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Russian Revolution
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Potsdam Conference
The Potsdam Conference was to discuss the control of defeated Germany, postwar boundaries, and securing a lasting peace for Europe–but it was discovered that the big three forces were on different sides of the topic. While President Truman and Prime Minister Winston Churchill wanted to secure political freedom and Democratic governments throughout post war Europe, dictator of the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin, wanted to dominate all of Europe and impose communism on its nations. (07/17-08/02/1945) -
Atomic Bomb - Hiroshima/Nagasaki
During WWII, the US dropped bombs on Hiroshima, 08/06/45, and Nagasaki, 08/09/45 in order to bring the war to an end. Stalin saw it as a threat and ordered his forces to develop their own nuclear weapon. This leads to the arms race and tension between Soviet and US forces. -
Iron Curtain
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Hollywood 10
When the Hollywood industry was under investigation for having possible communists, over 40 people tied in with the Hollywood industry were to appear in front of the HUAC. 10 screenwriters and directors would not cooperate with the investigations and challenged their legitimacy. They were all found guilty and sentenced, and later blacklisted in the Communist blacklist of the Hollywood Industry. -
Molotov Plan
The Soviet Foreign Minister, V. M. Molotov, objected to accepting help from the US because the US would also be aiding Germany, which the Soviets would want control of; Molotov also wanted to know how much money the US would provide each nation with. After forcing the Soviet's allies into not accepting Marshall Plan help, Molotov created his own plan which would aid and restore countries in Eastern Europe that were politically and economically aligned with Soviets. -
Truman Doctrine
Truman introduced this American foreign policy which would aid any democratic nation under threat from authoritarian forces through political, military and economic assistance. This became the foundation of the American foreign policy, eventually leading to the formation of NATO. -
Marshall Plan
On this date, Truman would sign the Economic Recovery Act of 1948, known as the Marshall Plan. This act stated that the US would provide economic aid for the post-war restoration of Europe. Though this was not the only reason--the plan reduced the influence and power of Communist parties in Western Europe. In return, it further angered the Soviet Union, causing more tension within the Cold War. -
Berlin Airlift
The Allies began to supply their sectors of Berlin through the use of cargo planes; they would deliver food, clothes, fuel and other items. The Soviets refused to tear down the Berlin Blockade until May 12th of 1949 when they had realized the failure of the blockade. By then, the Allies delivered about 2.3 million tons of items. This blockade only made the Soviets seem cold and cruel, while motivating the creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. -
Berlin Blockade
During the occupation of post–World War II Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' access to the sectors of Berlin under Western control with a blockade. People of West Berlin were left to starve, having no clothing or medical supplies as well. Instead of aggressively responding, the Allies retaliated with an invigorating plan. -
Soviet Bomb Test
The USSR successfully detonated its first atomic bomb which destroyed structures and incinerated animals. The US discovered this when on September 3rd, a plane flew over and picked up evidence of radioactivity. A physicist, Klaus Fuchs, was later on discovered for passing US nuclear secrets to the Soviets. The US went on to build up its conventional and nuclear weapons to contain the Soviet influence, furthering the nuclear arms race. -
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is the formal alliance of North American and European territories created to defend each other from the possibility of communist Soviet powers taking control of their nations. This created further tensions in the Cold War when the Soviets created its own rival alliance, the Warsaw Pact. -
Alger Hiss Case
This case occurred Whittaker Chambers, an exposed ex-communist, accused Alger Hiss of being a communist and passing him top secret reports in front of the Huac. Hiss denied these charges, but later on he admitted he knew Chambers when personally speaking to him under a different name. When Hiss went to trial, he was charged with two counts of perjury, rather than treason, and found guilty in both in 1949 and 1950. -
Korean War
Divided at the 38th Parallel, North and South Korea went to war on July 25th, 1950 when the North invaded the South. The US and United Nations aided South Korea while China and the Soviet union aided communist North Korea. The war came to an end on July 27th, 1953 when an armistice was signed. The entire war was practically caused by the Cold War-- the US did not want communism to spread any further than it already had. -
Rosenberg Trial
Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were accused of selling atomic bomb secrets to the Russians. On April 4th, , they were convicted of "Conspiracy to Commit Espionage" and were executed on April 6th. -
