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End of WWII
After World War 2 the Soviet Union Emerged as the other super power next to the United States of American. The picture is of Joseph Stalin the current leader of the Soviet Union with his countries flag behind him. -
Vietnamese Declaration of Independence
Vietnam wanted to be independent, but France desperately wanted to reestablish itself as a power by reclaiming its Vietnamese territory. U.S. wanted to keep France happy so that they would continue supporting the anti-communist efforts in Europe so they supported France against Vietnam’s independence. Ho Chin Minh the current leader of Vietnam became enemies with France and by association the U.S. This caused a division of Vietnam into North and South. The picture is a profile of Ho Chi Minh th -
Iron Curtain
Although Iron curtain was not a new term Winston Churchill the former British prime minster made it famous in his "The Sinews of Peace" speech when speaking about the divided control in Europe. The picture is a map and more literal depiction of the metaphor “Iron Curtain.” -
Truman's Speech
The United States president Harry Truman who is seen in the picture, spoke to congress about the responsibility of the U.S. supporting all democratic nations and most importantly containing radical ideologies “communism.” -
Berlin Blockade
After conflicting intentions for Germany between the controlling powers the Soviets closed off passage between Berlin and West Germany. Joseph Stalin was hoping that this blockade would force the other controlling powers to give in to his terms which would overall benefit his future plans for the Soviet Union. The picture is cartoon of the Soviet bear blockading passageway into Berlin. -
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was a mutual defense alliance that stated if any of the countries within NATO was attacked it would be considered an assault on all of them. The picture is the symbol often used for NATO as well as the participating counties’ flags around it. -
Blockade had failed
Truman refused to to loose Berlin so for the next 300plus days he ordered airlifts dropping supplies to West Berlin. It was clear the blockade had failed and Soviets reopened the passageways for travel. In the picture U.S. military planes are dropping off parachute supply packages into West Berlin. -
Communist China
This marked the long civil war between Chinese Communist and the Chinese Nationalist. Seen in the picture is communist leader Mao Zedong. This event is important to the cold war efforts because the United States then cut ties with Mainland China due to it being taken over by the communist groups. -
Korean War
The Korean War was the sign that the Cold War was moving into Asia. After the Japanese were defeated North Korea was set up to be communist and South Korea was set up to be anti-communist. With both North and South anxious to reunite the peninsula with their own political viewpoints tensions were high. U.S. President Harry Truman saw it as a perfect opportunity for communism containment. (Never really resolved and is also known as the forgotten war). The picture is of the Koran War memorial in W -
Warsaw Pact
Similar to NATO, the Warsaw Pact the communist nations and Soviet controlled areas were a mutual defense organization. If any outside source attacked one of the areas under the Warsaw Pact it would be an attack on all of them. The picture shown is of the different nations under the Warsaw Pact with the Soviet Union as the main power. -
Space Race
The Soviet launched the satellite Sputnik into space. The satellite was powered by rockets and although it didn’t carry missals did have the potential too. This kicked off the space race between the Soviets and the U.S. The picture is of the New York Times news paper release of the Sputnik launch. -
Fidel Castro
A revolutionist named Fidel Castro came into power of Cuba. Although, the year is known the day that Castro came into power is not completely clear. The 26 of July was important to their revolution because it was remembered attack on Santiago, Cuba that lead to his power. Due to ties with the Soviet Union Cuba became the first Communist power in the West. The picture is of the Cuban communist leader Fidel Castro. -
Bay of Pigs
Cuban exiles that opposed communism were trained by the CIA to invade Cuba secretly to form a gorilla army to knock Castro out. Still known as the biggest fail in U.S. history. Cuban military knew they were coming and were waiting their arrival. Out of the 1,400 exiles 100 were killed and the rest captured. The current U.S. president John F. Kennedy negotiated for their release and took a set back in the war against communism. The picture is of J.F.K who had just began his presidency and was ver -
Berlin Wall
For a more permanent separation Soviets then built the Berlin Wall. It separated West Germany from the Soviet controlled East Germany. It stretched across 80 miles and was heavily guarded with orders to shoot on site if any dared to cross (or more so escape) without proper documentation. The picture shows a map physically showing the boundaries and division due to the Berlin Wall. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Soviet Union offered Cuba an agreement to place nuclear missiles in Cuba which is right off the coast of the United States of American which would result in complete protection. U.S. aircraft spotted the building of these missile launch pads which alarmed J.F.K. immediately. He went on television announcing to the world what the Soviets were doing and that the U.S. would not stand for it. U.S. navel forces were ordered to quarantine (blockade) Cuba by searching all ships headed to Cuba. The -
J.F.K killed
President John F. Kennedy was shot and killed in Dallas, Texas. There are countless conspiracies surrounding his assassination. The convicted shooter was Lee Harvey Oswald. This event was important to the Cold War because many feel that the upcoming outcomes would have been different if he had remained president. The picture shown is of J.F.K’s funeral and casket. -
Gulf of Tonkin
This incident involved North Vietnamese boats ‘attacking” a U.S. battle ship. This “attack” occurred once more two days later on August 4, 1964. Attack and attacking is written in quotes because whether or not the assault actually took place was never proven. It did however provide the U.S. with enough incentive to call for mass numbers of troops being sent to Vietnam. By 1965 about 80,000 U.S. forces were in Vietnam. The picture is of the USS Maddox which was the U.S. battleship that was “attac -
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev came into power of the Soviet Union in 1985, but was elected president March 14, 1990. The picture is of Mikhail Gorbachev along with a statue of himself. -
Berlin Wall Falls
The wall dividing East and West Germany fell as it was announced that citizens were allowed to come a go as they wish. A celebration took place as people began partying and demolishing the wall. The picture is of the very celebration and demolishing that took place at midnight that day. -
The End
Gorbachev resigned as president and the Soviet Union Collapsed. This symbolized the end of the Cold War. The Russian flag was raised and Boris Yeltsin became president.ALthough tensions between Russia and the U.S. continue even today.
