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Russian Communist Revolution
Lenin led the Bolshevik revolution in the fall of 1917. He studied Karl Marx's theories and developed a strong belief in Marzism and wanted to establish a classless society. The Bolshevik party soon won control of the important Petograd and Moscow soviets. They made a group called the Red Guard who then seized the central governemt by force. They changed the name of their party the communist party. If none of this would of happened there would be no cold war- No fight between U.S and S.U. -
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was the basic cause of the Second World War, the holocaust and the Cold War because it was a treaty made without thought of fairness or consideration as to what its effects might be. Instead the treaty created an alien system of democracy that was never more than stable and which because of the constitution's flaws allowed Germany to be torn apart by extremist political parties like the Communists and worse Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. -
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an international organization created after the First World War to provide a forum for resolving international disputes. The League of Nations was the attempt to start a U.N. type organization after WWI. It was a U.S. idea, but it failed because the U.S. wouldn't join. Then the U.N. came along after WWII and it succeeded. During the Cold War the U.N. failed because the U.S. and Soviets never agreed. -
General Assembly
The General Assembly is the main deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of the United Nations. Comprising all 193 Members of the United Nations, it provides a unique forum for multilateral discussion of the full spectrum of international issues covered by the Charter. During the Cold War the Soviet Union and the countries of eastern Europe formed one of the most cohesive blocs. This was bad because this meant communism was spreading. -
Yalta Conference
President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin meet to discuss the Allied war effort against Germany and Japan and to try and settle some diplomatic issues. While a number of important agreements were reached at the conference, tensions over European issues foreshadowed the crumbling of the Grand Alliance that had developed between the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union during World War II and hinted at the Cold War to come. -
United Nations
The UN was formed during ww2 to combat the Axis Powers. The tensions between the Western Allies and the Soviet Union over division of power in the post war world and the fate of Eastern Europe led to the Cold War as did revelations of Soviet espionage in North America. The UN due to the structure of the security council and the veto made by the United States and Soviet Union was largely sidelined during the Cold War as both Western powers and the Soviets worked through problems w/ their nations. -
Iron Curtain Speech
This was a speech given by Winston Churchill announcing the beginning of the Cold War. Iron Curtain is a name for the Soviet Union; Winston said the Iron Curtain has decended across the continent. The Soviet Union is behind the Iron Curtain because they are communists and the curtain is attempting to stop the spread of communism. Winston is American and obivoulsy for democracy and the Soviets are for communism which links to the biggest problem in the cold war; democracy vs. communism. -
Baruch Plan
The United States presented the Baruch Plan to the United Nations. The plan was international control of atomic weapons. This plan eventually failed. The failure of it resulted in a dangerous nuclear arms race between the United States and Soviet Union during the Cold War. -
Nuremberg Trials
The trials tookplace between 1945 and 1946. The purpose was to punish German leaders (anyone who was a member of political, military, or econimic leadership relating to Nazis in ww2) for all of their war crimes. Most were found guilty, sentenced to prison or death. These trials are how the 2 superpowers began to come about in the cold war. It effected the cold war because international order was created-. Trials brought disruption of human rights and international peace. -
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was written so that the U.S could help out countries who were thinking about becoming Communists. While the country had traditionally been reluctant to enter conflicts outside the Americas, Truman was now pledging to intercede in conflicts all over the globe to contain the growth of Communism. The Truman Doctrine would form the basis of U.S. policy during the cold war with the Soviet Union — in fact, many historians argue that the cold war began with the Truman Doctrine. -
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan reduced the influence and power of Communist parties in Western Europe. This angered the Soviet Union and was seen as another anti-communist move by the USA, following the Truman Doctrine. Both these acts drove the divide between East and West even deeper and convinced the world that a new political conflict, between the Soviet Union and the West, had begun. The Marshall Plan caused the Cold War to become a reality in the lives of the people of the countries involved. -
Berlin Airlift
On June 24, 1948 Stalin put up a blockade on Western Berlin. The Soviets blocked all roads/railways and they cut off their power. This was an attempt to force allies to leave Berlin or stop them from unifying Western Berlin. The U.S. sends massive airlifts of supplies to Western Berlin for 324 days. The airlift was one of the greatest logistical feats in modern history and was one of the crucial events of the early Cold War. -
NATO created
NATO stands for the North Atlantic treaty organization. The prospect of further communist expansion promoted the U.S to make NATO. The soviets and their alliances made a rival alliance called the Warsaw pact. These two groups divided Europe and provided framework for a military standoff that continued throughout the Cold War. It was a constant fight
