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Russian Revolution
March 8, 1917 - November 7, 1917. Hungry Russian peasants take to the streets, eventually overthrowing Czar Nicholas II and reforming the government into a democracy, but this is soon taken over and transformed into a communist dictatorship by Vladamir Lenin. -
Iron Curtain
The boundary dividing the Soviet Union from the rest of Europe during WWII in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. The Soviet Union used the countries surrounding it as a shield against Europe and Winston Churchill coined the phrase. -
Potsdam Conference
July 17, 1945 - August 2, 1945. The conference was a meeting between the three Allies in WWII: The Soviet Union, America, and England, represented by Joseph Stalin, Harry Truman, and Winston Churchill. They discussed controlling the defeated Germany, postwar country boundaries for Europe, winning the war with Japan, and everlasting peace. Stalin had promised to reform the Eastern European countries taken by Germany by allowing them to have Democratic elections. -
The Atomic Bomb
August 6, 1945 (Hiroshima) and August 9, 1945 (Nagasaki). The bombs were dropped around the time the Potstand Conference to show America's power. Stalin did not like them because he knew that America's willingness to use them meant Russia would be left behind in terms of technology; his army would be fodder against the power of an atomic bomb. -
Hollywood 10
November, 1947. Ten screenwriters and directors among many others from Hollywood were accused of being communist and were forced to go to trial and be publicly interrogated by the HUAC. They refused to answer any questions regarding their political stance to the committee (HUAC). They were charged with contempt of Congress and sentenced to prison. Their reputations were ruined. This is part of the anticommunist frenzy, or Red Scare, that happened in America. -
Molotov Plan
A plan created by the Soviet Union in 1947 to rebuild the countries that were aligned with them. The Soviet foreign minister refused the Marshall Plan and created his own. It symbolizes the Union's resistance of help from the capitalists. -
Truman Doctrine
Great Britain could no longer financially support East Europe against communism, so President Truman, on March 3, 1947, picked up the slack and devoted itself to saving Greece and Turkey from communism and keeping it from spreading. This further drove a divide between the Soviet Union and the US. -
Marshall Plan
The US Secretary of State, George Marshall, had suggested that helping Europe recover would keep them away from the Soviet Union, as they would turn to communism as an alternative to starvation. The idea was to send 17 billion dollars to Europe for their economy and help promote free institutions. Food, machinery, fish nets, construction equipment, and coal were just some of the supplies sent to aid Europe. During discussion for the Marshall Plan, Czechoslovakia, had fallen to communism. -
Berlin Blockade
June 24, 1948 - May 12, 1949. In response to America creating a new currency for Germany to use to help with their economic development, the Soviet Union, seeing the US's actions as economic imperialism, blockaded Berlin, shutting it off from the rest of the world. Stalin hoped to force allies out of the rest of Berlin so he could starve the whole city into submission. -
Berlin Airlift
June 26, 1948 - September 30, 1949. In response to the Berlin Blockade, America not only defiantly stayed in Berlin, but airlifted supplies to the closed off city of East Berlin for 15 months. The airlifts were unchallenged by the Soviets and eventually the blockade was lifted. -
Alger Hiss Case
Alger Hiss was an American government official accused of being a Soviet spy in 1948. Hiss was brought before HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee) and declined the accusations, but former communist Wittaker Chambers continued his claim. Both Chambers and Hiss had been spies, but Hiss was was indicted on two counts of perjury (lying under oath) in 1950 and Chambers got away free because of his status as a government official. -
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, is a military alliance between the US, the UK, France, and 29 other independent countries, created when the North Atlantic Treaty was signed in 1949. NATO showed its power during the Korean War, as they managed to build up a massive military complex. They are the antithesis to the Warsaw Pact. -
Soviet Bomb Test
Aug 29, 1949. The Soviets test their first successful atomic bomb based off the American design. This terrifies America and leads to a crazed frenzy of anticommunism, amplifying the Cold War. The bomb had been in production since the 1940's and was started to combat America's own eleventh hour weapon. (The picture shown is of a later bomb test) -
Korean War
June 25, 1950 - July 27, 1953. A war between communist North Korea, supported by China and the Soviet Union, and democratic South Korea, supported by the US and the United Nations. Korea had been previously split down the 38th parallel, and two countries emerged, both desiring the other half. North Korea moved into the South almost entirely before the US swooped in to reclaim the area and eventually make it up to the border between China and Korea. The results were bloody. -
Rosenberg Trial
Ethel and Julius Rosenberg had been accused of selling nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union. Julius was a member of the American Communist Party, causing him to lose his government job during the Red Scare; he asked his brother-in-law to pass on secret instructions to create an atomic bomb to the Soviets, according to the brother. The brother later confessed and the trial ended on April 4 with all defendants convicted for espionage. The Rosenberg family were sentenced to death. -
