Ibiblio.org provides this brief article about the Kirov murder.

The tension between Great Britain, United States, and the Soviet Union at end of World War II is surveyed with an excellent presentation with many links and images, a time line, glossary, and archive.

This is a copy of a speech given in 1947 that describes US intent in stopping the spread of communism. It outlines threats to communist expansion into Greece and Turkey, and the US response to such a threat. This is a great primary...

A transcript of the MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour program, Nov. 17, 1983, about Afghanistan. Two experts discuss the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan and the American reaction to heightened tensions in that region.

This timeline of East Germany from 1945 to 1990 chronicles key events from communist domination to political and economic freedom with the end of the Cold War and the dismantling of the Berlin Wall.

This article discusses the development of the Soviet Union's Communist buffer zone after World War II and its evolution into the Iron Curtain of the Cold War.

The official Navy history on the role of the United States Navy in the Korean War from 1950 to 1953. First published in 1962.

A collection of primary source documents surrounding the Interkit Story. These documents give insight into policy coordination and national interests in the Soviet Bloc in the second half of the Cold War.

This profile of the American pilot Francis Gary Powers discusses the mission of the U-2 reconnaissance flights during the Cold War as well as the international incident surrounding the shooting down of his U-2 over the Soviet Union.

Documents containing the thoughts and opinions of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. Most are from Russian archives, along with a few Bulgarian and Romanian documents. The collection includes comments on Stalin, the post-Stalin Soviet...

This primary document is a copy of the Helsinki Agreements of 1975 which recognized the borders in central and Eastern Europe that were set up since the end of WWII. They show the acceptance of the Soviet influence in Eastern Europe. and...

The story of America's first astronaut to orbit the earth during the Mercury Space program. After launching the program click on continue or on the numbers to learn about the story of the Mercury program and the first American to orbit...

Overview of the collapse of communism at the end of the 1980s and early 1990s ushered in by Mikhail Gorbachev and his reforms.

One of the most remarkable foreign policies of the 20th century, Nixon pursued detente in hopes of easing tensions with the Communist world.

Text of the Treaty of Nonaggression between Germany and the USSR,

An article in which the author argues that President Roosevelt misread Stalin and was naive about the nature of communism. This article was in response to an article by Arthur Schlesinger Jr.in which he suggested that FDR's policy toward...

Read about the many facets of Ronald Reagan's foreign policy during his presidency. Find out about support for anti-Communist fighters, detente with the USSR, and the Iran-Contra scandal.

The CATO Institute, dedicated to "Individual Liberty, Limited Government, Free Markets and Peace, offers "Marxist Dreams and Soviet Realities" by Ralph Raico, originally published as Cato's Letter #2 in 1998 prior to the fall of the USSR.

This site from the U.S. Army Center of Military History provides information on Japan's control of Korea, the subsequent change of control to the United States following World War II, and the USSR's involvement.

A brief, but clearly-stated, description of the downing of Francis Gary Powers' U-2 spy plane over the USSR during the Cold War. Powers survived the incident, and the USA claimed the spy plane was flying for weather purposes. Site...

Uncover the history behind the Soviet Union's T-24 tank used during World War II for training. This tank helped strengthen the tank building industry in the Soviet Union.

Describes the repression implemented by Joseph Stalin to maintain tight control of Russia. It was a reign of arrests and execution.

This site is from a unit that covers the period from the Second World War up to the Cold War. It looks at relations between the United States and the Soviet Union and the thinking of their leaders. Students are asked to consider five...

An information-packed encyclopedia article from Wikipedia on the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact presents a good summary of the events that led up to the signing of the pact. There is also a link to the text of the pact.