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The "Iron Curtain"
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill referred to areas under the Soviet Union's control as the "Iron Curtain." The idea was the Europe would be separated by this curtain, with Communist dominated countries on the wrong side of it (red section as shown in the picture). The "Iron Curtain" was a physical and imaginary divide between the communist controlled countries and the allies of the United States. -
The Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was officially called the European Recovery Program, which was an American plan to aid Western Europe in recovering from World War Two. The United States plan for this program was to rebuild the effected regions of Europe, get rid of the trade, make the industry more modern, help Europe become more prosperous, and ultimately, prevent the spread of communism. -
The Berlin Airlift
The Allied countries separated Germany into four zones: Soviet, American, British, and French. Berlin was within the Soviet’s zone and was cut off from the Western countries. The Russians wanted total control of Berlin therefore they omitted any possible access from western Germany into western Berlin. This led to the United States and its allies supplied their zone with supplies by air. This effort lasted for more than a year. -
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
The countries banded together to form NATO, which is a mutual defense organization. The countries shared resources so that they were able to prevent the spread of communism around the world. This allowed the European countries, along with the United States, to come together to prevent Soviet aggression in Europe. -
Soviet's First Successful Atomic Weapon
The USSR had their first successful detonation of an atomic bomb in Kazakhstan. Its code name was referred to as "First Lightning." This successful atomic weapon by the Soviets, put the United States military into a frenzy. -
Senator Joseph McCarthy (McCarthyism)
Senator Joseph McCarthy was known for making unsubstantiated accusations to accuse people of being part of the Communist party. McCarthy created an atmosphere of fear and created a ripe environment. He attacked many innoccent people and ruined some of their lives. McCarthy was later discredited due to his false accusations. -
The Rosenberg trial
Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were put on trial because they were accused of selling nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union, in order to assist them in the development of their own nuclear bomb program. The Rosenbergs were originally offered a plea baragin but chose not to except the plea and were executed for their crime. -
The Soviet's detonate a hydrogen bomb
The Soviet's detonate their first hydrogen-fused weapon. This shows their capabilities and possible parity with the United States' nuclear capability. The test name for the Soviet's hydrogen bomb became known as Joe-4. -
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact was created by the Soviet-led eastern countries in order to counter NATO. The Warsaw Pact was a mutual defense organization led by the Soviets in order to retain satellite military control. -
The Vietnam War
The war began in 1954 after the rise of communist power in North Vietnam, who were backed by the Soviets. South Vietnam was backed by its ally, the United States. The war continued against the backdrop of an intense Cold War between two global superpowers: the United States and the Soviet Union. More than 3 million people were killed in the Vietnam War. Communist forces eventually seized control of Saigon, ending the Vietnam War, and the country was became unified. -
The Hungarian Revolution of 1956
This revolt was started by students in revolt of the Soviet puppet government. The Soviet Union invaded Budapest in order to restore Communist control. -
The Bay of Pigs Invasion
The U.S. State Department and Central Intelligence Agency organized Cuban refugees, in attempt to invade and overthrow the Cuban government, led by Fidel Castro. The invasion failed and was a complete disaster. Approximately 114 invaders were killed and 1,100 were captured. This was a precursor to the Cuban Missile Crisis. -
The Cuban Missile Crisis
The Soviet Union sets up intercontinential ballistic missile sites, that are capable of launching weapons that can reach the United States. The United States surveillance aircraft was able to soft the construction of these sites. The United States blockaded Cuba to prevent the delivery of the weapons. This resulted in an intense stand-off with the Soviet Union and which could have easily escalated into World War Three. -
Berlin Wall
At the time, the building of the wall was the best option because it was better than the starting of a war. Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan came together and eased the tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States. This allowed the reintegration of Western and Eastern Germany. The reunification of East and West Germany was made official a little less than a year after the fall of the wall. -
Romanian Revolution
The Romanian Revolution of 1989 was a period of uprising against Soviet-controlled puppet governments. The government of Nicolae Ceaușescu was overthrown and he was later executed, along with his wife. Romania was one of the first Soviet ruled government's to resist the Soviet control.
