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Chinese Communist Revolution
The Chinese Civil War ended in the Chinese communist revolution, when Mao Ze Dong overthrew the Nationalist Government and declared China a communist state. This revolution caused China to become allied with the Soviet Union and the region of East Asia became a battleground between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. with many “proxy wars” taking place there to stop the spread of Communism. -
Russian Revolution
The Bolsheviks overthrew the Czar and took power during World War I. They then negotiated a peace with the Central Powers, leaving the Western allies to fight the war by themselves. This treaty led to American animosity toward the Soviets. -
Manhattan Project started
The Manhattan Project was the attempt by the United States, Great Britain and Canada to create nuclear weapons from 1942 to 1946. This project led to attempts by the Soviet Union and the Western Bloc to create these weapons, thus creating a nuclear arms race where each side attempted to gain more weapons than the other. -
Yalta Conference
The Yalta conference was the third major wartime conference. It consisted of the big three, the U.S. U.K. and U.S.S.R., represented by Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin respectively. In this conference, the main objective was reorganizing post war Europe. Stalin was given many of his demands for territory and influence, causing the split in Europe and the iron curtain. -
Potsdam Conference
The Potsdam Conference was the fourth and final major conference between the powers, and the first in which Roosevelt was not present, because of his death. In it, the countries focused on punishments for Germany and the new order that would take place in Europe after World War 2. Stalin, who had been given many of his demands in the earlier conferences, changed his promises during the Potsdam conference, including removing free elections throughout Eastern Europe. -
NATO Established
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was established to counter the growing power of the Soviet Union. Originally, the countries had all been European nations, but the U.S. was included because they’re power seen as necessary to oppose the Soviet’s. This “alliance” led to the creation of the Eastern Bloc, consisting of the Soviet Union and other nations, which contributed to the divide in Europe. -
Korean War
The Korean War was an example of a proxy war, where the US and USSR backed nations at war but did not fight themselves. The war was between communist North Korea and democratic South Korea. The war saw the introduction of NATO as a belligerent, and was the first time China stepped in to help another communist nation. -
Warsaw Pact signed
The Warsaw Pact was a treaty signed by the Soviet Union and its satellite nations creating the Eastern Bloc. The treaty was a response to NATO and showed the split within Europe over the issue of communism, creating the “iron curtain.” -
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was another proxy war between communist North Vietnam and democratic South Vietnam. The sides were supported by the Soviet Union and United States respectively, and resulted in a North Vietnamese victory and a withdrawal of American troops from the region, and a dent in U.S. power. -
Sputnik
Sputnik was the name of the first Soviet satellite launched, and the first satellite launched ever. The U.S. reacted to Sputnik with panic, because they had believed they were the frontrunner in space technology. The satellite also increased fear that the Soviet Union could launch a nuclear missile, because of their ability to launch a satellite. -
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban revolution was an overthrow of the dictator Fulgencio Batista, which resulted in a communist government led by Fidel Castro. The revolution was the first communist overthrow in the Western Hemisphere and caused concern to the US because the Soviet Union had a foothold so close to the US. The Cuban revolution also gave other countries in Latin America inspiration to overthrow their U.S. backed regimes. -
U-2 Incident
The U-2 incident was an event in 1960, when a United States U-2 plane was shot down over the Soviet Union. Despite initial denials of covert activity by the U.S., the plane was later acknowledged to be a surveillance plane that was taking photographs of Soviet military bases. The incident was an embarrassment to the United States and cause their relations with the Soviet Union to deteriorate. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
The Bay of Pigs invasion was an attempted invasion of Southern Cuba by CIA backed Cuban exiles. The invasion was unsuccessful and almost all of the exiles were killed by Cuban forces. The event was a big embarrassment for the United states government , and it also signified a defeat to the Soviet Union who backed the Cuban forces. -
Berlin Wall erected
The Bay of Pigs invasion was an attempted invasion of Southern Cuba by CIA backed Cuban exiles. The invasion was unsuccessful and almost all of the exiles were killed by Cuban forces. The event was a big embarrassment for the United states government , and it also signified a defeat to the Soviet Union who backed the Cuban forces. -
The Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban missile crisis was a confrontation between the United States and Soviet Union. It involved US. fears that soviet missiles were being moved to Cuba, giving the Soviet Union easy access to US bombing targets. The crisis was the biggest fear of nuclear war up to this point, and was a turning point in US-Soviet Relations. -
Nixon visits China
President Richard Nixon’s visit to China was a symbolic step in US-China relations. It was the first time a president had visited the People’s Republic and was the first time the two had mixed in 25 years. It showed the breaking down of barriers between the two countries and a shift in the balance of power in the Cold War. -
Soviets invade Afghanistan
The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan was a conflict between the USSR, who supported the communist government in power, and the US-backed Afghan rebels. The conflict was a significant proxy war, with the Afghan rebels getting arms from the US and Britain. The war ended in defeat for the Soviets, causing embarrassment and a shift in power, not unlike the Vietnam War. -
Ronald Reagan leads US
Ronald Reagan led the U.S. in his belief that communist countries could be recaptured and “freed” from communist rule. This belief helped shift the power of the Cold war and eventually led to the fall of the Soviet Union. -
USA creates the Strategic Defense Initiative
The Strategic Defense Initiative was a plan created by Ronald Reagan that involved defending the U.S. from Soviet attack using nuclear missiles. The plan was significant because it showed the concept of total warfare, as the U.S. used nuclear weapons in defense, and established the concept of mutually assured destruction. It also used space based missiles for defense purposes. -
Glasnost and Perestroika instituted in the USSR
Glasnost and Perestroika were reforms instituted by Mikhail Gorbachev in the Soviet Union. Glasnost called for more transparency and openness in Russian government activities and better foreign relations. Perestroika was a reform which focused on the restructuring of Soviet political and economic systems. These reforms helped hasten the end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. -
The Tear Down this Wall Speech
The Tear-This-Wall-Down Speech was a speech given by Ronald Reagan in Berlin Germany, challenging the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to take down the Berlin wall. The challenge was also symbolic of Gorbachev’s willingness to give Eastern Europe more freedom. -
Mikhail Gorbachev Leads USSR
Mikhail Gorbachev’s leadership resulted in new strategies for the USSR, many of which are believed to have sped up the dissolution of the Soviet Union. These policies emphasized domestic reforms, and better relations with the U.S. Because of these policies the Cold war ended early than it otherwise could have and US-Russian relations became better. -
Tiananmen Square Protests
The protests in Tiananmen Square in Beijing China were protests by young adult students demanding more freedom, more human rights and less corruption in China. The protests ended in the killing of many students, causing worldwide outrage and turning the spotlight on China. The fall of communism in Eastern Europe was one of the leading causes of the protests. -
The Fall of the Berlin Wall
The fall of the Berlin wall was a symbolic event in the end of the Cold War. It signified the end of communism and the end of the cold war in Eastern Europe. The wall’s end led to easy movement between Eastern and Western Europe and caused the larger wall in separating the two regions to be taken down as well. -
Abolishment of the USSR
The dissolution of the Soviet Union led to 15 separate states in Eastern Europe, effectively ending the spread of communism Cold War.
