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The Russian Revolution
Description: The Russian Revolution was the earliest form of tension between the U.S and Russia.
Significance: Communism Scares the U.S because it takes away basic rights and freedoms. -
The Postdam Conference
Description: The conference was about the control of the future of Germany, postwar boundaries, winning the war with Japan, and securing elastic peace in Europe.
Significance: The intention of the conference was to solve the issues between the U.S and Russia; however, it only made matters worse and led to the Cold war. -
The Atomic Bomb
Description: The Atomic Bomb has the power to destroy an army and level a city. The U.S uses 2 Atomic bombs on Japan's 2 major cities; Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Significance: The Atomic bomb has so much power, war is now unbalanced. This upsets the Soviet Union because they didn't think the U.S would use the bomb. -
Iron Curtain
Description: The Iron Curtain was a barrier created by the soviet union.
Significance: Its purpose was to block west Europe from Eastern and Central European allies from contact with each other. -
The Truman Doctrine
Description: President Truman wanted to give money support to countries threatened by the soviet union.
Significance: He did this to prevent the spread of communism. Countries who are weak and starving might fall to communism as an alternative. -
Molotov Plan
Description: The Molotov Plan was a system to provide aid by the Soviet Union to countries who were in alliance with them.
Significance: The soviet union did not want aid from the U.S. They wanted to influence eastern Europe towards communism. -
The Marshall Plan
Description: The Marshall plan was to give massive economic assistance to European countries.
Significance: It was created to try to prevent communism. The U.S. was worried that some countries might fall to communism due to the destruction of war and starvation. -
Hollywood 10
Description: 10 Hollywood movie producers who Created American based motion pictures focusing against communism refused to answer questions on whether they were communist or not. Significance: Because of the rise in communistic influence people were hysterical. The Hollywood ten were arrested and put on trial. They were sentenced to a year in prison. -
Alger Hiss Case
Alger Hiss was an American government agent accused of being a Soviet spy. He was convicted for espionage.
Significance: Caused tension in America and people began blaming anyone for being a spy. -
Berlin Blockade
Description: Stalin created the Berlin blockade to cut off Berlin from the rest of civilization
Significance: The U.S. reunified west Germany and created a new currency. Stalin didn't want a new Germany, he wanted to punish all of Germany while it was week for all that it did to his people. -
Berlin Airlift
Description: Due to the Blockade of Berlin, Germans trapped inside did not have access to food and supplies and they needed help.
Significance: As a response to Stalin's actions, the U.S sent planes from England carrying enough supplies to sustain 2 million people. -
NATO
Description: NATO-North Atlantic treaty organization.
Significance: This was a mutual defense treaty which meant; an attack on one country is an attack on everyone involved. -
Soviet Bomb test
Description: RDS-1 was the first Nuclear test but the Soviet Union.
Significance: The U.S knew the Soviet Union was stealing nuclear secrets, however, their prediction on when the first test would be was wrong. -
The Rosenburg Trial
Description: The Rosenbergs were a husband and wife duo accused of passing bomb secrets to the Soviets.
Significance: Spying and stealing caused fear among the American people. Anyone caught like the Rosenbergs, were convicted and executed via electric chair. -
Korean War
Description: Communist North Korea Went and invaded non-communist South Korea. The U.S Quickly responded and went to defend South Korea.
Significance: The S.U. helped aid North Korea while the U.S helped aid the south. This causes further tension Between them during the cold war. -
Battle of Dien Bien Phu
First Indochina war between the French and the Viet Minh.
Significance: The French wanted to reclaim Vietnam so this was a turning point in Indochina. -
Army-McCarthy Hearings
Description: Joseph McCarthy was a favorited Republican Senator for the United States. McCarthy Accused many people of communism; he claimed he had a list of many states department employees suspected of communism.
Significance: McCarthy began to accuse the Army Signal Corps without any evidence. The Army turned around and accused McCarthy as a fraud. -
Geneva Conference
The Geneva conference consisted of Cambodia, the People's Republic of China, France, Laos, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, the Viet Minh.
Significance: The French agreed to withdraw their troops from Vietnam, temporarily dividing it at the 17th parallel. -
Warsaw Pact
Description: The Soviet Union and many Eastern European counties formed an alliance known as the Warsaw treaty organization.
Significance: Because the United States created the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), they needed something to "counterbalance" so they created the Warsaw Pact. -
The Hungarian Revolution
Description: Many people in the streets of Hungary protested and demanded freedom and a democratic nation away from Soviet influence.
