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The Russian Revolution was a Communist revolution in Russia, as a result of WW1, food shortages, and a discontent population. This set up the ideological differences between America and Communist Russia that would be prevalent throughout The Cold War.
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The conference at Potsdam between allied leaders after the defeat of Hitler displayed future tensions between Britain and America, wanting peace and freedoms for all in Europe, and Stalin wanting to take power of European countries and establish further communism.
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America dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. This event upset the Soviet Union, who knew of the existence of the atomic bomb due to their spies in The Manhattan Project, but did not expect America to use the bomb. The use of the atomic bomb changed how warfare would be fought in the future, cutting back direct attacks and declarations of war although creating a long period of fear of complete destruction brought by atomic warfare.
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Three days after the first was dropped, America dropped a second atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Nagasaki. This bomb finally convinced Japan to surrender, before we dropped even more nuclear weapons.
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After WW2 a fictional barrier was created between the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe called the iron curtain. It was an important symbol of the complete seperation between communism and the rest of the world.
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In response to The Soviet Unions aggression, expansion, and goals, America put into place a policy of Containment. Containment was long term, patient but firm and vigilant containment of Russia and it's communism.
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The Molotov Plan was the Soviet Union's system of aid and relief to help rebuild countries in Eastern Europe, specifically those aligned to communism though.
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President Truman appeals to congress to assist free European countries, represents a large change in U.S. foreign policy.
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The Hollywood 10 refused to give names or admit to being or not being a communist. For refusing to go along with the hearings they were labeled as communists and blacklisted from Hollywood and treated poorly.
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The Marshall Plan was a program passed by America to give economic assistance on a large scale to European countries to help protect them and attempt to resist communism from Russia taking hold in free European countries.
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During debates over the Marshall Plan the Eastern European country of Czechoslovokia was overthrown by communists. Helped show the importance of putting the Marshall Plan into place.
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The Berlin Blockade was an attempt by the Soviet Union to blockade Berlin and starve out the city, and push out the allied forces in western Berlin
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In response to the Soviet blockade of Berlin America and its allies flew in the supplies needed to keep Berlin alive and functioning, and resolved to not be pushed out by the Soviets.
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The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was formed as a military alliance guaranteeing that the United States and other countries within the organization would come to the aid of anyone attacked by the Soviet Union.
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The Soviets tested their first atomic bomb on this date, many years ahead of all professional predictions. They managed this in large part because of the Soviet spies America had yet to discover within the Manhattan Project.
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Alger Hiss was a state official who was accused of spying for the Soviets, he was convicted of purgery.
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When North Korea invaded South Korea, America intervened and joined in what would be called The Korean War. America's involvement was a show of America beginning to actively combat communism, with force.
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The Rosenberg couple was accused of giving atomic bomb secrets to the soviets. they were executed in 1953.
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These were hearings between the conflicting accusations between the U.S. Army and Senator McCarthy. This was another case of Communist fear, and it was brought into the public eye by the media.
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At Dien Bien Phu French colonial forces were beaten badly by Viet Minh forces led by Ho Chi Minh. This resulted in the French leaving the country and giving up.
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The Geneva Convention was a conference among several nations with the main topic being settling issues from the Korean War and first Indochina War.
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The Warsaw Pact was a treaty agreement signed by the Soviet Union and all of its Satellite Nations as a response to the formation of NATO.
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The Hungarian Revolution was an attempted revolution by the people of Hungary who wanted to revolt against Soviet-Imposed policies. The revolution was crushed by the Soviet Union.
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The U-2 Incident was a confrontation between the U.S. and Soviet Union that began with the shooting down of a U-2 reconnaissance plane shot down over the Soviet Union.
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In the middle of Berlin on the border of Soviet controlled East Berlin a wall was constructed, separating Berlin into two halves.
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The CIA-trained band of Cuban exiles was sent on an invasion of Cuba, with next to no American support. The invasion was crushed.
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The Soviet Union went into Cuba with nuclear missiles and other military assets, beginning a standoff with the United States. It was extremely close to starting a nuclear war, though it was resolved when Abbot Kennedy diplomatically met with the Soviet Union.
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Kennedy supported a coup d'etat in South Vietnam that resulted in the murder of Diem and his brother.
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In 1963 JFK was assassinated while being driven in his motorcade by Lee Harvey Oswald. Was a shock to America, and his vice president Lindon B Johnson would become the president, and get elected the next term before stepping down from running another term.
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Congress passed a law authorizing president Johnson to spend as much as he believed was necessary to maintain and promote peace in southeast Asia. This allowed him to bring in as many troops and supplies as he wanted to countries like Vietnam.
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A sustained bombing of Vietnam meant to weaken the Vietcong and North Vietnam Army. It was considered a failure as it was extremely ineffective against the enemy although it was sustained for three years.
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The Tet Offensive was a large scale attack launched over the Tet Holiday, considered a cease fire by both sides, done by the NVA and Vietcong. They attacked and took most South Vietnamese cities simulatiously, but were quickly pushed back out by the U.S. and while it was a millitary victory over the NVA and Vietcong it was seen as a defeat by the American media.
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Martin Luther King was a prominent civil rights activist who was shot and rushed to a hospital where he died. Was another figure who contributed to a number of political assassinations that were making Americans lose some confidence.
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The presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy is shot several times and killed. This is important as it contributed to the fear Americans had due to the amount of political assassinations.
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The Soviet Union invaded the country of Czechoslovakia. It demonstrated the offensiveness of the Soviet Union against other non communistic or rebellious countries.
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During the Democratic Convention there were large riots taking place. This was important as it showed many citizens discontent with the recent violence and discourse.
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Richard Nixon was elected as the president of America in the 1968 elections. Was a significant win for Nixon who had been defeated beforehand by JFK.
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At this university 4 students were shot and killed by the national guard. This was a significant event as students in an anti-war protest were shot and killed, and got significant media attention.
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In 1972 the president of the United States, Richard Nixon, diplomatically visited the People's Republic of China. This was important because it reopened communications between China and the US.
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During the drafting of a peace agreement in Vietnam, president Nixon called for a cease fire of airial bombings.
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The capital of South Vietnam was captured by the NVA and Vietcong. Represented the partial ending and loss of the Vietnam war by the United States who had mostly pulled out of combat by this time.
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President elect Ronald Reagan was elected as president of the U.S. He was a firm anticommunist and had a background in Hollywood, making him very charismatic.
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President Reagan of the U.S. announced the Strategic Defense Initiative, also known as Star Wars. He shocked the world by calling on scientists to develop ways to render nuclear arms obsolete through defenses. The program was mainly to drive the Soviet Union to spend more on its nuclear program to keep up.
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Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva for a diplomatic convention. While no large agreements were had, Reagan and Gorbachev developed a friendship which helped to ease tensions.
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At the site of the Berlin wall, Reagan delivered a famous speech trying to get the Soviet Union to tear down the Berlin Wall. This forced Gorbachev's hand and he did end up tearing it down.
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Due to a speech from Reagan, the Berlin Wall and the complete seperation of the two halves of Berlin, was ended. The Soviet Union allowed passage between the two halves and would eventually come to fully tear the wall down.
