-
Stalin
After WWII Stalin emerged as the leader of one of the superpower countries, the Soviet Union. He also claimed Eastern Germany and East Berlin. He was a pro-communism leader. Overall, Stalin was a ruthless leader and helped the Cold War begin. -
United Nations
The UN is a collective security system created after the failure of the League of Nations. During the Cold War the UN tried to help maintain peace, yet they did not want other countries to fall to communism. UN did not maintain peace for every country, but it was more successful than other attempts. -
Ho Chi Minh
Ho Chi Minh was a communist and nationalist who fought the French in the first Indochina War. He controlled North Vietnam when Vietnam was divided. Since Ho Chi Minh was a communist ruler the U.S. took the side of Diem, dispite the fact that he wasn't really a nice guy. This involved America in the Vietnam War. -
Iron Curtain
The Iron Curtain is a term coined by Winston Churchill that was used to describe the imaginary line between the democratic Western Germany and the communist Eastern Germany. Signified the tension between democrats and communists. -
Truman Doctrine
Greece and Turkey were at risk to falling to communist, so Truman asked for $400 million from congress to aid the countries.
The effort was successful. This helped prevent Greece and Turkey,which were in good locations strategically, from falling to communism. -
European Economic Cooperation
European Economic Cooperation is an organization that came from the Marshall Plan. It's purpose was to bring about recovery in Europe and provide aid. It also called for a democracy and free markey economy. This cooperation had many parts of Europe become democratic. -
The Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan is George Marshall's proposal to aid and rebuild Europe after WWII. The Soviet Union and Eastern Europe did not accept the U.S.'s offer to help them. This help Western Europe become stable again while Eastern Europe and other communist nations remained weak. -
Berlin Airlift
The Berlin Airlift was the Western powers response to Stalin's attempt to force the the Western Allies out of Berlin. The Western powers response was a round-the-clock airlift to supply West Berliners with food and supplies. The West won, however, it deepend the crisis between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. -
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
NATO is an alliance created with democratic nation during the Cold War. The members of this alliance promised to help one another if they were attacked. This created higher tensions and caused people to take sides between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. -
Peoples Republic of China
The existance of the Peoples Republic of China was claimed by Mao Zedong. China was then communist. Since China is a very large nation and it fell to Communism it was a serious blow to the Americans. -
Korean War
The Korean War was a war between North and South Korea during the Cold War. The United States aided South Korea because they were not communist. The war ended in a stalemate. The Korean War created bad relatoins between North and South Korea. These relations are still poor today. -
Explosion of the first hydrogen bomb
The first hydrogen bomb was detonated by the U.S. in the Pacific. This gave the U.S. a slight advantage in the arms race until shortly after when the Soviet's created one as well. This event caused the U.S.S.R. to create a hydrogen bomb as well, thus adding to the arms race. -
Khrushchev
Khrushchev was Stalin's successor in the Soviet Union. He denounce the ideas of Stalin and called for a "peacefull coexistence" between capitalist and communist systems. Helped create bad relations with the U.S. throught the take down of the U2 plance and the Cuban Missle Crisis. -
KGB
The KGB was a security agent for the Soviet Union until 1991. It can also be considered a military service. Infiltrated and spyed on many nations during the Cold War. -
Geneva Accords
Geneva Accords are documents that agreed to seperate Vietnam into 2 zones. It also was a peace agreement stating that the U.S. will leave Vietnam. This ended the was in Vietnam. -
Vietnam
During the Cold War a war broke out between North and South Vietnam. North was controlled by the communist leader Ho Chi Minh while South was controlled by Ngo Dinh Diem. America helped South Vietnam to prevent the spreading of communism. The Vietnam Aar became a very controversial event in America because several Americans didn't want the U.S. to interfer.Overall, the war lead to the 26th Amendment and taught lessons to future presidents of the U.S. about war. -
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact is the alliance between the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. It was the Soviet's response to NATO, but differs from NATO because the Soviets were invoked to keep its satellites in order. This event seperated many parts of the world between communist or democratic. -
Suez Canal/Nasser
Nasser had been struggling to modernized his country,Egypt, and strengthen his army. America offered to build a dam on the Nile for Egypt; however, Nasser formed an alliance against Israel with Arabs. America then withdrew the offer to help, so Nasser attempted to take the Suez canal, which brings most of Europe their oil. Though Nasser failed in his attempted Britain and France had siezed the canal angering the U.S. so much they joined the Soviet Union in a UN resolution. -
