-
The Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution lasted from March 8, 1917 to November 7, 1917. The October Revolution, led by Vladimir Lenin marked the end of the Russian Empire and the beginning of the spread of Communism throughout the newly established Soviet Union. Lenin taught based off the writings and ideas of Karl Marx, and led Bolshevik revolutionaries in a revolt against the ineffective Provisional Government. -
The Potsdam Conference
Participants of the Potsdam Conference included the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The Soviet Union's Communist Party General Secretary Joseph Stalin, the United Kingdom's Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and the United States' President Harry S. Truman gathered together to decide how to administer the defeated Nazi Germany. Conference goals also included the establishment of post-war order, peace treaty issues, and countering the effects of the war. -
Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima
At 8;15 a.m., the American bomber Enola Gay dropped a five ton bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima, instantly killing 80,000 people. Tens of thousands more died in the following weeks from wounds and radiation poisoning. The bomb was dropped by the U.S. in an effort to make Japan drop out of WWII. -
Atomic Bomb on Nagasaki
Three days after the bomb drop on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, the U.S. dropped a second atomic bomb on the city of Nagasaki. The bomb immediately killed 40,000 people, and by the end of 1945, approximately 75,000 people. This second bombing pushed Japan to surrender and drop out of WWII. -
Iron Curtain
The Iron Curtain was the metaphorical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas at the end of WWII. The term symbolizes the efforts made by the Soviet Union to block itself from open contact with the West and non-Soviet controlled areas. -
The Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was an American foreign policy developed by President Harry S. Truman in an effort to combat the expansion of Soviet communism during the Cold War. It took full effect on July 12, 1948 when President Truman pledged to contain Soviet threats to the countries of Greece and Turkey and provided them with financial aid to support their economies. The Truman Doctrine insinuated American support for any nation threatened by Soviet communism. -
The Molotov Plan
The Molotov Plan was the Soviet response to the Marshall Plan. It was the Soviet's system created in order to provide aid to rebuild the countries of Eastern Europe who were politically and economically involved with the Soviet Union. -
The Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was an American strategy to aid Western Europe in economic support. Over the course of 4 years, the U.S. gave over $12 billion in economic aid to countries resisting Soviet communism. The money was used to rebuild war-devastated areas, remove trade barriers, modernize industry, and make Europe prosperous again in an effort to prevent the spread of communism. -
The Berlin Blockade
The Berlin Blockade lasted from June 24, 1948 to May 12, 1949. It was an attempt by the Soviet Union to to limit the abilities of the United States, Great Britain, and France to travel to their sectors of Berlin which was located in the Soviet controlled East Germany. -
The Berlin Airlift
The Berlin Airlift lasted from June 26, 1948 to September 30, 1949. During this time, the Western Allies air forces carried supplies to the people of West Berlin. They flew over 200,000 flights in one year and provided over 8,893 tons of necessities each day. The Soviets did not attempt to cease these airlifts for fear of open conflict. -
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO was an intergovernmental military alliance between the U.S. and 11 other Western nations. It was established in an fear of further Communist expansion. NATO is still active today, with 28 active members, including the U.S., Great Britain, and France, all who have vetoing power. -
The Soviet Bomb Test
In August of 1949, the Soviet Union successfully conducted it's first nuclear test, code-named "RDS-1." The Soviet bomb bore resemblance to the American bomb dropped on Nagasaki in 1945. Soviet espionage was able to obtain classified information about the Manhattan Project, and was therefore able to create a plutonium based implosion device. -
Hollywood 10
The Hollywood Ten is a short American documentary film where members of the Hollywood Ten made speeches where they denounced McCarthyism. Claims were made that films from the Hollywood Ten were subversive and Communist propaganda was inserted into their films. Members were later blacklisted and cited for contempt. -
Alger Hiss Case
Alger Hiss, who worked in the U.S. State Department, was accused by former Communist Whittaker Chambers for being a Soviet spy. U.S. California Representative Richard Nixon investigated the Hiss case and while Hiss was found guilty of perjury. He was sentenced to 5 years in federal jail. -
The Korean War
The Korean was lasted from June 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953. The Korean War began when North Korea invaded South Korea, and in response, the United Nations came to aid South Korea. As a result of Japanese occupation during WWII, the Soviet Union liberated Korea north of the 38th parallel, and the U.S. liberated Korea south of the 38th parallel. Rising tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union caused a split in Korea, giving rise to Communist controlled North Korea, and democratic South Korea. -