Battle of Dien Bien Phu
This occurred when French forces occupied the Dien Bien Phu valley in late 1953; Vo Nguyen Giap, Viet Minh commander, placed troops overlooking the French camp, eliminating the French's strong points like their airfield. The French were defeated when Viet Minh forces attacked Lai Chau, which was loyal to the French and eventually ceased forces on May 7th. -
Army-McCarthy Hearings
Senator Joseph McCarthy who claimed he held a list of 205 communists working in the state department which he used to manipulate and "influence" American society in the 1950's. McCarthy later accused the US Army of being soft on communism, leading to the disastrous hearings. McCarthy's case was seen as irrelevant and was voted by the senate in December to be censured. -
Geneva Conference
The US, USSR, People's republic of China, France and Great Britain came together to resolve problems in Asia. The US had been supporting the French in the battle between them and Ho Chi Minh's forces, but they were tired of the war. France decided to ask questions about Vietnam, which lead to the Geneva Agreements which stated France would withdraw their troops from northern Vietnam and that it would be divided at the 17th Parallel. France and the US refused to sign. -
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact was a military alliance of communist nations which formed as a response to NATO. It included Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the Soviet Union, becoming a potential militaristic threat; it could be seen as a sign of communist dominance, and a rival to American capitalism. -
Hungarian Revolution
A nationwide revolt against the Hungarian People's republic and the Soviet policies it imposed; people wanted a more democratic government. Imre Nagy was appointed as the new premier; he then stated that Hungary will leave the Warsaw Pact, wanting a democratic nation as well. On November 10th 1956, the Soviets brought an end to the revolt, using tanks against the protesters, killing thousands. Nagy ran, but was found and executed. It was the first major anti-Soviet uprising in Eastern Europe. -
U2 Incident
On May 1st, 1960, the Soviets shot down an American U-2 spy plane in Soviet areas and captured its pilot, Francis Gary Powers. President Eisenhower first tried to say it was a weather flight, but had to admit to the Soviets the CIA had been spying on them for several years. Powers was convicted with espionage charges and 10 years in prison by the Soviets; he was later released, exchanged for a captured Soviet spy. This raised tensions between the US and USSR. -
Bay of Pigs invasion
To overthrow Fidel Castro, a group of 1,500 Cubans who were trained and financed launched a botched invasion of Cuba. JFK approved this because he believed Castro was trying to spread Communism. This instead strengthened Castro's position. Castro then sent 20,000 troops toward the beach and Pres. Kennedy authorized B-26's to attack, but were shot down by Cubans. Prisoners were kept for 20 momths until Castro got $53M worth of baby food and medicine.
End date: April 19th, 1961 -
Berlin Wall
The Communist government of East Germany began to build a barbed wire and concrete wall in order to keep Western "fascists", the US and its allies, from entering. It stood until November 9th, 1989, when the communist party stated citizens could cross the wall whenever; that night, crowds swarmed the wall and crossed into berlin or brought objects to break down the wall. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The US and Soviet union were in a 13-day political/military standoff over installations of nuclear-armed Soviet missiles on Cuba 90 miles from US shores. Seen as a threat, President JFK put a naval blockade around Cuba if they needed to neutralize the situation. People then believed nuclear war was near, but disaster was averted when the US made an agreement with Soviet leader Khrushchev to remove Cuban missiles if the US didn't invade Cuba, and remove US missiles from Turkey. (End: 10/28/1962) -
Assassination of Diem
After being overthrown by South Vietnamese military forces, Ngo Dinh Diem and his brother were captured and killed by soldiers. Celebration and political chaos ensued, so the US began to stabilize the South Vietnamese government all while beating communist forces. It was later discovered that the US was involved in the killings, encouraging the generals plans. -
Assassination of JFK
While traveling in Dallas, Texas, President JFK was fatally shot three times while passing the Texas School Book Depository Building by Lee Harvey Oswald and pronounced dead 30 minutes later. This assassination took place a couple of weeks after the killings of the communist Ngo Dinh Diem. -
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
On August 2nd, 1964, North Vietnamese torpedo boats attacked an American destroyer in the Gulk of Tonkin. Two days later, two US destroyers stationed in the Gulf of Tonkin in Vietnam radioed that they had been fired upon by North Vietnamese forces. President Johnson then requested permission from Congress to increase military presence in Indochina to secure peace and be able to retaliate if anything were to go further. -
Battle of Dien Bien Phu
