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Russian Communist Revolution
Although the Russian Communist Revolution happened many years before the Cold War, it greatly affected it. The result of this revolution was Russia being the very first country to be under Communist rule. Vladimir Lenin lead to revolution to remove previous government from power. If the Russian government wouldn't have gotten overthrown by Lenin, there may not have been a Cold War because Communism couldn't have spread because there wouldn't have been any countries with that type of government. -
Treaty of Versailles
The terms of the Treaty of Versailles, which marked the end of World War I, were made by the Allied “Big Three” capitalistic nations of the U.S., Britain, and France. The terms of the treaty favored capitalistic intent and interests in a post-war Germany and also tried to lessen the increasing power of the communist Bolsheviks in Soviet Union. The Treaty of Versailles moved both ideological sides further apart. -
League of Nations
Formed after WWI with the help of President Woodrow Wilson, the League of Nations was created as an alliance to help prevent the outbreak of future wars. However, the U.S. Senate refused to ratify the League Covenant, and the U.S. never formally joined. Ironically, the U.S., Britain, and France sent troops to attack the Soviet Union after the League had been set up. This allied invasion failed and only made the communists more antagonistic toward the U.S. and the West. -
Yalta Conference
The purpose of the Yalta Conference was to plan for a post-WWII world. At the conference, Stalin agreed to support free elections and not impose a communist dictatorship on Eastern European countries. However, Stalin soon went against his word and controlled many communist satellite countries. This increased the level of distrust toward the Soviet Union. -
General Assembly
As a branch in the United Nations, the General Assembly had an important role in dealing with conflicts during the Cold War. Many issues during this time period dealt with the clash of communism and capitalism, indirectly involving the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The opposing views between the two countries and their veto power in the Security Council caused it to become virtually ineffective. As a result, the General Assembly, able to authorize emergency action, became the more powerful branch. -
United Nations
The United Nations during the Cold War became a battleground between communist and non-communist countries. In order to get anything accomplished through the U.N. both the Soviet Union and the United States had to agree, and that didn't happen often so the U.N wasn't very affective. -
Nuremberg Trials
These trials were held by the Allied forces and they were used to punish important members of Nazi Germany. Both the U.S and the Soviet Union were judges for these trials and were allies during WW2. By the end of WW2 the U.S and Soviet Union became the only two superpowers left, ultimatly making them enemies. Their rivalship became known as the Cold War. -
Iron Curtain Speech
Speech by Winston Churchill titled "Sinews of Peace." In this speech he spoke about how the Soviet Union had a plan to create an Eastern Bloc resulting in the spread of communism throughout eastern Europe. -
Baruch Plan
This plan was established during the Cold War to contol atomic energy world wide. This was acheived through an International Atomic Development Authority that would penalize countries if they were to violate the restrictions on nuclear weapons. -
Truman Doctrine
In the Truman Doctrine, President Truman pledged to support countries fighting communism. He declared that the Unites States would provide economic and military aid to Turkey and Greece in their battle against Soviet control. The main purpose of the doctrine was to contain Soviet Communist power. Fearing the “Domino Theory”, the United States did not want to allow communism to spread throughout the world. As a result of the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan and NATO were eventually formed. -
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was organized by the U.S. to provide aid and economic support to war-torn European countries after World War II. Help was offered to all countries, but Stalin was concerned that the West may persuade current communist countries to capitalism, so he did not allow his satellite countries to accept the aid. As a result, the economy of Eastern Europe recovered slowly while the economy of Western Europe quickly regrew. This caused an increase in strained U.S. and Soviet relations. -
Berlin Airlift
The Berlin Airlift demonstrated the disagreement between the West and the Soviets at the beginning of the Cold War. The Soviets blockaded Berlin and cut off all supplies and necessities to the city as an attempt to force Western powers from Berlin. The West responded by airlifting food and supplies to the people in the city. The airlift resulted in increased rivalries, especially between the U.S. and Soviet Union. -
Formation of NATO
