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Suez Canal/Nasser
It allowed transportation by water between Europe and Asia without navigation around Africa. Egyptian President Nasser nationalized the canal in 1956. HS: Now it may be used "in time of war as in time of peace, by every vessel of commerce of war, without distinction of flag". -
Stalin
Stalin managed the consolidate power and expanded his own role. He replaced the New Economic Policy with a highly centralized command economy, which resulted in the rapid change of USSR to industrial power. Stalin started the Great Purge which executed thousands of people. HS: Under Stalin the concept of "socialism in one country" became a central tenet of Soviet society. He also led SU into a post-war period which rised tension with the Western world and that resulted in the Cold War. -
United Nations
The UN was founded after WWII to replace the League of Nations. It is the world's largest, foremost, and most prominent international organization. The UN aimed at promoting international law and security, human and civil rights, freedom, and lasting world peace. HS: Its purpose is to stop war between countries and to provide a platform for dialogue -
Iron Curtain
This was a physical boundary diving Europe into two separate areas from the end of WWII to the end of The Cold War. This symbolized the efforts of SU to block itself and its European allies off from the west and non-communist areas. -
Vietnam
Conflict between North and South Korea after the First Indonesia War resulted in the Vietnam War. HS: By 2000 it had established diplomatic relations with most nations. -
Ho Chi Minh
Ho Chi Minh was a Vietnamese communist leader and also the prime minister and president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. He was a key figure in the Vietnam War and defeated the French Union at the Dienbienphu, which convinced the French to leave Vietnam. HS: Ho established a communist- Democratic Republic of Vietnam and was the inspriration to the Vietnamese who fought for a united, communist Vietnam. -
Truman Doctrine
It was an international relations policy set for by Harry Truman which stated the US would support Greece and Turkey with economic and military aid to prevent them from falling to the SU. HS: It is considered to be the start of the Cold War and the containment policy. -
European Economic Cooperation
It is an international economic organization that was developed to create a economic progress and fix the over all ideas for the Marshall Plan. It was made to increase trade and the reconstruction of Europe after the effects of WWII. HS: This helped to rebuild Western Europe. -
The Marshall Plan
This was the American program to aid Europe. Its plan was to help rebuild European economies and prevent the spread of communism. The goals of the US were to rebuild a war-devastated region, remove trade barriers, modernize industry, and make Europe prosperous again. HS: After the funding ended, the economy of every participant state surpassed pre-war levels. -
Berlin Airlift
Berlin was divided into four sections and the Russians closed all ways of connection from Germany to West Berlin. So the US and its Allies began the Berlin Airlift which brought needed food and supplies to the city of West Berlin. HS: The Berlin Airlift showed the SU that the Allies would not give up on West Berlin and were prepared to maintain their independence. -
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
The NATO was an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty. It constitutes a collective defense where any member states agree to mutual defense in response to an attack by an external party. It said that military forces would be used to defend Western allies, and the USSR felt threatened by this. HS:This causes tension between US and USSR and the NATO was used to protect US and their Western allies from attack -
People's Republic of China
PRC is a sovereign state in East China that is the worlds most populous country. PRC is a single-party country, governed by the Communist Party. The Communist Party overthrew the nationalist Kuomintang and created the PRC. It has jurisdiction over 22 provinces. HS: It is the most recent political entity to govern mainland China. -
Korean War
The Korean War was a result of the division of Korea, between North and South Korea. North Korean forces invaded South Korea and overran most of their land. The United Nations Security Council condemned the invasion and the US sent soldiers to help the South. Then China got involved and it turned into a stalemate HS: This was the first armed conflict of the Cold War and showed power and restraint of US & SU. It also proved how the Cold War would develop as a proxy war between domino countries. -
Explosion of the first hydrogen bomb
The explosion of the first hydrogen bomb occurred when the US dropped the bomb in the Pacific. They were testing out the impact of the bomb. HS: The dropping of the bomb gave the US a short lived advantage in the arms race against the SU. This explosion set off the competition between the US and the SU, leading the two countries to create the most advanced nuclear weapons in history. -
Khrushchev
Krushchev served as First Secretary of Communist Party of SU and was responsible for part of de-Stalinization process. He saw economic priorities shift from heavy industry to consumer goods but still kept a command economy. HS: Soviets enjoyed more freedom of speech under him. He freed government critics from prisons and labor camps. He also saved the world from going into nuclear war when he removed his missiles form Cuba. This led to a more diplomatic relationship between US and Russia. -
KGB (Committee for State Security)
This was the main security agency for the SU until its collapse. It was the chief government agency acting as internal security, intelligence, secret police, and military service. HS: Its main functions were foreign intelligence, guarding the state boarder of USSR, and guarding leadership of Central Committee of Communist Party of SU and Soviet government. -
Warsaw Pact
This was a mutual defense treaty between 8 communist states during the Cold War. This pact was in part a Soviet military reaction to the integration of West Germany. HS: The USSR dominated the Warsaw Treaty armed forces. -
Sputnik
Sputnik was the first artificial earth satellite. The SU launched it into an elliptical low Earth orbit and it was visible all around the Earth. HS: This began the Space Age and triggered the Space Race. -