between not having communism and communism. -
Cuban Missle Crisis
During the Cold War Krushev (U.S.S.R leader) had missles placed in Cuba pointing at the U.S. To take care of this Kennedy set a naval blockade in Cuba. This caused great tension between the U.S and Soviets. In the end Krushev removed the missles in return that Kennedy would remove the U.S missles from Turkey and that the U.S would never invade Cuba again. The crisis ended. This event instigated more issues in the Cold War. -
Chinese Communist Revolution
Mao was determined to follow lenin and turn china into a communist nation. Mao won support by destroyinglandlord class and redistributing private land as small farms to former tenants and landlesslaborers. Mao also wanted to build up Chinese industrial and military strength quickly, he did so by communes. this eventually failed- people went hungry. Mao also changed so that women would have hard jobs. Of china never became communists then they wouldnt of been on the S.U side in the cold war. -
Joseph McCarthy speech
Joseph Mccarthy was an anticommunist. He gave a speech infront of Ohio country womens Republic club in Wheeling, WV. He said he had a list of 205 known communist party members who were " working and shaping policy" in the state department. The rise of communism and spies/ traitors frightened American people during the time of the Cold War. Mccarthy made that scare worse by accusing people of comminism. His accusations cause a witch hunt for all comunists; his speech turned out to be untrue. -
Korean War
The Korean War began when some 75,000 soldiers from the North Korean People’s Army poured across the 38th parallel, the boundary between the Soviet-backed Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to the north and the pro-Western Republic of Korea to the south. This invasion was the first military action of the Cold War. By July, American troops had entered the war on South Korea’s behalf. Many feared it was the first step in a communist campaign to take over the world. -
Warsaw Pact
In 1949, the prospect of further Communist expansion prompted the United States and 11 other Western nations to form the NATO. The Soviet Union and its affiliated Communist nations in Eastern Europe founded a rival alliance, the Warsaw Pact. The alignment of nearly every European nation into one of the two opposing camps formalized the political division of the European continent. This alignment provided the framework for the military standoff that continued throughout the Cold War. -
Sputnick Launched
The Sputnick was launched by the Soviets, this marked the start of the space age and the U.S and U.S.S.R space race. The soviets technical acheivement caught American public off- guard. Americans feared soviets' ability to launch satellites also their capability to launch ballistic missles that could carry nuclear weapons from Europe to the U.S. This increased the competition between U.S and Soviets in the Cold War,also caused more fear with nuclear weapons. This sparked the arms race also. -
MAD
MAD is a U.S. doctrine of reciprocal deterrence resting on the U.S. and Soviet Union each being able to inflict unacceptable damage on the other in retaliation for a nuclear attack. This connects to the Cold War because the U.S. and the Soviet Union aren't allowed the use of nuclear weapons. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
In 1961, JFK became president. Kennedy was concerned about the Soviet ally so close to the U.S. In April, 1961, Kennedy decided to act. He approved an invasion on the Cuban main land by an anti-Castro Cuban group trained by the U.S. military. They landed on the Bay of Pigs in Cuba with the intent of igniting an uprising against Castro. The invasion failed miserably. This connects to the Cold War because this only makes the Cuban Missle Crisis worse. -
Fidel Castro proclaims Communist Cuba
Castro was working with the U.S when they realized that he was for comm. and was with soviets, he wanted to defeat the U.S. After finding this out the U.S had to abandon friendly govt. with cuba with the castro govt.there.Cuba was in a very good location; gulf- atlantic-caribbean shipping lanes, panama canal, and guantanamo naval base. Fidel declared it a communist state. Cuba would provide a base for anti-american activites and spread comm. in third world countires, led to tension in cold war. -
Building of Berlin Wall begins
This event connects the the Cold War because it shows the division between the Communists on the East side and the Allies on the West side. The West side didn't want to give into communism. -
Berlin Wall
On December 17, 1963 West Berliner citizen may visit East Berlin the first time after more than two years. On October 3, 1990 Germany is reunited. This connects because it shows the unification. -
U.S sends troops to Vietnam
The United States supported a military government in South Vietnam and worked to prevent free elections that might have unified the country under the control of communist North Vietnam. In response, the SEATO was formed to prevent communist expansion, and President Eisenhower sent some 700 military personnel as well as military and economic aid to the government of South Vietnam. This connects to the Cold War because it shows the U.S will do anything to prevent the spread of Communism. -
Nuclear Deterrent
The nuclear deterrent was for the 2 superpowers (U.S and S.U) to refain from using nuclear weapons being that they both had a lot of them; leading to the arms race. The purpose of this is to refrain from having a nuclear war,leads to MAD, saying that if 1 country uses their nuclear weapons then the other country can use them back and both their countries will be destroyed. This led to submarines, ballistic missles, and the nuclear bomb with the fight between U.S and S.U of who can be the best. -
