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1) The Russian Revolution
During the Russian Revolution, many communists were pushing their way forward. The United States was greatly disturbed by this because of the Russian's direct criticism of democracy and their threat of a violent overthrow. -
2) Potsdam Conference
The Potsdam Conference was a conference between the allied powers to discuss the future of post-war Europe. Many tensions arose and caused Britain, France, and the United States to become wary of the Soviet Union. -
3) Atomic bomb - Hiroshima/Nagasaki
The Atomic Bomb, which was dropped on both Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the U.S., upset the Soviet Union. Joseph Stalin realized that his army was useless when put against the atomic bomb, and the newly founded technology disrupted the previously even playing field. -
5) Iron Curtain
The Iron Curtain was a speech given by Winston Churchill that increased tensions between the Soviet Union and the US and their allied forces. -
4) Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was a request for financial aid from Truman to congress. Truman wanted to support Grease and Turkey in their struggle against communism. -
8) Marshall Plan
The Marshal Plan was a program of economic assistance to prevent devastated nations from turning to communism. -
7) Molotov Plan
Prime Minister Molotov decided to aid communist countries with food in retaliation to the Marshall Plan. These communist countries were allied with the Soviet Union. -
15) Hollywood 10
10 People from Hollywood refused to answer if they were communists so they were put in prison or considered outcasts. -
6) Berlin Blockade
The Berlin Blockade was formed when the Soviet Union cut the city of Berlin off. They prevented anyone from entering or exiting the city because they were angry at the United States for helping Germany recover. -
11) Berlin Airlift
The Berlin Airlift was the group of planes that flew food and other resources into Berlin so the Germans would be able to survive. -
9) NATO
NATO was a neutral alliance between the United States, Canada, France, Great Britain, and 6 other countries. They agreed to protect and defend each other if one of the countries in the NATO was attacked. -
10) Soviet bomb test
In 1949, the Soviet Union tested a successful atomic bomb. Experts had predicted that the Soviet Union would not have the capability to do so until much later, but they had not counted on spies within the Manhattan project. -
13) Alger Hiss case
Alger Hiss was accused of spying for the Soviet Union and revealing nuclear secrets to them. He was convicted of the crime and executed despite the lack of sound evidence. He was later proven to be guilty. -
12) Korean War
The Korean War was when the United States protected South Korea from communism that might have spread from North Korea. It was the first time the United States used the military to kill in the Cold War. -
14) Rosenburg trial
The Rosenburg trial was about a husband and wife who were accused of spying within the Manhattan project for the Soviet Union. They were executed without proper evidence. -
16) Army-McCarthy hearings
McCarthy accused many people of being communists. He installed fear into the American people with his accusations, especially when he accused the army of being in favor of communism. After a court hearing, McCarthy was revealed to be a fraud. -
24) Battle of Dien Bien Phu
A battle in Vietnam between the French and Vietnam troops. The Vietnam soldiers were victorious and drove out French occupation. -
25) Geneva Conference
A conference that was held between many nations to discuss the Korean and Indochina wars. -
17) Warsaw Pact
The Soviet Union made a pact with allied forces to back each other in a time of war. These nations were communist supporters. -
18) Hungarian Revolution
Many of the Hungarian people were tired of the secret police and other communist ideas that were formed by Stalin. When things did not change after Stalin's death, they began to rise up in protest. They attempted to withdraw from the Warsaw Pact, but Soviet troops invaded Hungary. -
19) U2 Incident
The United States sent a spy plane over the USSR and it was shot down by the USSR. The USSR captured the pilot and tensions greatly increased. -
20) Bay of Pigs invasion
The US sent in an invasion force to strike the Bay of Pigs and end the socialist rein of Fidel Castro. The invasion force was supposed to have air support, but the president withdrew the air forces because of resistance. It was a humiliating defeat for the United States. -
21) Berlin Wall
The Soviet Union put up a wall around their section of Berlin to physically separate the civilians in their section from those of the US. The Soviet Union starved citizens within the walls and stole resources for themselves. -
22) Cuban Missile Crisis
The Soviet Union and the US came very close to nuclear war. The Soviet Union placed missiles in Cuba, and the US opposed this. They threatened the Soviet Union to remove them, or the US would attack the Soviet Union. Kennedy prepared to attack the Soviet union, the Soviet Union sent a message over the air informing the US that they would remove the missiles from Cuba, avoiding nuclear war. -
26) Assassination of Diem
Ngo Dinh Diem of Vietnam was assassinated with the assistance of US soldiers and the approval of President Kennedy. -
23) Assassination of JFK
John F Kennedy was assassinated in Texas during a campaign visit. He was shot in the neck and in the head, leaving him dead before he could get to a hospital. -
27) Tonkin Gulf Resolution
The Tonkin Gulf Resolution was a bill passed by Congress which enabled President Johnson to do whatever he needed to do in the war in Vietnam. After the bill was passed, the amount of US troops in Vietnam raised to half a million by 1968. -
28) Operation Rolling Thunder
Operation Rolling Thunder was the United State's bombing attack in Vietnam. -
29) Tet Offensive
It was a military attack from the US, invading over 100 Vietnam cities in order to push down the rebellion from the Vietnamese citizens. -
30) Assassination of MLK
Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated by a sniper. He was shot in the neck and rushed to the hospital, being pronounced dead roughly an hour later. -
31) Assassination of RFK
Robert Kennedy was shot several times by Palestinian Sirhan, who was 22 years old. He died a day after being shot. -
37) Invasion of Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia attempted to break from the Soviet Union and become a democratic nation, but the USSR sent troops in to force them into obedience. -
34) Riots of Democratic convention
After President Johnson declared that he would not run for re-election, there were many riots from democratic parties. These riots were mainly a result of the other events happening in the US. -
32) Election of Nixon
President Nixton was elected after President Johnson during the end of the Vietnam war. -
33) Kent State
College students protested bombings of the Vietnam war by rallying on campus. Kent State was the main school that this event revolved around. -
38) Nixon visits China
President Nixon visited China in order to help fix diplomatic relations that were previously destroyed. -
35) Ceasefire in Vietnam
President Nixon ordered a ceasefire with the aerial bombs in Vietnam after he was consulted with a peace treaty. -
36) Fall of Saigon
The Fall of Saigon marked the end of the Vietnam War when the US captured Saigon. Unfortunately for the US, the war was still considered a defeat. -
39) Reagan elected
Ronald Reagan was elected president after President Nixon served one term. -
40) SDI announced
The Strategic Defense Initiative was given the mock name 'Star Wars' because it was a plan to shoot down missiles from enemies from space. It was a challenge that forced the Soviet Union to match the technology that the US claimed they could obtain, leaving the Soviet Union with less money than they already had. -
41) Geneva Conference with Gorbachev
US President Reagan formed a personal relationship with the Soviet Union leader Gorbachev. Despite having no official agreement, they formed a bond that would help fix relations between the two nations. -
42) ‘Tear down this wall’ speech
On June 12th, President Reagan stood in front of the Berlin wall and gave a speech to tear it down. This was against the advice of his security and advisers because he could not be fully protected and he might anger or embarrass the Soviet Union. -
43) Fall of Berlin Wall
After the speech given by the US president, the Soviet Union removed military forces from Berlin and tore down the wall. This was the beginning of many events that changed the world in a very short period of time.
