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Suez Canal/ Nasser
What: The Suez Canal was a waterway that allowed transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation around Africa. Egyptian President Nasser nationalized the canal in 1956. HS: The nationalizing of the canal gave every country in the midst of war a way of travel. -
Stalin
Who; Stalin was the leader of the Soviet Union during most of the Cold War. HS: Stalin replaced the New Economic Polict with a centralized command economy and started the Great Purge. He also glorified supremacy of the state. -
United Nations
What: The United Nations was founded after World War II to replace the weak League of Nations. The UN is the world's largest and most prominent international organization. HS: The UN led to international law and security, more human and civil rights, and stopped war between countries. -
Committee for State Security (KGB)
What: The Committee for State Security was the Bulgarian Secret Service during the Communist rule of Bulgaria and the Cold War. HS: The Committee of State Security controlled most of the activities that occured inBulgaria during the war. This committee controlled weapons, government, police force, and surveillence of the country. -
Ho Chi Minh
Who: Ho Chi Minh was a Vietnamese communist revolutionary leader who was prime minister and president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. HS: Minh was an important figure in the founding of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the People's Army of Vietnam. He also lead the Vietnamese Independence movement. -
Iron Curtain
What: The Iron curtain was a symbol of the conflict and boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II until the end of the Cold War. HS: The Iron Curtain symbolized the division of Europe for many years and led to the formation of several alliances. The Iron Curtain served as a defense for the Soviet Union. -
Vietnam
What: Vietnam was the host of the Vietnam War, which was a result of the conflict between North and South Korea after the first Indonesian War. HS: Vietnam caused the United States to become involved in another war. This country established diplomatic relations with many countries. -
Truman Doctrine
What: The Truman Doctrine was a document of international policies set by Harry Truman. This doctrine state that the United States would support Turkey and Greece with economic and military aid to prevent them falling to the Soviet Union. HS: The Truman Doctrine is considered to be the start of the Cold War and the containment policy. -
European Economic Cooperation
What: Emerging from the Marshall Plan, this cooperation sought to establish an organization that established a recovery program that oversaw the distribution of aid. HS: The European Economic Cooperation founded the European Movement and allowed for a stable economy. -
The Marshall Plan
What: The Marshall Plan was an American aid program to help restore Europe's economy and prevent the spread of communism. HS: This aid package helped rebuild post war Europe. -
Berlin Airlift
What: The Berlin Airlift was one of the first crises between the Allies and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The Soviet Union had blocked off railroads, canals, and roads that led to section of Berlin controlled by the Allies. To solve the problem, the Allies created an airlift- Allied planes that carried supplies over the blockade to Allied land. HS: The Berlin Airlift shocked the Soviet Union because it showed them that the Allied forces could and would overpower them. -
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
What: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was a military alliance formed by the North Atlantic Treaty. This organization guaranteed mutual defense if one another was attacked. HS: NATO had a role in the fighting in Yugoslavia as well as the culminating of several parts of the Warsaw Pact. NATO played a major role in the Cold War, being an opponent of the Soviet Union. -
People's Republic of China
What: The People's Republic of China was China's first democratic dictatorship under the rule of Mao Zedong. HS: This form of government led to a prosperous time in China in which many social and economical reforms took place. The Republic also played a major role in China's support of North Korea during the Korean War. -
Korean War
What: The Korean War was a war between the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) over the reuniting of Korea. HS: The Korean War showed the importance and efficiency of the United Nations and resulted in another war for America. This war led to the uniting of North and South Korea into one. -
Explosion of the First Hydrogen Bomb
What: The explosion of the first hydrogen bomb occured when the United States dropped the bomb in the Pacific. They were testing out the impact of the bomb. HS: The dropping of this bomb gave the United States a short lived advantage in the arms race against the Soviet Union.This explosion set off the competition between the US and SU, leading the two countries to create the most advanced nuclear weapons in history, -
Nikita Khrushchev
Who: Nikita Khrushchev led the Soviet Union during the Cold War. He served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. HS: Khrushchev took part in the de-Stalinization of the Soviet Union, supported the Soviet space program, and made several liberal reforms in areas of domestic policy. -
Warsaw Pact
What: The Warsaw Pact was a mutual defense treaty between eight communist states during the Cold War. Their oponent was the NATO. HS: The Warsaw Pact dominated the Warsaw Treaty armed forces and played a major role in the Cold War. -
Sputnik
What: Sputnik was the first artificial earth satellite created by the Soviet Union. HS: The launching of Sputnik caused the Space Age and the Space Race. -
Berlin Wall is Erected
What: The Berlin wall is a massive structure built by the German Democratic Republic. This wall completely blocked off East Germany from West Berlin. It was topped with barbed wire and stocked with patrolling guards. The wall intended to shut out emigration into East Germany. HS: The Berlin Wall made the division of Germany concrete and sparked controversy over the freedom of movement within Germany. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
