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The Russian Revolution
In 1917, the working class of Russia revolted against the government. The government then established the Soviet Union and the first communist government. Then the Russian Revolution started and was a social and political period across the Russian Empire, that started on March, 8th, 1917 and ended on June, 16th, 1923. It started with the abolishment of the monarchy which further led up to a revolution. -
Potsdam Conference
The Potsdam Conference was held in Berlin on July 17th, 1945 through August 2nd, 1945. It was the last WW2 meeting with the "big three" heads of state, which were Harry S. Truman, Great Britain's Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and the Soviet Union's Joseph Stalin. Together they created a council of foreign ministers, along with a central allied control council for Germany. They talked and made agreements on topics like the German economy, war criminals, land reparations, and postwar Europe. -
Atomic Bomb (Hiroshima/Nagasaki)
During WW2 on August 6th, 1945 the United States dropped the first atomic bomb from an American B-29 Bomber. The bombs were dropped over the Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The bomb's explosion wiped out almost 90% of the city and killed over 80,00 people. Three days later a second bomb was dropped on August 9th and an additional 40,000 were killed. These two bombings made Japan announce their unconditional Surrender. -
Long Telegram
The American leader George Kennan sent an 8,000 world telegram to the department of state, telling his views on the Soviet Union, and the United State's policy towards the communist state, and wanted containment. -
Iron Curtain
The Iron Curtain was the term Winston Churchill used to represent the imaginary boundary line that divided Europe into 2 different areas the Western, and Eastern. The western had political freedom, while the Eastern was communist. -
Molotov Plan
created by the Soviet Union to aid, provide, and help rebuild the countries allied with them, the countries involved were Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and East Germany. -
Hollywood 10
10 United States motion picture producers, directors, and screenwriters refused to answer any questions regarding their possible communist involvements and because they didn't answer, they were arrested for contempt of congress and later were imprisoned. They were also, blacklisted by Hollywood studios, -
Truman Doctrine
Was made to contain communism in areas already under communist governments, the United States used economic, diplomatic, and military methods to fight the expansion of communism, especially in Greece and Turkey. -
Marshall Plan
A European Recovery Program, where the United States provided aid to 16 Western Europe countries after WW2. More than 12 billion dollars were provided and was a 4-year plan to help rebuild cities, that were destroyed. -
Berlin Blockade
An attempt by the Soviet Union to limit France, Great Britain, and the United States, entry into Berlin's sectors, which also lay within East Germany. -
Berlin Airlift
Was an airlift that supplied food, and fuel to citizens of Berlin after the Russians closed off land access. This lasted for about a year and ended on May 12, 1949, when the Soviet Union lifted the blockade on land access. -
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
A collective military alliance which stopped Soviet Union aggression and prevented Nationalist governments in Europe, by joining together they were alliances and their goal was to keep the Soviet Union out, and the United States in, and the Germans down.
all the involved countries were: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States -
First Soviet bomb test
The Soviet Union had its first nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk test sight in Kazakhstan, the test code name was RDS- 1, and the bomb yielded 22 kilotons of TNT. -
Chinese Communist Revolution
Mao Zedding lead nearly 500 million Chinese, and they fell under communist rule. with more decades to come Mao will be the Linchpin of revolution in Asia. -
Alger Hiss Case
A former United States department official who was accused of spying for the Soviet Union, and was later convicted of perjury, sentenced to 5 years in prison. -
Korean war
It all started when North Korea invaded South Korea, and China fought on the North Korea side, and the soviet union sent them military equipment. The united states sent about 90% of troops to aid South Korea. on July 27, 1953, it all ended when the Korean armistice was signed, this agreement created the demilitarized zone also known as DMZ. It separated the North and South Korea and allowed the return of prisoners. -
Rosenberg Trial
American communists Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed for passing nuclear weapon secrets to the Soviet Union but denied all charges, further evidence showing they were spies and were sentenced to die in the electrical chair. -
Army - McCarthy Hearings
Joseph McCarthy was a US senator who called a congressional hearing to accuse people he claimed had communist ties. along with this, he accused the secretary of state and many people panicked and question everyone, as there was no way of proving is someone was communist or not. -
Warsaw Pact
A political and military alliance between the Soviet Union and several other European countries, this alliance was a counterbalance to NATO. The countries involved were Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and The Soviet Union. -
Hungarian Revolution
The Hungarian Revolution was a nationwide revolt against the Communist government of Hungary and its Soviets policies. It began as a student demonstration which attracted thousands as it marched through central Budapest to the Parliament building. News spread and violence, terror and revolts destroyed the government. -
U2 Incident
A confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union that all started the USSR shooting down of a US - U-2 plane, crashing over the Soviet Union -
Bay of Pigs
A group of Cuban exiles organized by the U.S central intelligence agency landed at the Bay of Pigs to overthrow Fidel Castro. the invasion ended when the U.S could enter the bay, so president Kennedy took forces and it went bad leaving Cuba further into USSR. -
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by East Germany that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
A confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union after the discovery of a Soviet missile in Cuba. This confrontation was so close to escalating into a full nuclear war. -
Assassination of JFK
While at his campaign in Dallas Texas, waiting to be elected again for a second term. Kennedy was shot in the head by an ex, U.S marine Lee Oswald, who lived in the Soviet Union. -
Invasion of Czechoslovakia
The Soviet Union-led Warsaw Pact troops in an invasion of Czechoslovakia to look at reformist trends in Prague. Although the Soviet Union’s action successfully stopped the progress of the reform in Czechoslovakia, it created consequences for the unity of the communist. -
Nixon visits China
U.S. President Richard Nixon visited China that marked relations between the United States and China after years of isolation. This seven-day visit to three Chinese cities was the first time a U.S. president had visited the PRC. His arrival in ended 25 years of no communication or diplomatic ties between the two countries and was the key step in normalizing relations between the U.S. and China, He also visited China to gain more leverage over relations with the Soviet Union. -
Reagan elected
United States presidential election was held on Tuesday, November 4, 1980. Republican nominee Ronald Reagan defeated Democrat Jimmy Carter, due to his rise of conservatism. Some people calling this the "Reagan Era" due to his win. -
SDI announced
The Strategic Defense Initiative was a program initiated under President Ronald Reagan. The intent of this program was to develop an anti-ballistic missile system in order to prevent missile attacks from other countries, specifically the Soviet Union. With the tension of the Cold War, this was the United States' response to possible nuclear attacks. -
Geneva Conference with Gorbachev
A Cold War-era meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, between U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev. The two leaders met for the first time to hold talks on international diplomatic relations and the arms race. -
"tear down this wall" speech
On June 12, 1987, U.S. President Ronald Reagan made one of his most famous speeches, in which he appealed to the Soviet Union to "tear down this wall, the Berlin Wall. Which was the barrier between West and East Germany; the symbolic barrier of democracy and communism. -
The fall of the Berlin Wall
As the Cold War was ending Eastern Europe, East Berlin’s Communist Party announced a change of relations with the West. Starting that night at midnight citizens were free to cross the country’s borders. People celebrated by drinking and partying.
