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Russian Revolution
Beginning in February of 1917, the Russian people revolted, due to World War 2. After some months passed and with the coming of the Bolsheviks and Vladimir Lenin, the Bolsheviks rebelled and over threw the government of Tsar Nicholas 2. This began the era of the red government or communism. -
Iron Curtain
The Iron Curtain was the name for boundary dividing Europe after World War 2. This symbolized how the Soviet Union tried to blockade themselves from the rest of the world and how the Soviets satellites also were being blocked. The term iron curtain lasted all until the end of the cold war in 1991. -
Potsdam Conference
From July 17th to August 2nd 1945, a conference was held between 3 nations and their leaders; Harry Truman and the U.S, Joseph Stalin and the Soviet Union, and Winston Churchill and the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. These leaders were discussing terms for post-war Europe when tensions soon arose with Stalin wanting to restore order by implementing communism into the destroyed nations. However the U.S and the British wanted a democracy to be integrated into European society. -
Atomic Bombs; Hiroshima and Nagasaki
At the end of World War 2, the U.S decided to use the first ever nuclear weapons on two Japanese cities. Due to the way the Japanese fought there was no end in sight. Japan was never going to surrender so that brought us to the decision of using Nuclear bombs. Even after the first bomb was dropped Japan still didn't give up forcing us to use the second atomic bomb. Shortly after Japan gave up and surrendered. -
Hollywood 10
The Hollywood 10 were a set of actors and stars in Hollywood accused of being communist spies and conspirators. They appeared before the House of Un-American Activities Committee in October 1947, and refused to answer questions regarding their possible communist affiliations, and spent time in prison for contempt of Congress. -
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was an American policy created to defend against Soviet expansion. The policy created by Harry S. Truman stated that we would go to whatever lengths to stop former U.S. ally and contain threats to Greece and Turkey. -
Molotov Plan
The Molotov Plan was the system created by the Soviet Union in 1947 in order to provide help, aid, and money to rebuild the countries in Eastern Europe that were affected by the Soviet Union. -
Marshall Plan
The Marshall plan was an American recovery program directed at aiding and helping the countries affected by World War 2. The U.S spent approximately 12 billion dollars getting European countries back on their feet. -
Berlin Blockade
After Germany was split into 4 parts, the Soviets plundered their section and blockaded their section, due to the fact that the other sections that were thriving under democratic rule were supposedly being taken over by America's economic Imperialism. -
Berlin Airlift
The Berlin Airlift was the plan made by the Western Allies to drop supplies and food and such to those stuck and affected by the Berlin Blockade. -
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization or NATO was created after World War 2 in order to stop or slow Communist/ Soviet Union expansion and also to instill support and aid with military force if needed or wanted. -
Soviet Bomb Test
The Soviet Union had the first nuclear bomb test on August 29th 1949. This came as a surprise to most Americans because word was they were far behind on the Nuclear war. It was named RDS-1 or "First Lightning" -
Alger Hiss Case
The Alger Hiss case started in January 1948 when Whittaker Chambers, a former Communist party member accused Alger Hiss of being a communist and took the case to House of Un-American activities Committee (HUAC). -
Korean War
The Korean war was the war between North and South Korea involving the U.S and its fight against communism and protecting Democratic nations. The U.S fueled South Korea and their anti-communist views while the Soviet Union fueled the spread of Communism in North Korea. -
Rosenburg Case
The Rosenburg trial was a case where a couple named Julius and Ethel Rosenburg were tried and executed on suspicions of being communist spies. -
Battleof Dien Bien Phu
The Battle of Dien Bien Phu was the conflict between the French and Viet Minh Communist army men. The battle ended with a French defeat and with the future of Indochina on the line. -
Army-McCarthur Hearings
The Army-McCarthur hearings were a set of multiple hearings regarding senator Joseph McCarthur and his tendency to accuse and claim other famous people of being Communists. Due to the red scare, people fell for this, however towards the end of his popularity he was investigated for false accusations. -
Geneva Conference
The Geneva Conference was a conference that took place in Switzerland that talked about the Korean war and the peace needed in Indochina. The countries of the U.S., Soviet Union, UK, and China were all in attendance. -
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw pact was a treaty in hopes of peace between the Soviet Union and it's satellites. It was formed by NATO in wishes of keeping peace and military and countries alliance's and power under control. -
Hungarian Revolution
The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 or the Hungarian Uprising of 1956 was a nationwide revolt against the government of the Hungarian People's Republic and its Soviet-imposed policies, lasting from 23 October until 10 November 1956 -
U2 Incident
The U-2 incident occurred during the Cold War on May 1st 1960, during the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower and the dictatorship of Nikita Khrushchev, when a United States U-2 spy plane was shot down while in Soviet airspace -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
On April 17, 1961, 1400 Cuban exiles launched what became a botched invasion at the Bay of Pigs on the south coast of Cuba. In 1959, Fidel Castro came to power in an armed revolt that overthrew Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista. -
