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Joseph Stalin
Became Soviet dictator in 1926. By 1927, he began a massive effort to industrialize the country. He had modernized the USSR with a 5 year plan, but he did not tolerate opposition to his rule. His efforts brought 10 million deaths, most were peasants who resisted communist policies. He may have been a determined leader who brought the USSR into being a world superpower, but his dictatorship killed MANY. Died in 1953 -
Harry S. Truman
Truman came to presidency following the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt. As Vice-President, it was his job to overtake the position and responsibilities of the President. Truman had to make pivotal decisions early in his career as he inherited a country at war. -
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong was a major revolutionary who came into power in 1945 and was responsible for China’s change to communism. Mao Zedong turned China into a socialist/ communist country by founding the People’s Republic of China -
United Nations
Created at the end of world war II for the main purpose of creating peace. Was to maintain peace and to help facilitate relationships with other countries. In 1944, delegates from 39 countries met at the Dumbarton Oaks Estate in Washington D.C. to discuss the New Organization, the United Nations. Delegates agreed that the UN would have a General Assembly,where every member nation in the world would have one vote. It would also have a security council with 11 members. -
Containment
Containment was the United State’s policy of containing communism. It was a policy that meant that the U.S. would use any means necessary to contain the spread of communism. It started in 1946 and the result was wars and tensions between Soviet supported countries and U.S. supported countries. It was significant because it was the United State’s effort to contain communism and enveloped many different events after World War 2. -
Joseph McCarthy
Joseph McCarthy was a U.S. republican senator, in power from 1946-1954, who was notorious for making unbacked claims of communism in the U.S. Government. He represented the growing persecution and paranoia of communism in the United States. He was censured by the senate in 1954. -
Truman Doctrine
created to fight the spread of Communism. It committed the U.S. to the role of fighting and resiting communism worldwide. A speech was given by U.S. President Truman in March 1947. -
Marshall Plan
Gave the US momentary support to help rebuild the economies in Europe at the end of WW2, in order to prevent communism. George Marshall wanted to to help Europe recover, because it would also help the US economy. June 5th, 1947 the European states that had signed the Marshall Plan started recieving benefits from it. -
Berlin Airlift
This was in response to Soviet troops cutting off all road and rail traffic to West Berlin. The American commander in Germany, General Lucius Clay, warned that if Berlin fell, West Germany would too. In June of 1948, Truman the Berlin Airlift to begin. The goal was to keep West Berlin alive without provoking war with the Soviets. For 11 months, cargo planes brought over 2 million tons of supplies, providing Berliners with food, medicine, and coal. Stalin lifted the blockade on May 12, 1949. -
N.A.T.O.
It is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization created April 4th, 1949. Created to deter soviet expansion, forbidding revival of nationalist militarism in Europe, and encourage European political integration. NATO members in 1949 included Belgium, Canada, US, UK, Portugal, France, Norway, Netherlands, Iceland, Italy, Denmark, and Luxembourg.Germany and East Berlin. The Soviets cut all road and traffic to West Berlin. -
Korean War
Soviet supported North Korea invaded American backed South Korea. The fighting went back and forth across 38th parallel before an armistice agreement was settled on in 1953. It showed the rising tensions between the USSR and the US and brought the Cold War to Asia. -
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Eisenhower was instated as president after Truman with a campaign promising an anti-communist policy greater than that of Truman. Eisenhower negotiated a peace treaty with Korea, ending the Korean war, and covertly began Soviet interventions within friendly countries. -
Nikita Khrushchev
Leader of the Soviet Union. Became the leader after Stalin's death. Openly critical of Stalin's policies including purges. Had easier more peaceful relationship with the west. Cutback on Secret Service's power. Released thousands of political prisoners. Improved the economy and most people's standard of living. Due to failure in the Cuban Missile Crisis removed from power in 1964. -
Warsaw Pact
This pact happened in the years of 1955-99. Mutual defense treaty. Warsaw Pact was significant because it provided stability between both conflicting forces and was a form of non-nuclear confrontation between the allied soviets and the US. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was formed in 1949 by the US, Canada, and nine European nations, the first peacetime military alliance in US history. This pact happened in the years of 1955-1991. It was a mutual defense treaty. -
Vietnam War
The U.S. supported South Vietnam fought against the communist North Vietnam in an attempt to stop the spread of communism. The US used air superiority and artillery while the north vietnamese used conventional guerilla tactics. The U.S. eventually pulled out of the war.It was a major battle against the spread of communism and a very costly war. North Vietnam ultimately took control of South Vietnam after the peace agreement on April 30th, 1975 -
John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy was the 35th president of the United States. Elected in 1960 at the age of 43, he became the youngest person ever to be voted into the White House. Kennedy served from 1961 until his assassination in November 1963. In the 1960 presidential campaign, Kennedy positioned himself to the right of the Republican Eisenhower Administration by promising to close the "missile gap," the supposed Soviet superiority in long-range nuclear missiles. -
Berlin Wall
The wall that separated East Germany from West Germany. East Germany built the wall to prevent mass emigration and defection. It was later nicknamed "The Iron Curtain". -
Cuban Missile Crisis
After the Bay of Pigs crisis in Cuba, the soviets made the decision to place nuclear missiles in Cuba to stop more attempts from the U.S. to overthrow them. In October spy planes found and took photos of the long range missiles being built. Immediately, President Kennedy declared they would put a quarantine n the delivery of weapons to Cuba, Krushchev and Kennedy came to the agreement that the Soviets would take their weapons out of Cuba and the U.S. would not invade. -
Lyndon B. Johnson
Johnson was sworn in as President just hours after JFK was assassinated. Just as his predecessors, Johnson aimed to contain communism and took action against communism in Vietnam by sending thousands of troops to their deaths. -
Mikhail Gorbachev
Leader of the Soviet Union. His efforts to democratize his country's political system and decentralize its economy led to the downfall of communism and the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991.
