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U.S. drops atomic bomb on Japan; World War II ends 8 days later
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Period: to
1945-2000
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Winston Churchill gives “Iron Curtain” speech in Missouri, tensions rise between United States and Soviet Union
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Marshall Plan enacted, providing American aid in rebuilding western and southern Europe, advances the Cold War significantly
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Unveiling of Truman Doctrine, announcing the U.S. would do everything in its power to contain communism
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Berlin Airlift shows American resolve against the spread of communism and Soviet aggression
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Creation of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
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President Eisenhower signs Interstate Highway Act, leading to massive government investment in road building and disinvestment in American downtowns and public transportation
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Federal court orders Little Rock to desegregate schools, violence results and forces federal government to intervene.
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East Germans raise Berlin Wall
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Cuban Missile Crisis—U.S. and Soviet Union come dangerously close to nuclear war
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Birmingham campaign of civil rights movement, Martin Luther King leads March on Washington to pressure President Kennedy to support civil rights legislation
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Civil Rights Act of 1964
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Richard Nixon and Leonid Brezhnev conclude talks on Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty, the most important treaty controlling the nuclear arms race
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Apple introduces Apple II, the first prominent personal computer
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Three Mile Island incident—near nuclear meltdown ends period of nuclear power growth in U.S.
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President Reagan launches “War on Drugs,” results lead to imprisonment of 20% of young black men on nonviolent drug charges.
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Challenger Space Shuttle explodes, event watched by nearly all schoolchildren because first teacher to enter space was onboard; national interest in space program declines
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Fall of Berlin Wall heralds end of Cold War, breakup of USSR in 1991 ensures its end.
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First Gulf War begins period of long-term American military involvement in the Middle East.
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creation of North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), expands both globalization and outsourcing of American manufacturing jobs abroad.
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Disputed presidential election, Supreme Court gives election to George W. Bush, voting on a strictly partisan basis