What: The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation between the Soviet Union and Cubva verses the United States. The confrontation involved the removing of SU missiles from Cuba. HS: This crisis is considered to be one of the most serious confrontations during the Cold War because it was the closest the war came to turning into a nuclear war. The crisis resulted in the removal of many missiles and a promise to never invade Cuba. -
Leonid Brezhnev
Who: Leonid Brezhnev was the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. HS: During Brezhnev's rule, he put the Soviet Union into an economic stagnation which eventually led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union. -
Tet Offensive
What: The Tet Offensive was a military campaign during the Vietnam War between North and South Vietnam and their allies. The opponents agreed to stop fighting during the Tet, or Vietnamese New Year. HS: This offensive led to a victory for Sount Vietnam and its ally, the United States. The Tet Offensive was the largest conducted up to that point in history. -
Helsinki Accords
What: The Helsinki Accords was the final act of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe. These accords were signed in an attempt to improve feelings between the Communist bloc and the West. HS: The Helsinki Acoords reduced many tensions during the Cold War. The accords also lead to the establishment of the Organization for the Security and Cooperation in Europe -
Iranian Hostage Crisis
What: The Iranian Hostage Crisis was a diplomatic crisis between the United States and Iran. Around 52 Americans were held hostage for almost 450 days after Islamic students took over the American Embassy in Tehran, Iran. HS: The Iranian Hostage Crisis sparked tensions between Iran and the United States. This crisis led to Operation Eagle Claw. -
Russian Invasion of Afghanistan
What: The Russian invasion of Afghanistan occurred during the Cold War. The attack was carried out by groups of people called Mujahedin. The fighters were trained in Pakistan and China. HS: The invasion in Afghanistan caused thousands of Afghans to flee from their country. Many were killed. -
Moscow Olympics
What: The Moscow Summer Olympics was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Moscow in the Soviet Union in 1980. HS: This event was boycotted by 65 countries led by the United States. The Olympics were boycotted because of the Soviet War in Afghanistan. This boycotting influenced the boycotting that occured in Los Angeles in 1984. -
Lech Walesa and the Solidarity Movement in Poland
Who: Lech Walesa was a Polish politician, human rights activist, and was once the President of Poland. HS: Walesa founded the Solidarity which was an independent labor union. His reforms led to political and economical change. He changed Poland into a free market economy. -
Los Angeles Olympics
What: The Los Angeles Olympics of 1984 was international multi-sport event. This event stirred up much controversy during the Cold War times. HS: The Los Angeles Olympics of 1984 was a controversial event in history. Many countries like the Soviet Union, Cuba and East Germany boycotted the Games. The boycott led to a program called the Friendship Games. -
Mikhail Gorbachev
Who: Mikhail Gorbachev served as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. HS: Gorbachev is historically known for his reforms dealing with the arming of the Soviet Union and his peace meetings with President Ronald Reagan that led to the end of the Cold War and the dissolving of the Soviet Union. -
Chernobyl Disaster
What: The Chernobyl Disaster was a devastating nuclear explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, Russia. HS: This disaster is considered the worst nuclear power plant accident in history. The explosion killed many people and brought fear to the Soviet Union. The cost to repair the damage still has an impact on Russia today. -
Perestroika and Glasnost
What: Perestroika and Glasnost were Gorbachev's policies that promoted the democratization of the Communist Party. HS: Perestroika led to de-monopolization, the end of prices being controlled by the goverment and a free market system. Glasnost led to freedom of expression- no censoring of media, citicism of government, free writing for artists. -
Geneva Accords
What: The Geneva Accords were the agreements on the settling of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan HS: These agreements stopped the Soviet war in Afghanistan by requiring the Soviet troops to withdraw themselves from Afghanistan. -
Tiananmen Square
What: The Tiananmen Square is a large city square in the center of Beijing, China. It represents the culture of China and keeps great events of Chinese history alive. HS: The Tiananmen Square was the center of Tiananmen Square protests. -
Berlin Wall is Torn Down
What:The Berlin wall, a symbol of the division of Germany, was torn down with sledgehammers by people from all around Germany. The tearing down of the wall took weeks to complete. HS: The tearing down of the Berlin wall became a symbol of increasing freedom for the Germans and was an aid in the reuniting of Germany. -
Yeltsin
Who: Yeltsin was the first president of the Russian Federation. He emerged after the perestroika reforms. HS: Yeltsin transformed the Russian socialists command economy into a free market economy but caused corruption, inflation, economic collapse, and problems. -
The Ending of the USSR
What:The ending of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was the acknowledging the independence of twelve republics of the Soviet Union. HS: The independence of the twelve states created the Commonwealth of Independent States. The dissolution of the Soviet Union marked the end of the Cold War. -
Putin
Who: Putin is currently the President of Russia. Before becoming president, he was a member of the KGB and the Prime Minister of Russia. HS: Putic has resotred political stability and economic progress in Russia.