NATO was an alliance between the U.S and 11 other countries. It's goal was to protect western Europe from the Soviets and communist attacks. During the Cold War, NATO was considered a detterence against Soviet attack because they knew that if they were to attack one of the NATO countries, the 11 other members would start attacking them. -
Chinese Communist Revolution
The Chinese Communist Revolution created a new enemy for the United States during the Cold War because during this revolution China went under communist rule and became an ally with the Soviet Union. -
Korean War
The main cause of the Korean War was the invasion of pro-West South Korea by communist controlled North Korea. In fear that the Soviet Union planned on spreading communism to the entire Korean peninsula, the United States sent troops to aid South Korea. This bloody war, which was one of the many attempts made by the United States to contain communism during the Cold War. -
Warsaw Pact
After the formation of NATO, a pro-West organization to stop the spread of communism, Eastern Europe and Stalin created the mutual defense alliance of the Warsaw Pact. In favor of communism, this pact caused greater tension and division among the European countries, as well as between the U.S. and Soviet Union. The Warsaw Pact also strengthened the Soviet Union and their influence by creating more coordinated defense against anti-communist uprisings and tighter security. -
Nuclear Detterent
This was a concept that if 2 countries have nuclear weapons, neither will use them because they know that they can equally be destroyed. This concept was a big part in the Cold War not turining into a Hot War. -
Sputnik Launch
The Launching of the Sputnik by the Soviet Union led to the space race between them and the United States. This space race added even more tension between the two countries during the Cold War. -
Fidel Castro Proclaims Communism in Cuba
Fidel Castro was the leader of Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Cold War. When he overthrew the previous ruler, he established communist rule and sided withe the Soviet Union. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
The Bay of Pigs invasion was President John F. Kennedy's failed attempt to cause an uprising in Cuba and remove its communist leader, Fidel Castro. This fail was a major embarrassment to the United States and caused it to appear weak and ineffective toward the containment of communism during the Cold War. -
Building of the Berlin Wall
The building of the Berlin Wall, which was meant to keep the people of East Berlin from fleeing to the West, was a very important symbol during the Cold War. It represented the clash between communism and capitalism and the rock-hard differences splitting the two. The wall affected the Cold War by separating the sides even further. -
MAD
The MAD Doctrine, or Mutually Assured Destruction, states that each side in a conflict has the nuclear weaponry to destroy the other. In a speech given by Kennedy’s Defense Secretary Robert S. McNamara, the acronym MAD was used to explain that both the U.S. and Soviet Union had the capability to completely annihilate the other. Both superpowers knew that if they attacked, the other side would retaliate and the result would be complete destruction. -
Berlin Wall
From 1961 through 1989, the Berlin Wall kept East Germans from fleeing to the West. It was a clear symbol of democracy versus communism. At times, East Berliners attempted to climb the wall. In one failed attempt, a young man named Peter Fechter was gunned down by guards as he tried to scale the wall. He fell onto the East German side and was left on the ground to bleed to death. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Soviets had misslies planted in Cuba and pointed at the United States.This was the most tense part of the Cold war, it almost lead to a nuclear war between the Soviets and the U.S. -
Unites States sends troops to Vietnam
After the deployment of United States combat troops to Vietnam, tension and anger between the Soviet Union, China and United States grew. Upset that the United States involved itself in the war, Vietnamese and Chinese students attacked the U.S. embassy in Moscow with the support of Soviet Union. The Vietnam War was a battle between communist and democratic control. -
Non-Proliferation Agreement
This agreement prevented the spread of nuclar weapons and weapon technology, it promoted the peaceful use of nuclear energy and furthered nuclear disarmament. -
Apollo 11
After the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik and started the Space Race, The U.S had to quickly develop the same technology as them so the Soviet Union wouldn't be seen as smarter and stronger. The U.S accomplished that by the launching of Apollo 11 -
Kent State Shootings
Students at Kent State were protesting Nixxon's plan to invade Cambodia. Police fired at the students and killed/wounded 13. This caused a lot of people to be against the war. Nixon then stopped the invasion of Cambodia. Having alot of Americans and soilders against the war probably had some affect on the defeat of the U.S in the Veitnam War. Since the U.S and Soviets were basically fighting eachother through other countries, this counted as a loss for the Americans in the Cold War. -