Apollo 11
Apollo 11 is the most signifigant event in the space race between the Soviets and the U.S. America sent Aldrin and Armstrong to the moon in a craft named Eagle. When Armstrong stepped on the moon he said " Thats one small step for a man... one gaint leap for mankind." Saying that Ameica had won the space race. This is significant to the cold war because it shows the rivalry between the U.S and S.U, one always wants to be better. America had won the space race and was 1 step ahead of the Soviets -
Non-Proliferation Agreement
An angreement signed in 1968 but put in force 1970. Saying that nuclear powers to not transfer nuclear weapons, or nuclear weapon technology, to non- nuclear states. 135 nations signed- France and China did not.This was made to prevent nuclear war. In the contex of the Cold War arms race and mounting international concern about consequences of nuclear war, the treaty was a major success. Brought international cooperation for nuclear weapons. Made for less chance of nuclear war between nations. -
Kent State shooting
The Kent State students were protesting againt the U.S for bombing Cambodia, the National Gaurdsmen shot and killed 4 students for their actions. This caused a split nation regaurding the Vietnam War, which was communists wanting to take over South Vietnam. The U.S wanted to help South Vietnam fight communism. In the Cold War the U.S opposed communism the whole time. -
SALT I
Amidst the Cold War, a series of treaties was issued under the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty to slow the build up of nuclear weapons. SALT I was the first of the Strategic Arms Limitation talks between the U.S.S.R. and the U.S. Communist leader Leonid Brezhnev met with U.S. President Richard Nixon to come up with a treaty that would contain the arms race. This connects to the War because it shows that both countries are afraid of nuclear weapons and they don't want this war to become hot. -
Fall of Saigon
The end of the Vietnam War caused the Fall of Saigon (capital city). 58,000 Americans died by the end of the war. The fall of saigon brought the reunification of Vietnam as 1 communist country. This was one of the lowest point in American history. This helped set in motion the fall of the Soviet Empire 15 years later. The soviet Union came out more victorious being that Vietnam is a communist country. The U.S wanting democracy did not win; sparked more tension in the Cold War. -
Pope John Paul ll
In 1978 became the first non-Italian pope in more than 400 years. He died in Italy in 2005. He helped end the Cold War because he was crucial to the creation of the Solidarity labor movement in 1980. That, after a long and often tragic course, led to the collapse of Communism in Poland in the summer of 1989. And that, in turn, initiated the collapses of the other Communist governments of Eastern Europe from East Germany to Bulgaria. -
Deng Xiaoping
He was in power from 1978-1992. He was a leader of the comm. party, he wanted to make china the 3rd superpower. He modernized china's agriculture, industry, mlitary, and technology. He bettered chinas ecomony. His big role was his decision to go to war with vietnam. This links to the cold war because China is on the soviets side(North vietnam) and France and the U.S are supporting S.vietnam. This caused more tension between soviets and americans during the cold war. -
SALT II
On June 18, 1979, Brezhnev and President Jimmy Carter signed the SALT II treaty. Since the two countries had developed different strategies, with the U.S.S.R. focusing on larger warheads and the U.S. concentrating on missiles with a greater accuracy, specifications of the previous treaties had to be changed. SALT II set more specific regulations on the different missiles. This connects to the Cold War because both countries don't want a neclear war on their hands. They are afraid. -
Margaret Thatcher
In office 1979-1990. Margaret was a conservationist.She supported free enterprise and the laissez-faire capitalism. She wanted to disband part of britains welfare system and reduce the role of the central government. Margaret became very good friends witth President Ronald Reagan and an ally to the U.S. They were very powerful together, that is why they, together, helped to end the Cold War. By making friends with Gorbachev,Thatcher made him rethink his communism nation-comm. fell. = end of war -
Soviets Invade Afghanistan
During the Cold War the soviets sent troops to Afghanistan. This was a watershed of the Cold War; the only time Soviets invade a country outside the Eastern bloc. The U.S and european allies greatly critized the soviets move into Afghanistan and devised numerous measures to compel Moscow to withdraw. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
On November 9, 1989, as the Cold War began to thaw across Eastern Europe, the spokesman for East Berlin’s Communist Party announced a change in his city’s relations with the West. Starting at midnight that day, he said, citizens of the GDR were free to cross the country’s borders. Europe started to become one. -
Lech Walesa
A former worker at a Polish shipyard, he played an important role in bringing an end to Communist rule in Poland. He was consistently involved in activities toward the establishment of free trade unions in Poland. He played a key role in creating the first free Trade Union "Solidarity" in 1980, which in turn led the anti-Communist movement of Poland in the 1980s. After the fall of communism, he was elected the first President of Poland, from December 22, 1990 – December 22, 1995. -
START I/II
Strategic Arms Reduction Talks (START), arms control negotiations between the United States and the Soviet Union that were aimed at reducing those two countries’ arsenals of nuclear warheads and of the missiles and bombers capable of delivering such weapons. The talks began in 1982. This connects to the Cold War because both countries are afraid they will get bombed because they are trying to outdue eachother.