Berlin Wall erected
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the Germans that cut off West Berlin from East Germany. It was topped with barbed wire and guards were around guarding it at all times. HS: The Berlin Wall made the division of Germany concrete. It showed that people did not want to live in East Germany so the government had to build this wall to keep people in. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was between SU, Cuba, and the US. The SU sent nuclear missiles to Cuba so they could target the US. The US then responded by planting a naval blockade that prevented further Soviets shipments. Luckily, Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles before it got bad! HS: This was one of the major confrontations of the Cold War and was the moment when the Cold War came closest to turning into a nuclear conflict. -
Brezhnev
Brezhnev was a member of the Central Committee. He pushed for detente between Eastern and Western countries. He was in charge of the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia to stop the liberalization and he sent the Soviet military to Afghanistan. HS: After his ruling there were many problems in the SU and it led to a national decline, however, he did build up the military. -
Tet Offensive
This was a military campaign during the Vietnam War between North Vietnam and South Vietnam, US, and its allies. Both sides agreed to cease fire during the Tet Lunar New Year celebrations but communist led surprise attacks anyways. HS: The US and South Vietnam received a tactical victory. This offensive was the largest military operation conducted up to this point in the war. -
Helsinki Accords
The Helsinki Accords was the final act of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe. Thirty-three states attend and signed this agreement including US, Canada, and most European States. This guaranteed freedom of speech, religion, and press as well as the rights to a fair trial, to earn a living, and to live in safety. HS: However, this agreement did not work because human rights abuses still took place daily around the world. -
Iranian Hostage Crisis
This was a diplomatic crisis between Iran and the US. Fifty-two Americans were held hostage for 444 days when Islamic students took over the American embassy in Tehran. HS: This event led the Iranian government to enter negotiations with the US, with Algeria is the mediator. -
Russian Invasion of Afghanistan
The Russian Invasion was a part of the Cold War and lasted nine years between Soviet-led Afghan forces and insurgent groups called Mujahideen. The insurgents received military training from Pakistan and China and millions of dollars from the US. HS: This resulted in millions of Afghans fleeing their country. Thousands of Afghan civilians were killed as well as participants in the war. -
Moscow Olympics
Olympics were held in Soviet Union. Starting with the US, 65 nations boycotted the games because of the Soviet war in Afghanistan. HS: This promoted the boycotting of the 1984 Summer Olympics. -
Lech Walesa
Lech co-founded Solidarity, the Soviet Bloc's first independent trade union. He also became President of Poland. During this time people demanded reform and communist governments began to fall. HS: During his ruling he changed into a free market economy, he withdrew Soviet troops from Polish soil, and won reduction in Poland's foreign debts. He persuaded former communist parties to form a non-communist party. -
Los Angeles Olympics
In responce to the American-led boycott at the Moscow Olympics;14 Eastern Bloc countries boycotted the games. This influenced a large number events that were normally won by the absent countries. Despite the boycott the Los Angeles games attracted a record 140 participating nations. HS: The 1984 Summer Olympics are known as the most financially successful modern Olympics. -
Gorbachev
Mikhail wanted to make a change by bringing about reforms. He tried to avoid confrontations by signing arm control treaties with US and pulling his troops out of Afghanistan. He encouraged people to talk about the country's problems openly and wanted to reconstruct the government and economy,
HS: His reforms brought economic turmoil. Factories closed, more unemployment, and countries left the Soviet orbit. -
Chernobyl
Chernobyl was a horrible nuclear accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. An explosion and fire let out large amounts of radioactive particles into USSR and Europe. HS: This endangered many people, crops, and animals to deadly radiation. It is known as the worst nuclear power plant accident in history. -
Perestrokia and Glasnost
This was a meeting of the central committee members. Gorbachev believed that his policies were the only solution to the problems of the Soviet Union. HS: Economic, social, and political aspects of the Soviet Union have been partly implemented due to these two elements. -
Geneva Accords
The Geneva Accords were the agreements on the settling of the Democratic Republic o Afghanistan. HS: These agreements stopped the Soviet war in Afghanistan by requiring the Soviet troops to withdraw themselves from Afghanistan. -
Tiananmen Square
It is a large city square in the center of Beijing, China. It has great cultural significance as it was the site of several important events in Chinese history. HS: It is the focal point of the Tiananment Square protests of 1989. -
Berlin Wall is torn down
The Berlin Wall kept people of East Germany from going into West Berlin. When the East German government lost the power to enforce that the wall exist people ran to knock the wall down and reunite Germany. HS: The tearing down of the wall was a symbol of increasing freedom. Now people were able to live where they wanted and not be "imprisoned" by this wall anymore. -
Yeltsin
He was the first president of the Russian Federation. He emerged under perestroika reforms. He vowed to transform the Russian socialists command economy into a free market economy. HS: Much of his era was marked by corruption, inflation, economic collapse, and political and social problems. -
End of USSR
It was under Mikhail Gorbachev when the SU got renamed back to Russia and lost all the communist nations. HS: This signified the end of the Cold War. -
Putin
Putin is the current president of Russia in his third term. He was previously a member of the KGB and the Prime Minister of Russia until 2000. HS: He has been credited for overseeing a return of political stability and economic progress to Russia.