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was put up to divide the East and West sectors of Berlin. The east was run by the communist, dictatorship nation of the Soviet Union while the West was run by a democratic free nation established by the Western Allies, but run by the U.S. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a 13 day conflict between the U.S and Cuba and it's ally the Soviet Union. The Soviets were trying to import ballistic missiles, missile silo's, and such to make Cuba more of a threat to the U.S.. The Soviets claimed it was due to the fact that America had missile bases and launches in Turkey near the Soviet Union. -
Assassination of Diem
The assassination of Diem was a turning point in the war in Vietnam, because it marked the culmination of a successful CIA-backed coup d'état or planned assassination. -
Assassination of JFK
John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 2016 while traveling with his wife in downtown Dallas on a presidential parade. He was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald, who was killed days later, before he was even put onto trial. -
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
Lyndon B. Johnson, the new president following the assassination of JFK, announced that American ships were destroyed in the Tonkin Gulf. Johnson immediately requested action from the Congress asking for whatever it takes to retaliate and promote international peace. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
Operation Rolling Thunder was the name of a battle for bombings against North Vietnam. There were four main goals of the plan; to boost morale, support for communist destruction in the South, destroy North Vietnam transportation, and halt supplies and people into South Vietnam. -
Tet Offensive
The Tet Offensive was a military fight during the Vietnam War involving the United States, the South Vietnamese, and the Army of Vietnam, against the farmers by day and soldieres by night, Viet Cong and North Vietnamese. The Tet Offensive was a series of multiple surprise attacks against military and civilians outposts and towns throughout South Vietnam. -
Assassination of MLK
Martian Luther King Jr., an African American civil rights activist who brought peaceful protests and change to America as we know it today. He was assassinated on April 4, 1968 by James Earl Ray, a racist in Memphis TN. Millions were saddened by the unfortunate death of the peaceful protester who brought power to the people and change to the world. -
Assassination of RFK
Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated on June 6, 1968, after becoming the leading candidate for the democratic presidential nominee. He was a politician in the U.Sand also was a junior senator in New York and a U.S attorney general alongside his brother JFK. -
Invasions of Czechoslovakia
On August 20, 1968, the Soviet Union led Warsaw Pact troops in an invasion of Czechoslovakia to crack down on reformist trends in Prague. Although the Soviet Union's action successfully halted the pace of reform in Czechoslovakia, it had unintended consequences for the unity of the communist bloc. -
Riots of Democratic Convention
At The Democratic National Convention in Chicago, tens of thousands of Vietnam War protesters battled police in spite of the Vietnam war. Later, the Democratic Party would face turmoil over a disagreement concerning its stance on Vietnam. -
Election of Nixon
The United States presidential race of 1968 resulted in the election of Richard Nixon. He won between him and the democratic nominee Hubert Humphrey after the rough and violent year of multiple assassinations and riots including Robert F. Kennedy who was the leading candidate of the Democratic party until his death. -
Kent State Shooting
The Kent State shooting was at Kent State College in Ohio where unarmed college students were fired upon by the Ohio National Guard in 1970. Twenty-eight soldiers admitted to the crime, which resulted in four deaths and wounding nine others. -
Nixon Visits China
U.S. President Richard Nixon's 1972 visit to China was an important strategic and diplomatic overture that marked the culmination of the Nixon administration's rapprochement between the United States and China and it's leader Mao Zedong leading to the improvement of their relationship. -
Ceasefire In Vietnam
On January 15, 1973, President Richard Nixon of the US ordered a ceasefire of the bombings in North Vietnam. All warring countries in the Vietnam War signed a ceasefire as a part of the Paris Peace Accord. This Ended the longest war in America. -
Fall of Saigon
The Fall of Saigon, was the capture of Saigon (the capital of South Vietnam) by the People's Army of Vietnam and the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam. This was the ending to the Vietnam war. -
Reagan Elected
The election of 1980 was between republican Ronald Reagan and democrat Jimmy Carter. He received the highest number of electoral votes won by a non-incumbent presidential candidate. -
SDI Announced
The Strategic Defense Initiative "SDI" was a system to protect the United States from nuclear weapons. It was set up in 1984 using strategic defenses rather than offensive and nicknamed "Star Wars." They said that satellites in space would shoot lasers at missiles and would protect the United States from nuclear attacks. However it was a hoax and was never set up, but helped show the Soviet's hand and eventually lead to the fall of the Soviet Union. -
Tear Down this Wall Speech
The 'Tear down this wall' speech was made by Ronald Reagan in West Berlin in 1987. He demanded to the leader of the Soviet Union at the time, Mikhail Gorbachev, who he had a good relationship with to tear down the barrier between East and West Berlin that had been divided since 1961. -
Geneva Conference with Gorbachav
The Geneva Conference, aka the Geneva Accords, was an agreement of the situation in Afghanistan in which Russia invaded it. The United States and Soviet Union talked about the arm's race and came to an agreement. -
Fall of Berlin Wall
In 1989, The Berlin Wall came to an end as Reagan's speech worked and and that the Soviet Union would no longer enforce the wall between East and West Berlin. Citizens were then free to cross the countries borders at their own will.
