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The Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution was against what the U.S. wanted. It was a battle of communism in Russia and suspended the justice system. This was very important because it was a civil war of capitalists vs. communists that was ultimately won by communists. -
The Atomic Bomb
The atomic bomb was first made and used by the U.S. This upset Russia's leader, Joseph Stalin because it changed the importance of having his own. This is significant because now the huge Russian army Stalin relied on was useless with out an atomic bomb. -
The Potsdam Conference
The Potsdam Conference was about the control of Germany, post war boundaries, winning the war with Japan and securing peace for Europe. This is important because the leaders of the U.S., Great Britain, and the Soviet Union met to discuss the future of political Europe. -
Iron Curtain
The Soviet Union blocks itself from Western Europe as a defense against invasion. -
The Truman Doctrine
President Truman represented change in the U.S. foreign policy. He would ask congress for money to support Greece and Turkey once Great Britain abandoned them. This is important because it helped America dig out of isolationism. -
The Molotov Plan
The Soviet Union plan to rebuild countries and economies who's governments aligned to theirs, communism. -
Hollywood 10
The Hollywood 10 were ten people who refused to answer government questions accusing them of communism. They used their first amendment and fought against the government. This group was later convicted of contempt of congress. -
The Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was a policy to help hungry, poverty, desperate, and chaos filled countries after the war. The U.S. was afraid that without this support many countries would grow impatient and turn to communism. This plan gave countries in need nets, money for automobile factories, construction equipment, coal and other things countries needed to survive. This is important because it prevented the spread of communism in countries and helped capitalism grow in Europe. -
The Berlin Airlift
Germany is basically split in two sides, the Allies and the Soviet Union. Russia took everything from East Germany and destroyed their country even further. On the other hand, the Allies built up West Germany and created its own currency which formed the Soviets blockade as a result. This causes tension mainly between the U.S. and Russia, one side is fighting for capitalism and rebuilding, while the other is taking the country down and turning it to communism. -
NATO
NATO is formed to unite western countries and defend each other in the event of an attack. -
Soviet Bomb Test
The Soviets tested their own atomic bomb before experts thought they would be able to. This made the U.S. anxious because they now knew there were spies in the Manhattan Project. -
Alger Hiss Case
The Alger Hiss Case was a case that accused Alger Hiss of spying in the State department. This made Americans afraid that there were Soviets in the government. -
Rosenberg Trail
The Rosenberg were accused of giving U.S. bomb secrets to the Soviets. They were later executed on the electric chair. -
Army-McCarthy Hearings
Joseph McCarthy was a U.S. senator who gained political power by scaring American's with communists in the U.S. government -
The Korean War
In the Korean civil war there were two sides. The U.S. supported the capitalist side, while the Chinese supported the communist side. Without declaring, the U.S. brought in their military for the first time since WW2, and fought China. -
The Battle of Dien Bien Phu
The Battle of Dien Bien Phu was the First Indochina War between the French Union's French Far East Expeditionary Corps and Viet Minh communist revolutionaries. The French prepared to out gun the Vietnamese, they were then surrounded by them completely and besieged. After 2 months, the French gave up from lack of supplies. This split Vietnam at the 17th parallel, one side was ruled by Ho Chi Minh and the other to the state of Vietnam. -
The Geneva Conference
This conference in Geneva, Switzerland was held to handle outstanding issues from the Korean War and the First Indochina War. The U.S. and others dealt with the Korean War, while England and France dealt with Vietnam. As a result, half of Vietnam was now the State of Vietnam and the other ruled by Viet Minh rebels. 3 other seize fires were also recorded at the meeting. -
The Warsaw Pact
A treaty of friendship and alliance between Russia, Poland, and 7 satellite states in central and eastern Europe. -
The Hungarian Revolution
A revolution between the Hungarian Peoples Republic, and Soviet- imposed policies. It was the first control threat to the Soviets since World War 2. -
U2 Incident
A confrontation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union when the Soviets shot down an American plane, the U2 reconnaissance plane. It caused the collapse of the conference in Paris between Russia, France, the U.K. and the U.S. -
The Bay of Pigs
JFK ordered an invasion on Cuba against Fidel Castro on the Bay of Pigs. The U.S. failed miserably and humiliated the Kennedy administration. -
The Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was built by the Soviets in the middle of east and west Berlin. This wall was to stop fascists from the west from entering Soviet territory and stemmed mass defections from east to west until it was demolished on November 9, 1989. -
The Cuban Missile Crisis
The Soviet Union brought in atomic missiles into Cuba. The U.S., fearing an attack on America, had minutemen missiles told to destroy every major city in Russia if they attacked first. Robert Kennedy met secretly with the Soviet Ambassador in Washington D.C. and in the end, the Soviets removed the missiles from Cuba. They agreed on MAD, if a nuclear war was started, no one would survive. -
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
Congress authorizes the Tonkin Golf Resolution, that allows President Lyndon Johnson to act on Vietnam in any way he feels is necessary to keep peace in Asia. This was a response to the Gulf of Tonkin incident, where a U.S. ship was sunk by Vietnamese torpedos. -
Assassination of Diem