Army-McCarthy Hearings
A series of hearings investigating the accusations between the United States Army and Senator Joseph McCarthy. McCarthy was accused of pressuring the Army to give preferential treatment to G. David Schine, the wealthy heir to a hotel chain and McCarthy's former aid. McCarthy eventually lost almost all popularity and was subject to censure (harsh criticism) by the Senate. Hearings were between April 1954 and June 1954. -
Battle of Dien Bien Phu
From March 13, to May 7 1954. A battle during the Vietnam War between Vietnamese Communist Nationalists (Viet Minh) and the French Imperialists. The French aimed to draw the Vietnamese out and destroy them, but they ended up being defeated and left to ask for help at the next Geneva Conference, eventually splitting Vietnam by the 17th parallel. -
Geneva Conference
A conference among several nations in Geneva, Switzerland on April 26 to July 20, 1954. It was to settle problems associated with the Korean War. No problems associated with Korea were solved. However, the French Empire in Indochina was dismantled, leading to the creation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the State of Vietnam. -
Warsaw Pact
A collective defense treaty signed by the Soviet Union and its 7 satellites (they had no choice). It was created as a reaction to West Germany joining NATO, though the Soviets also wanted a stronger hold on their countries. The Pact and NATO never directly entered conflict, though they did battle with ideology (Communism vs Capitalism) and small wars.The Revolutions of 1989 tore the Pact apart. -
Hungarian Revolution
The people of Hungary revolted against the People's Republic of Hungary and its Soviet leaders that lasted from October 23, 1956 to November 10, 1956. It was a major threat to Soviet control. It began as a student demonstration that inspired others on a march through Budapest and eventually brought down Hungary's government. Hungarian militias fought the incoming Soviet army and many fled. The Soviets installed a new, more imposing government. -
U2 Incident
A US spy plane was shot down while in Soviet Airspace. It was performing aerial reconnaissance taking pictures when it was shot down. The US tried to cover up its mission, but eventually had to tell the Soviets its military intent when the Union came forward with the American pilot that had survived the crash. It was a great embarrassment to the US and contributed to their deteriorating relationship with the Soviets, as the incident was two weeks before a meeting between the East and West. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
A military operation of Cuba that failed miserably. A CIA mission undertaken by Cuban exiles who fled to the US after Fidel Castro took over Cuba. The force was defeated by Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces after attempting to overthrow the communist government. This helped make Castro more powerful and destroyed the relationship between the US and Cuba. -
Berlin Wall
A physical and ideological wall separating East and West Berlin. It remained from August 13, 1961 until the Soviets opened it by November 1989. It was a physical symbolization of the Iron Curtain that separated the Communists and the Capitalists. The wall stopped emigrants from escaping Soviet rule. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
A nuclear war scare that lasted from October 16 to October 28 1962. The Soviets, upset that America had missiles in Turkey (which was very close to them) decided to install their own missiles in order to level the playing field. The US blockaded Cuba to prevent further missiles. The two negotiated and the Soviets removed their missiles and the US promised never to invade Cuba. The US also secretly agreed to take their missiles out of Turkey. -
Assassination of JFK
John F. Kennedy was shot while riding in the presidential limousine in Dallas, Texas by Lee Harvey Oswald, a former US marine. Kennedy had wanted to unite Democratic party members in Dallas, who seemed to be fighting among themselves. Oswald had shot at him and apparently had been called in missing several minutes earlier. He shot a policeman as well. He claimed to have not shot anyone and was just blamed because he lived in the Soviet Union, but he was killed before taken to trial. -
Assassination of Diem
The CIA, on November 2, 1963, backed an overthrow of the president of South Vietnam. Ngo Dinh Diem was arrested and secretly killed; his death was made out to be a suicide, but it was quickly discovered that this was not the case. Diem was very unpopular for his Roman Catholicism, disdain for Buddhists, and his greed. -
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
A resolution enacted by the US after the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, where several US ships were shot at on open water. It gave President Lyndon B. Johnson the ability to use military powers without a formal Declaration of War by Congress. He had to do whatever necessary to assist any member of the protocol state of the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty. He could do whatever he wanted, and this was a dangerous power to give to one man; Congress later made it impossible to do this. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