Sputnik
The Sputnik was the Soviet Union's satellite. It was the very first satellite to make it into space. This event was what triggered the space race between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. -
Berlin Wall is erected
The Berlin Wall was erected because many people from East Berlin were crossing over to West Berlin, which made the Soviets look bad. The wall seperated West Berlin, which consisted of the democrates, and East Berlin, which consisted of the Communist. The Berlin Wall showed how people of East Berlin had to be forced from fleeing their communist government, which proved communism was far from paradise. -
Cuban Missle Crisis
The Soviet Union sent nuclear missles to Cuba, so J.F.K. responded with a blockade. Eventually the missles were removed and war averted. The Cuban Missle Crisis was the closest the world has come to a nuclear war and increased tensions between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. -
Breszhnev
Leonid Brezhnev was Krushchev's successor and the first secretary of the Soviet Communist Party. He also issued Re-Stalinization. He put the people of the U.S.S.R. back uder supression they faced with Stalin and made important very decisions. -
Tet Offensive
North Vietnam and Viet Cong attacked South Korea at the same time, U.S. helped South Korea and was victorious. Despite America's victory, the tet Offensive was shown as an American defeat by the media. There was a lot of people angry and untrusting of LBJ, the current U.S. president at this time. -
Helsinki Accords
Helsinki Accords is a diplomatic agreement signed in Finland that was supposed to reduce tension between the Soviets and Western blocs. The Accords were not binding nor did they have treaty status. -
Iranian hostage crisis
Iran had 52 Americans held as hostages for 444 days. Carter wanted them released; however, he would not yield to blackmail. The hostages were released right after Regan was sworn into office. This event severely weakened relations between the U.S. and Iran. -
Russian invasion of Afghanistan
The Soviets got involved in a 9 year war with Afghan insurgents called Mujahideen. Several Afghans died of fleed their country. Eventually Soviet troops withdrawed under Gorbachev. The United States hated the Soviets and their communist government so much they aided Afghanistan. This shows just how much hatred the U.S. shows towards communism. -
Warsaw Olympics
The Warsaw Olympics took place in the Soviet Union; however, the U.S. boycotted it because of the war in Afghanistan. This lead to the Soviet's boycott at the Los Angeles Olympics. -
Lech Walesa and the Solidarity movement in Poland
Solidarity is a trade union federation in Poland lead by Lech Walesa. It was the first trade union in a Warsaw Pact country that was not communist. It called for the advancement in causes of workers rights and social change. The Solidarity movement had a huge influence on other capitalist countries. -
Los Angeles Olympic Games
Olympic Games were held in America and the Eastern Bloc boycotted itand the Soviets refused to participate in it. The boycotting state held their own tournament called the Friendship Games. The refusal of some nations to play in the games caused events to happen that the boycotting nations normally dominated. -
Gorbachev
Gorbachev was a leader of the Soviet Union who lead it to a democracy. His people were aloud to speak out against the government, which is something they were not previouly permitted to do. He is significant because he ended communism in the Soviet Union. -
Perestroika and Glasnost
Perestoika and Glasnost are Gorbachev's reforms for the Soviet Union when he was elected into office. Perestoika was his restructuring concept and Glasnost was suppost to ease strict control of the government. This helped the Soviet Union ease out of communism. -
Chernobyl
Chernobyl is the location of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant disaster in which the plant exploded and released radioactive particles everywhere. This event shows the strength and destructive power of nuclear power. -
Tiananmen Square
Chinese troops went into Tiananmen Square in Beijing and arrested and killed millions of democratic supporters. Several Chinese protested this event; however, lots of the protesters were killed. This event shocked many nations including the Chinese peoples own allies. -
Berlin Wall is torn down
Ronald Regan challenged Gorbachev to tear down the wall, and wall was torn down. The tearing down of the wall symbolized freedom for the Eastern Bloc. -
Yeltsin
Yeltsin was the first president of the Russian Federation. He vowed to for a free market economy for Russia and implemention economic shock thearopy and other programs. He helped the Russians have a smooth transition to a free market economy and more democratic government. -
End of the U.S.S.R.
Gorbachev was supposed to sign a treaty reduce the Soviets power;however, the Communist committee announced that Gorbachev had resigned and the committee was going to take over, Yeltsin resited and deafeted the committee. This lead to the breakup of the U.S.S.R. The end of the Soviet Union signifies the end of Communism in most of Eastern Europe. -
Putin
Putin is the current President of Russia. He oversaw the return of political stability and economic stability. He helped Russia prosper.