Diem's government was overthrown by South Vietnamese military forces. As a result, President Diem and his brother were murdered. Southern Vietnamese people were celebrating and without a leader, there was political chaos. This made the U.S. much more involved in Vietnam's government. -
The Assassination of John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy was campaigning in Texas for the next election when he was assassinated. His theme for the next run for presidency was education, national security and world peace. As their car turned off at Main street to Dealey plaza, passing the Texas School Book Depository, Kennedy was shot and killed with nothing to help him. This changed America now that Lyndon Johnson is now declared president. It is a change in presidency that will steer America in a new way. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
Operation Rolling Thunder was a sustained bombing campaign against Northern Vietnam. This was a method to try and make the leaders crack from the continuous danger. -
Tet Offensive
During the Tet new year, U.S. forces thought the Vietcong would stand down to celebrate their yearly holiday. Little did they know, Vietcong forces bombed bases and let out a war in Vietnam's capital. This showed that the Vietcong were much more dedicated to destruction then the U.S. thought. -
Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. A man named James Earl Gray had murdered him and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. This was a very significant event, because MLK was the biggest face of the Civil Rights movement and an icon. -
Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy
RFK was shot and killed in the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, hours after winning the presidential primary in California. The 22-year-old Palestinian Sirhan Sirhan, had shot Kennedy multiple times killing him at age 42. This is important because it took out one of the top candidates for presidency in America at the time, and added another death to the Kennedy family. -
Invasion of Czechoslovakia
This was the invasion of 5 Warsaw Pact countries on Czechoslovakia. Over 100 were killed and Operation Danube stopped the upcoming liberal ideas. This is important because it shows Soviets were still fighting against Democracy. -
Riots of Democratic convention
1968 was a year where people were violent towards the government, civilly active, and were not politically cohesive in the Democratic party. Following the Assassination of MLK months before, many rioted at the Democratic convention. This shows that the Democratic party was in turmoil and chaos preparing for the 1968 election. -
Election of Nixon
Former Vice President, Richard Nixon was elected into office as the 46th U.S. President in 1968. He had defeated the Democratic nominee, Hubert Humphrey. This is significant, because it will change America's direction after having the past two presidents come from the Democratic party. -
Kent State
At Kent State, in Ohio there were many college students protesting against the Vietnam War. The Ohio National Guard was sent to stop mass rioting. Four unarmed students were shot and killed at the event. This is important, because not only the soldiers were killed due to Vietnam, but innocent people who wanted the war to stop were also killed. -
Nixon visits China
Nixon visit to China marks the culmination of the two countries. It helps both create a harmonious relationship where there is friendly communication. This is important, because after so many countless years of grudges, the two now have a healthy relationship. -
Ceasefire in Vietnam
In early 1973 President Nixon ordered a ceasefire of aerial bombings in Vietnam. This is important, because it is the first act of the U.S. decreasing combat in Vietnam. -
Fall of Saigon
The North Vietnamese and Viet Cong captured the capital Saigon in 1975. They took this city from the Southern Vietnamese, the more capitalist part of the country supported by the U.S. This is important because it starts the change in Vietnam to a more communist government controlled by the People's Army of Vietnam . -
Reagan Elected
When Reagan was elected in 1980 it changed the U.S. The Cold War would continuously get better and more healthy. His influence on military and the economy would set a great platform for the next Presidents to come. This is important, because he got America out of a difficult time and reminded the citizens that we have a prosperous nation. -
SDI announced
The SDI was a plan created by President Reagan as a scare tactic to the Soviet Union. It was designed to shoot down every missile that targeted the U.S. with lasers from satellites. This is important, because the Soviet Union was doing everything it could to keep with the U.S. in the Cold War. They didn't know what the U.S. was capable of and worried it might be true. -
Geneva Conference with Gorbachev
The Geneva Conference with Gorbachev was a Cold War meeting held in Geneva, Switzerland. The two super power leaders, Gorbachev and Reagan, met to talk about the arms race and international diplomatic relations. This is important, because it was the first time the two countries talked throughout the Cold War. They created a relationship together that they could both communicate and come to agreement with. -
‘Tear down this wall’ speech
The ‘Tear down this wall’ speech was a speech made by President Ronald Reagan in West Berlin, Germany. His goal was to confront Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, and tell him to connect both East and West Berlin to each other to create peace. This is significant, because it showed President Reagan was not worried about his personal safety, and his interest was in harmony in Germany. -
Fall of Berlin Wall
The Fall of the Berlin Wall started with many revolutions in local Eastern Block countries. Poland and Hungary started a chain reaction that caused an uproar in many countries ruled by the Soviet Union. This caused the fall of the Soviet Union, which ended in Gorbachev ordering destruction of the Berlin Wall on his last day in office. This is significant, because it is the end of communist Soviet rule in the majority of Eastern Europe. The Fall of the Berlin Wall creates peace in Europe to last.