The Rosenberg Trial
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were accused of selling nuclear secrets to the Soviets. The Rosenbergs denied any Soviet relations, and claimed they were being mistreated due to the fact that they were Jews. They were prosecuted for espionage, found guilty, and sentenced to death by electric chair. -
Battle of Dien Bien Phu
The Battle of Dien Bien Phu lasted from March 13, 1954 until May 7, 1954. The battle was a confrontation of the First Indochina War between Ho Chi Minh's Viet Minh and the French Union. The result of the battle ended with French defeat and the future of Indochina was discussed at the Geneva Conference. -
Army-McCarthy Hearings
The Army-McCarthy Hearings were a series of hearing held between April 1954 until June 1954. The hearings were held for the purpose of of investigating accusations between Senator Joseph McCarthy and the United States Army. The hearings resulted in exposing McCarthy as a fraud and his era of McCarthyism died. -
The Geneva Conference
The Geneva Conference lasted from April 26, 1954 to July 21, 1954. It was a conference held in Geneva, Switzerland, in order to settle issues resulting from the Korean War and to discuss the feasibility of restoring peace to Indochina. The conference produced the Geneva Accords, which temporarily separated Vietnam into two zones. -
The Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact was a collective defense treaty created by the Soviet Union in retaliation of the creation of NATO. The creation of the Warsaw Pact was established as a balance of power compared to the Western Allies creation of NATO. Though the battle was not physical, it was a battle of intellectual ideals. -
The Hungarian Revolution
The Hungarian Revolution began on October 23, 1956 and ended on November 10, 1956. The Hungarian Revolution was a Hungarian Uprising against the government of the Hungarian People's Republic and against Soviet-forced policies. As the revolt spread, the government collapsed. Soviet forces squashed the Revolution. -
U2 Incident
The U2 incident occurred when when a United States U2 spy plane was shot down while in Soviet airspace. The plane was completing aerial reconnaissance when it was hit by an S-75 Dvina surface-to-air missile. Pilot Gary Powers parachuted safely and was captured. -
The Bay of Pigs Invasion
The Bay of Pigs Invasion lasted from April 17, 1961 to April 19, 1961. It was a failed military operation approved by President John F. Kennedy in an attempt to invade Cuba. The invasion attempted to use Cuban exiles to seize and overthrow the communist government of totalitarian leader Fidel Castro. The invasion failed and opened new opportunities for the Soviet Union to set up nuclear missile bases on the island of Cuba. -
The Berlin Wall
The Communist government of East Germany, controlled by the Soviet Union, began to build a concrete wall complete with barbed wire in August of 1961. The Berlin Wall served to keep Westerners from entering East Germany and prevent threats to the socialist state. However, the Berlin Wall's primary goal served to prohibit the multitude of defections from East Germany to West Germany. -
The Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis lasted from October 16, 1962 until October 28, 1962. It was a 13 day military confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union. The standoff concerned the installation of nuclear-armed Soviet missiles on Cuba. The U.S. was prepared to use military force to remove the threat to national security, but force was unnecessary when the U.S. and the Soviet Union came to an agreement. -
The Assassination of Diem
The assassination of South Vietnam's president was a successful CIA-supported coup. The coup was due to almost a decade of totalitarian family rule in South Vietnam. On November 2, 1963, Ngo Dinh Diem and his younger brother were arrested by the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. -
The Assassination of JFK
President John F. Kennedy was fatally shot in Dallas, Texas by Lee Harvey Oswald. A ten month investigation concluded that Oswald committed the assassination alone. Before Oswald could stand trial, he was killed by Jack Ruby. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson became president following Kennedy's death, and took the oath of office on board Air Force One before leaving for Washington, D.C. It was concluded that the assassination may have been part of a conspiracy. -
The Tonkin Gulf Resolution
The Tonkin Gulf Resolution was a joint resolution to promote and maintain international peace in South East Asia. The Resolution gave President Lyndon B. Johnson the approval to use conventional military force for the expansion of the Vietnam War. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
Operation Rolling Thunder lasted from March 2, 1965 until November 1, 1968. It was the sustained aerial bombing against the Democratic Republic of Vietnam by the United States. The bombardment was executed in an effort to persuade North Vietnam to cease its support for communist insurgency in South Vietnam. There were more bombs dropped on Vietnam than in all of World War II. -
Tet Offensive
The Tet Offensive lasted from January 30, 1968 to September 23, 1968. It is considered one of the largest military campaigns of the Vietnam War and was launched by forces of the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam against the South Vietnamese Army of the Republic. It was a series of surprise attacks against military and civilian command. -