SALT I
The Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty I was a very large step toward curbing the Cold War arms race. Signed by President Richard Nixon and Soviet General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev, it was the first restrictive missile treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union. This treaty aided the beginning of negotiation among the rival superpowers and greatly decreased the chances of WWIII. -
The fall of Saigon
Saigon was backed by the U.S government, and when it collasped it ended the 30 year Vietnam war. This was a huge American military defeat and because of that, Vietnam went under Soviet/Communist rule. Vietnam became another country where communism was able to spread during the Cold War. -
Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping beleived that it didn't matter what type of governent you had, as long as it resulted in economic growth. During his rule he expiremented with capitalism. While the Cold War was coming to and end, students in China protested for Democracy. This was a direct result of the U.S winning the Cold War against the Soviets and that Democracy was begining to spread. -
Pope John Paul II
Even before becoming Pope John Paul II, Karol Wojtyla believed in freedom against tyranny. He knew that communism could not continue without the participation of society, and he told those in his native Poland and other communist countries not to be afraid of capitalism. With a good relationship with President Reagan, many actions and words of Pope John Paul II contributed to the fall of communism. -
Joseph McCarthy Speech
In Joseph McCarthy's speech, he warned the United States of communists in America. -
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher was the first woman Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. She was an allie of the United States and had a very good relationship with President Reagon. She was very much against communism but wanted to improve relations with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. The Cold War finally came to an end during her time as Prime Minister. -
SALT II
As an attempt to prevent further advancements in destructive technology and nuclear weapons, the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty II was signed by President Jimmy Carter and Leonid Brezhnev. A quite controversial treaty which was never actually ratified, SALT II had little to no affect in stopping the Cold War arms race. Many Americans believed that the U.S. was defenseless against the new weapons which were not mentioned in the treaty. -
Soviets invade Afghanistan
When the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, the U.S saw it as a violation of international law because they used armed forces. The soviets felt they were protecting their nations national security. The U.S decided to enter what became a war and give aid to the afghanistans. Both the U.S and the Soviet Union thought that what they were doing was right and that added more tension to the Cold War. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
The fall of the Berlin Wall was a major event in the thawing of the Cold War. As the tensions were already beginning to weaken across Eastern Europe, East Berlin’s communist party spokesperson had declared that the citizens were now allowed to cross the border. That night at midnight, the gates were opened and democratic West Berliners and communist East Berliners were united. The differences and tension between the people began to settle. All of this aided the ending of the Cold War. -
Lech Walesa
Lech Walesa played a major role in changing Poland’s government. Prior to becoming Poland’s first directly elected president in 1990, Walesa spent years as a leader of the anti-communist Solidarity movement. Poland had an oppressive government under strict Soviet control, but Walesa helped transform it into an independent democracy with a free market economy. Other countries also turned to capitalism, resulting in the decline of Soviet control. -
START I
The Strategic Arms Reduction Talk I was very similar to the previous SALT conferences. Signed by President George H.W. Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev, START I was an attempt to provide nuclear weapons reductions and limits between the United States and the Soviet Union. Although both countries still had the power to destroy the other, these talks instilled growing relations and trust between the nations and further thawed the Cold War. -
START II
A less tense political climate and the 1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union inspired START II, which was signed by President George H.W. Bush and Boris Yeltsin as an attempt to further reduce Strategic Offensive Arms. Although it was never fully entered into force, START II demonstrated each side’s gestures to reconcile Cold War differences.