A sustained US air bombing mission against North Vietnam that lasted from March 2, 1965 to November 2, 1968. The goals were to weaken North Vietnam and convince them to leave Communism, boost the morale of South Vietnam, and to halt the north's military operations. North Vietnam developed very sophisticated anti air weapons because of it. -
Tet Offensive
An all out offensive attack by North Vietnam, the Viet Cong, against South Vietnam and the US. It was a series of surprise attacks targeting military and civilian targets and was named for it being during the Tet holiday, which is a new year celebration by the Vietnamese and their surrounding countries. Fighting usually ceased during Tet, but not this time. -
Assassination of MLK
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights activist fighting for equality between whites and African Americans and the leader of the SCLC, a group that used media attention to fight for the cause. He was nonviolent and had used civil disobedience tactics during his time. A fugitive from the Missouri State Penitentiary, James Earl Ray, was charged with the crime, though the King family believed a government conspiracy was behind the murder. -
Assassination of RFK
Robert F. Kennedy was shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles after winning the California presidential primaries. Sirhan Sirhan, a Palestinian immigrant, was convicted for the murder. Many conspiracy theories have spawned from the assassination. -
Invasion of Czechoslovakia
The Warsaw Pact (Soviet Union and the surrounding countries) had invaded Czechoslovakia to strengthen its communist government and thwart its incoming liberal uprising. Romania and Albania refused to participate and East German forces were not to participate because they would ruin the element of surprise. -
Riots of Democratic Convention
The Democrats met to discuss who would be the next presidential candidate because President Lyndon B. Johnson had decided not to run for president again. The assassination of MLK and the Kennedys had caused unrest among them. Riots had broken out among them and the Republicans swooped in and took the subsequent presidential election. -
Election of Nixon
The Republican candidate, Richard Nixon was elected in 1968, over the Democratic candidate Vice President Hubert Humphrey. This election was the end of presidents that supported the New Deal and had ended with Nixon winning because the Democrats were in disarray. Nixon had vowed to restore law and order. His election lead to many ethnic communities being unfairly biased against since the Voting Rights Act of 1965. -
Kent State
Students at Kent State in 1970 were fired on by the Ohio National Guard during a protest of the Vietnam War. Four students were killed. Four million students went on strike after that, causing schools across the nation to close. Public opinion on Vietnam shifted even further into disdain. -
Nixon Visits China
President Richard Nixon visited the People's Republic of China (not the communist one) in order to restore relations between China and the US. The week-long meeting works as intended and China is opened once again to world economy and the Cold War shifts in balance. The Soviet Union begins granting concessions to the US. -
Ceasefire in Vietnam
On January 15th, 1973, President Nixon ordered the ceasefire of all aerial attacks on Vietnam; later, on the 27th, America officially signed the Paris Peace Accord and left Vietnam. This was Nixon's plan to let South Vietnam fight for itself (Vietnamization). The public hated the war and Nixon had vowed to exit the war. North Vietnam later took over South Vietnam. -
Fall of Saigon
North Vietnam (The People's Army of Vietnam and the Viet Cong) had captured Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam. The city was renamed Ho Chi Minh City after their leader and this marked the end of the Vietnam War and the beginning of the reunification of Vietnam under a socialist regime. America and its Vietnamese allies had to narrowly escape the US Embassy before the Communist Vietnamese captured them. -
Reagan Elected
President Ronald Reagan won the 1980 election by a landslide with his promise to fix America. The US had been experiencing unemployment and inflation and Reagan's election marked the beginning of a very conservative restructuring of politics. -
SDI Announced
The Strategic Defense System, or SDI, was announced in 1983 by President Ronald Reagan. It was a system of lasers supposed to be set in space that would shoot down any nuclear missiles heading for America. Its announcement would drive the Soviet Union to bankruptcy trying to create such a space system in order to keep up with America. The system never worked. -
Geneva Conference with Gorbachev
On the 19th and 20th of 1985, in Switzerland, the Geneva Summit was held between Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan. The two wanted to talk about the relations between each other and their arms race. The Soviets and the US both wanted to halve their nuclear weapons but could come to no conclusions. However, this does set the stage for a friendship between Gorbachev and Reagan. -
'Tear Down This Wall' Speech
President Ronald Reagan had personally gone to West Berlin and demanded that Gorbachev "Tear Down This Wall!", referring to the Berlin Wall that had divided the city and represented the Soviet Union's control over half of Europe. All across Eastern Europe, countries began to break from communism. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
The wall came down when the head of the East German Communist Party allowed citizens of East Germany to cross it. That day, swarms of people left East Germany to the West. Many began chipping away at the wall itself.
