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Iron Curtain
In a speech by Winston Churchill in 1946, he accused the Soviet Union of dividing Europe into East and West and drawing an "iron curtain." It was a metaphoric wall dividing the democratic nations of the West from the communist nations of the East. -
Truman Doctrine
In a speech later remembered as the "Truman Doctrine," President Harry S. Truman pledges American assistance to any nation in the world threatened by Communism, officially establishing the worldwide containment of Communism as a vital American national security interest. -
Berlin Blockade
In 1948, the Soviet Union set up a blockade around Berlin to force the Allies to either abandon the city or cancel plans for the creation of West Germany. The Allies launched an airlift to bring supplies into Berlin and break the blockade. In the end, Germany was split between east and west. -
NATO
In 1949, 12 of the Western powers formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as a military alliance to counter Soviet aggression. This alliance caused Eastern European countries to form their own military alliance in May of 1955. -
Soviet Atomic Bomb
Although the US had tested the first atomic bomb back in 1945, the Soviets detonate their first atomic bomb in 1949, causing shock and fear in the United States. -
Korean War
After the fall of China to communism, Cold War tension flared up in Korea. In 1950, North Korean communists invaded South Korea, prompting a war with US and UN forces. The Korean War ended in 1953, but Korea remained divided. -
Spy Cases: The Rosenberg Trial
During the Cold War, well-publicized spy cases raised fears that the federal government was filled with traitors. The case of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg was only one among others. They were found guilty of spying for the Soviet Union, passing atomic secrets. They were executed in 1953. -
Warsaw Pact
The Soviet Union formed their own military alliance with Eastern European countries, in response to the NATO formation in 1949 between Western powers. -
U2 Spy Plane
Americans fly the first U2 spy plane over Moscow. The U2 is designed to fly at such a high altitude that it remains out of range of Soviet weapons and undetectable to Soviet radar. The plane was shot down in May 1960, and its pilot captured and later exchanged for a Soviet capture. This incident rose tensions between US and Soviets. -
Sputnik I
Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik I, the world’s first artificial satellite. The successful launch ushered in new political, military, technological, and scientific developments. This caused other nations, including the US to be freighted and shocked, feeling as though the enemy could have an edge. Rumors also circled that the Soviet Union was spying through space, and Eisenhower had backlash for allowing the US to fall behind communists, and speed up the US space program in response. -
The Bay of Pigs Invasion
An unsuccessful invasion of Cuba by Cuban exiles and supported by the U.S. government. An armed force of about 1,500 Cuban exiles trained by the CIA and supplied with arms of the US, intended to overthrow Communist regime of Fidel Castro. They were easily defeated by April 20th, either by being captured or killed. -
The Berlin Wall
The Communist government began to build a barbed wire and concrete wall between East and West Berlin in the night, as many people were sleeping. They awoke to divided sides, and were unable to cross borders to visit families, friends, and paying jobs. The Berlin Wall stood until November 9, 1989, where individuals were once again free to cross sides. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
A major cold war confrontation between US and Soviet Union. On October of 1962, Kennedy was brought forth high-altitude photographs taken from U-2 planes flying over Cuba that showed Soviet soldiers secretly setting up nuclear-armed missiles. Kennedy responded by imposing a naval blockade on Cuba and declared that any missile launched from Cuba would warrant a full-scale retaliatory attack by the United States against the Soviet Union. Soviet Union agreed to back off and removed the missiles. -
Kennedy Is Assassinated
President John F. Kennedy is assassinated during a visit to Dallas, Texas. His death caused mourning in the United States and brought Vice President Lyndon Johnson to the presidency. -
Apollo 11
The Apollo 11 mission was significant between US and Soviet Union because it marked a win for the US in the Space Race. Since the USSR had launched the first satellite Sputnik in 1957, America rushed their space program and were able to complete the first manned lunar landing. -
House Un-American Activities Committee
HUAC investigated the loyalty of people in many areas of life. Its investigation in the movie industry led movie studio heads to blacklist anyone thought to be a communist or communist sympathizer. It was established in 1938, and its operations ended in 1975. A famous case was the Hollywood Ten, a group consisting of writers and directors, who were sentenced to prison and blacklisted from working in Hollywood. -
End of the Cold War
On December 8, 1991, the Soviet Union ceased to exist. Boris Yeltsin, president of the Russian Republic, formed the Commonwealth of Independent States (C.I.S.). After 45 years, the Cold War was over.
