removed from the conflict by President Nixon in 1973, and in 1975, the war ended when the Communist North took control of South Vietnam. -
Hungarian Revolution
A spontaneous national uprising in Hungary in 1956 that caused thousands of fatalities and forced almost a quarter-million Hungarians to flee. Starting from a rebellion for freedom from Soviet oppression, the Soviet Union was pushed to invade and crush the opposition. -
Khruschev Takes Over
Khruschev began service for his country during WWII, and this, along with his efforts in the post-war, put him in position to serve as Stalin's successor. He became head of the Communist Party six months after Stalin's death, giving him high power in the USSR. -
U-2 Incident
Occuring on May 1, 1960, the Soviet Union shot down and captured pilot Francis Gary Powers in an American U-2 spy plane. This led to increased tension between America and the USSR. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
Initiated by Fidel Castro on January 1, 1959, Castro’s guerrilla army overthrew Cuba’s American-influenced president General Fulgencio Batista. This quickly escalated to an unsuccessful attempt by the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to push Castro from power in a full-scale invasion by American trained Cuban exiles. -
Berlin Wall
Meant to prevent the entry of Western “fascists” into East Germany, construction began on August 13, 1961. Constructed as a barbed wire and concrete “antifascist bulwark,” the main result was halting people from fleeing from the East to the West. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
Starting in October 1962, a military standoff between the United States and the Soviet Union was held over the development of a nuclear Soviet military base in Cuba. With the United States threatening to use military force, Krushchev agreed to remove the Cuban missiles if America promised not to invade Cuba. -
Détente Under Nixon
In May 1972, President Nixon paid a visit to Moscow to meet with the secretary-general of the Soviet Communist Party, Leonid Brezhnev. This meeting helped bring into action the improved relations between the United States and the Soviet Union. -
The Reagan Doctrine
The foundation for the Reagan administration’s support of “freedom fighters”. This provided military assistance to groups such as the Contras, the Afghan rebels, and anti-communist Angolan forces. -
Reagan's Berlin Wall Speech
On June 12, 1987, President Reagan spoke to the people of West Berlin, including one of his most famous lines - “Tear down this wall!” Not only did this serve as a physical barrier, but it symbolized that the two powers were no longer opposed. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
The great divide between East and West Berlin was demolished on November 9, 1989. Not only did this open the borders, but the spokesman for East Berlin’s Communist Party stated that citizens from the west were free to cross.