Assassination of MLK
In April 1968, it was a shock to many to hear that civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. His assassination angered many African Americans throughout the United States. King was in Tennessee to support a sanitation workers' strike while preparing for a planned march to Washington. A sniper's bullet struck King through the neck and he later died at the age of 39. -
Assassination of RFK
Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy was fatally shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on June 5, 1968. Shortly after winning the California and South Dakota presidential primaries of the 1968 election, RFK was shot by Sirhan Sirhan, and died the next day after being hospitalized. Sirhan, was convicted of Kennedy's murder and is still currently serving life in prison for his crime. -
Invasion of Czechoslovakia
The invasion of Czechoslovakia lasted from August 20, 1968 until September 20, 1968. The invasion was joint by four of the members of the Warsaw Pact. Troops from the Soviet Union, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Poland attacked Czechoslovakia. 108 Czechoslovakian civilians were killed in the invasion and around 500 were wounded. -
Riots of Democratic Convention
Tens of thousands of Vietnam War protesters battled the police in the streets of Chicago while the Democratic Party fell apart over an internal disagreement on the stance of Vietnam. Democratic delegates were split on how best to handle the situation in Vietnam. As the debate became more heated, fights broke out on the convention floor and many delegates and reporters were beaten to the ground. -
Election of Nixon
Republican nominee Richard Nixon won the 1968 presidential election over Democratic nominee Hubert Humphrey. Nixon ran on the campaign that that promised to restore law and order to the United States and provide new leadership towards the war in Vietnam. Nixon later popularized the term "silent majority," which he used to describe his silent voters. -
Kent State
The Kent State shootings were the shootings of four unarmed college students protesting the Vietnam War by members of the Ohio National Guard. Nine other students were injured. There was a significant national response to the shootings and many schools closed throughout the United States due to a student strike of four million. -
Nixon Visits China
In February of 1972, President Nixon visited the People's Republic of China. His visit was an important step in normalizing relations between the United States and China. The visit ended 25 years of separation between the two nations. The visit also created a significant shift in the balance of the Cold War. -
Ceasefire in Vietnam
A ceasefire occurred on January 28, 1973. However, South Vietnam continued to receive American aid even after the ceasefire. Both the North Vietnamese and the South Vietnamese troops violated the ceasefire. South Vietnamese troops attempted to take back villages occupied by the North Vietnamese. North Vietnamese troops attempted to capture additional territory in South Vietnam. -
Fall of Saigon
The Fall of Saigon ultimately occurred as the North Vietnamese troops captured the capital city. The capture marked the end of the Vietnam War and unified all of Vietnam as a Socialist Republic. Thousands of South Vietnamese civilians attempted to escape before the North Vietnamese over ran the city. -
The Election of Reagan
Ronald Reagan won the 1980 presidential election and succeeded Jimmy Carter and the 40th president of the United States. Reagan's campaign stressed important principles such as lower taxes and the Iran hostage crisis. Reagan won the election with 44 states and 489 electoral votes. Reagan served two terms in office, the second of which ended in 1989. -
SDI Announced
The Strategic Defense Initiative Organization or SDI was publicly announced in 1983 by President Ronald Reagan. The SDI focused more on strategic defense rather than the previous strategic offense doctrine of mutual assured destruction or MAD. The SDI was largely nicknamed "Star Wars" after the 1977 film created by George Lucas. Reagan stated that the U.S. possessed a "giant shield" that orbited over North America and could deflect any nuclear attack by the Soviets. -
Geneva Conference with Gorbachev
Also known as the Geneva Summit, this Geneva Conference was a Cold War-era meeting between U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev. They met in 1985 in Switzerland to discuss international diplomatic relations and the arms race. Reagan's goal was to convince Gorbachev that America desired peace over all other things, and described this meeting as a "mission for peace." -
'Tear Down This Wall' Speech
In June of 1987, U.S. President Ronald Reagan appeared in West Berlin and gave a speech which called to the leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev to open up the barrier which had divided West and East Berlin since 1961. "Tear down this wall" was a famous line from Reagan's speech. -
The Fall of the Berlin Wall
In August 1989, Hungary managed to disable its physical border with Austria and in September, over 13,000 East Germans escaped through Hungary to Austria. East Germans flooded the West German embassy and refused to return to East Germany. In November 1989, a "Peaceful Revolution" started with East Germans demanding political change. Several East Germans wanted to leave, and soon the checkpoint doors were opened, allowing West Berliners and East Germans to jump on top of the wall in victory.
