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beginning of the Cold War
- the "big three'' (America, Britain, and Russia) were fighting over what to do with their shares of Germany
- America and Britain gave back their land, Russia refused.
- they fought over ideas, mostly. America and Britain's pieces of Germany had democratic governments, while Russia's had communist.
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Period: to
Cold War
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Alger Hiss
-Wittaker Chambers accused Hiss of of lending him secret files of American Government to give to the Soviets
-Alger HIss denied it, but resigned his position of government.
-Chambers produced microfilms of the documents, to show to government that he did in fact have them.
-Jury couldnt agree on a verdict, as Hiss wouldn't be charged for spying since too much time had passed.
-Hiss was eventually found guilty, after Government provided proof of the copies with his typewriter. -
Vietnam War
- fought between North Vietnam,(communists),and South Vietnam (non-communists), allied by America. -North Vietnamese and Southern rebels wanted to overthrow and reunite Vietnam.
- while South Vietnam was supported by America, North Vietnam was sided with Vietcong, a guerilla force. -North won, communism overpowering Vietnam
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Sputnik
-The world's first artificial satellite, launched by Soviet Union
-caught the American Government offgaurd, they found the Soviet's being able to do this as a threat.
-America believed Russia's ability to launch Sputnik would allow them to launch ballistic missiles carrying nuclear weapons to the United States. -
U-2 Spy Planes
- American Spy plane was shot down over Soviet air space.
- America denied it being their plane, untill forced to admit the plane's purpose when the Soviets produced the plane's remains and Pilot, Francis Powers. -the incident embarrassed America, as it marked deterioration with the relationship with the Soviet Union
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Berlin Wall
- built in Germany to seperate East Berlin (communists) from West Berlin (democrats) and to stop East Berlin citizens from crossing into West Berlin illegally. -became a symbol of a world torn apart by different ideas or views. -symbolized the end of the cold war when it was torn down on November 9th, 1989.
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Cuban Missile Crisis
-Photographs on Americans spy planes caught Russian missiles being readied on Cuba.
- Kennedy quarantined Cuba with American Naval Ships, keeping Russia from being able to transport any more missiles, and demanded Russian missiles be removed.
- America set up missiles in Turkey, as an offense to Russia.
- Nikita Khrushchev sent a letter to Kennedy, suggesting America remove missiles from Turkey in exchange for Russia removing their missiles from Cuba. -
Chinese Revolution
- designed to further cement socialism in China by removing capitalist elemtns from society. -Mao Zedong's theory- "continuing revolution', was all buorgeis elements be removed by revolutionary violent class struggle by mobelizing China's youth. -mao claimed the end of the war in 1969, but it officially ended at his death in 1976
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SALT I & SALT II
-SALT-Strategic Arms Limitations Talks
-meeting between the Soviet Union and the United States, in attempt to limit production of nuclear weapons
- Soviets tried to overtake America with ballistic missiles and anti-ballistic missiles
-Salt 1- limited coutnries' defensive missile system to 2 AB missile sites with 100 missiles each, eventually changed to 1 site. US withdrew in 2002
-Salt 2- limited long range bombers- didn't take effect until 1972. America withdrew in 1986. -
First Man on the Moon
-America launched Apollo 11 from Florida on July 16th, 1969
- Apollo 11 was crewed by Neil Armstrong(commander), Edwin Aldrin(Lunar module pilot) and Michael Collins( Command Module Pilot)
- Returned to Earth on July 24, 1969, with a backpack full of lunar rocks.
- Kennedy considered it a big acheivement, as America landed the first person on the moon before the Soviet Union
