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Russian Communist Revolution
A series of revolutions that overthrew the tsarist autocracy and eventually led to the rise of a communist government. -
Treaty of Versailles
A peace treaty that ended WWI. It made Germany pay war reparations and it took away the territories that Germany gained. This caused a depression and a want for revenge in Germany. Hitler rose to power beginning European communism. -
League of Nations
An international organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended WW1. The League of Nation's failure to promote world peace had a role in the failed Allied invasion of Russia which resulted in Russia becoming even more antagonistic to the West. -
MAD
MAD which stands for Mutual Assured Destruction was the threat that if one nation attacked the other there would be a massive retaliation, this kept the two nations from initiating war with each other. -
Yalta Conference
A conference to discuss the post war reorganization of europe. It split Berlin into four sections controlled by France, the U.S., Great Britain, and the Soviet Union. -
United Nations
Established to be a peace keeping body, It was ineffective during the cold war and only was another place for the nations to compete. -
Nuremberg Trials
The Nuremberg Trials were a set of military tribunals after World War II to punish military leaders for their war crimes. -
Chinese Communist Revolution
The Chinese Communist Revolution took place during the second part of the Chinese Civil War against the Nationalist Party. Support for communism rose during WW2 because of the Nationalists' focusing more on internal affairs instead of the threat of Japanese attacks. Mao Zedong was the leader of the Chinese Communist Party and Chiang Kia-shek was at the head of the Nationalist party. The rise of communism in China caused the U.S. to suspend diplomatic relations with China. -
General Assembly
The General Assembly was the world's forum for discussing matters affecting world peace and security. During the Cold War, disagreements and vetos usually broke out with the Soviet-run blocs and the West. -
Iron Curtain Speech
A speech given by Winston Chuchill that disagreed with the Soviet Union's policies in Europe. -
Baruch Plan
A plan intended for the international control of nuclear weapons. -
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was a United States policy to stop Soviet expansion. Truman pledged to contain communism in Europe and elsewhere, and that the U.S. would support any nation with military and economic aid if threatened by communism or by the Soviet Union. -
Marshall Plan
An American initiative to aid Europe in economic support to help rebuild European economies after the end of WWII. It was to rebuild war-devastated regions, remove trade barriers, modernize industry and make Europe prosperous once more. Stalin declined the Marshall Plan and thus European communist countries rebuilt slower than the West. -
Berlin Airlift
First major international crisis of the Cold War. It took place during the multinational occupation of post-WW2 Germany. Soviets blocked the Western Allies' transport routes in order to force the Western Allies out of Berlin. In return, the Western Allies airlifted supplies to the people in Berlin. -
NATO Created
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was created as a response to the threats of the Soviet Union. NATO was created to deter Soviet expansion, forbid the revival of nationalist militarism and encourage European political integration. -
Nuclear Deterrent
The U.S.'s threat of retaliation that was used to prevent nuclear attacks. The U.S. had a stock pile of nuclear weapons that could be used if they were attacked, which kept the Soviet Union from attacking. -
Joseph McCarthy Speech
A speech warning America about the dangers of communism. McCarthy was a figure-head for those against communism in America. McCarthy helped spread the fear of communism by making claims that there were large amounts of Communists, spies and sympathizers in America. -
Korean War
A war between China and Soviet-backed North Korea and U.S. backed South Korea. The war began due to the division of Korea at the end of WW2 and tension caused by the Cold War. -
Warsaw Pact
A defense treaty between eight communist states meant to maintain control over communist military forces. -
Sputnik Launched
Soviets launched the first satellite into space which caused Americans to fear a missile strike. -
Bay of Pigs
Failed military invasion of Cuba preformed by a CIA-sponsored paramiltary group. The invasion was intended to stop the spread of communism by overthrowing Fidel Castro's communist government. -
Building of Berlin Wall begins
The Berlin Wall was thrown up overnight to stop GDR citizens from fleeing to West Germany via West Berlin. The Eastern Bloc declared that the wall was meant to protect citizens from fascist elements from the West. -
Berlin Wall
Ida Siekmann was the first causuality of the Berlin Wall. -
Fidel Castro proclaims communist Cuba
Fidel Castro made an announcement on television, declaring that he was a Marxist-Leninist and that communism would be the dominant force in Cuba. This made the U.S. wary of an enemy so close to home. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a direct confrontation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The missiles were placed in Cuba to deter any futher invasions since the failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion. The U.S. placed a "quarentine" on Cuba to be able to legally blockade them from Soviet shipments. -
U.S. sends troops to Vietnam
U.S troops were sent to South Vietnam to prevent it from becoming a communist country by stopping North Korea (a communist country) from invading. -
Non-Proliferation Agreement
An international treaty that was meant to stop the spread of nuclear weapons and technology. It also was meant to promote peaceful uses of nuclear energy and aimed to achieve nuclear disarmament. -
Apollo 11
Apollo 11 was a spaceflight that landed humans on the moon. Apollo 11 marked America's success in the space race against the Soviet Union. -
SALT I
SALT is commonly referred to as Strategic Arms Limitation Talks Agreement. SALT froze the number of strategic ballistic missile launchers countries could have. The negotiations helped improve relations between the U.S. and the USSR. -
Kent State Shootings
The national guard was called in to deal with a peaceful protest against the Vietnam War on the campus of Kent State. They dispersed the protestors but fired on them anyway killing students. -
Fall of Saigon
The capture of the capital of South Vietnam by the People's Army of Vietnam and the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam. It marked the end of the Vietnam War and led to the reunification of Vietnam. -
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II was is a Roman Catholic priest who became pope after the death of Pope Paul VI. He was the spiritual inspiration behind the downfall of communism, and sparked a peaceful revolution in Poland from the Soviet government. -
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher was a British Prime Minister who helped to end the Cold War. Thatcher identified a Soviet who knew Russia could not win the Cold War. Using her appoval, Gorbachev made his way to the White House to negotiate disarment treaties. -
SALT II
SALT II was a series of negotiations to curtail the amount of strategic nuclear weapons of the U.S and the USSR. The treaty banned the development of new missiles. The U.S. exited the treaty under the Reagan administration once the USSR invaded Afghanistan and had deployed a combat brigade in Cuba. -
Soviets Invade Afghanistan
The start of a long and brutal war to subdue the Afghan civil war. It can be described more as an intervention than invasion as the Soviet intervened to help the communist government against the anti-communist Muslim guerrillas. The act of the invasion was met with severe criticism from around the world. -
Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping started China's experiments in capitalism instead of communism. He intended to reform China to find the best path for economic development through international markets. He rose to power in a time when communism was in decline. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
The fall of the Berlin Wall marked the end of communism's grip on the Eastern Bloc. The erosion of pro-soviet governments in nearby Poland and Hungary and radical political change in the Eastern Bloc plus civil unrest in East Germany made way for GDR citizens being able to travel to West Germany. -
Lech Walesa
Lech Walesa was the second president of Poland who played an important role in organizing Roundtable talks with the party members when the tenth plenary session of the communist party ended. -
START I
START stands for Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. It was an agreement to limit and reduce the number of strategic offensive arms on both sides of the Cold War. -
START II
START stands for Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. This was the second installment of the treaty but never went into effect. It would ban the use of multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs) on intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).