Significance: Communists from the soviet union came with many tanks and crushed the protesters. Over 2500 died and an estimated 200000 fled the country. The united states did nothing and it shocked the country. -
U2-Incident
The U.S spy plane was shot down by Soviet forces when taking photos of Soviet territory.
Significance: This Caused even more tension between the 2 Superpowers and a meeting was scheduled that same month over the incident. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
Description: The U.S attempted to stop the communist Cuban leader, Fidel Castro, from destroying the government. Significance: Cuba had allied with the soviet union and accepted nuclear bombs from them. The U.S launched an attack on Cuba however, it failed. The U.S had to come to an agreement in order to remove the weapons from the island. -
Berlin wall
Description: The Berlin wall is a concrete and barbed wire wall that was created by the comunist government of East Germany.
Significance: It was built to divide East and West Germany. East Germany was now a socialist state so the wall was built to keep fascists out. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
Description: The Soviet Union had teamed up with Cuba and sent a nuclear missile to Cuba, 90 miles away from United States shores.
Before anything could happen the U.S and Soviet Union came to an agreement and the soviet union removed the weapons from Cuba.
Significance: A moment in which two superpowers; the Soviet Union and the U.S, came close to a nuclear war. -
Assassination of Diem
Diem was the president of Vietnam.
Significance: He was Killed during a military coup because he was turning into a dictator. -
Assassination of JFK
President Kennedy was shot and killed on his way to Dallas Texas.
Significance: Some thought this was for the better. The nation was already going through a lot and this caused further tension. -
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
The Tonkin Gulf resolution allowed Johnson to promote peace in Asia.
Significance: This led to conflict and destroyers on patrol were attacked by Vietnamese ships. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
Rolling Thunder was a bombing run on North Vietnam that was very costly.
Significance: To show that the U.S had total air supremacy. -
Tet Offensive
The Tet Offensive was numerous attacks made by the communist forces in the Vietnam war.
Significance: This was a turning point in the war because it causes the U.S to slowly back out. -
Assassination of MLK
Martin Luther King was the Main Civil rights leader. Many People especially the KKK wanted him dead.
Significance: After his murder Riots broke loose and caused havoc. -
Assassination of RFK
President Kennedy was shot and killed at a hotel after winning the California presidential primary.
Significance: The war was at a high peak and the assassination only caused more doubt among the American people. -
Invasion of Czechoslovakia
The invasion of Czechoslovakia was a joint invasion of Czechoslovakia with the Soviet Union, Poland, Bulgaria, East Germany, and Hungary.
Significance: This stopped reform in Czechoslovakia and unified them under communism. -
Riots of Democratic convention
The convention purpose was to choose the democratic party's nominees. Riots broke loose over the war.
Significance: Caused huge riots and a protest march at the convention. -
Election of Nixon
Former Vice president Nixon defeated the Democratic party.
Significance: He then started his campaign to restore peace or "law and order". -
Kent State
The Kent state shooting occurred during a protest, Killing innocent unarmed college students.
significance: Caused the nation to become very sad and tired of the war. -
Nixon visits China
President Nixon decides to visit China.
Significance: This allowed him to come up with an important strategic advantage that helped their relationship years later. -
Ceasefire in Vietnam
President Nixion ordered a ceasefire of bombs in Vietnam.
Significance: After the Order, Vietnam troops began their way back to America, leading to the first step in the end of the war. -
Fall of Saigon
Description:The Fall of Saigon was the capture of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam.
significance: It helped end the Vietnam war and bring together Vietnam under communist rule. -
Reagan elected
Republican nominee Ronald Reagan defeated democratic Jimmy Carter in the 49th election.
Significance: Reagan was the better choice because Americans blamed Carter for high inflation and unemployment. -
SDI announced
The Strategic Defense Initiative or Star Wars, was a program initiated under President Ronald Reagan.
Significance: It was the U.S defense against foreign Nuclear missiles, however, we did not have the technology yet. -
Geneva Conference with Gorbachev
President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev met in Geneva to Discuss important matters.
Significance: the U.S., France, Britain, and the Soviet Union all wanted to end the Cold War. They also wanted to end the arms race. -
‘Tear down this wall’ speech
A speech was made by U.S. President Ronald Reagan in West Berlin to tear down the wall.
Significance: Its purpose was to allow Berlin to become one again. -
Fall of Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall Had divided Berlin.
Significance: After a series of revolutions in eastern countries, it caused eastern Germany to fall along with the wall. This lead to the German reunification.
