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McCarthyism begins
In 1950, McCarthy stated he had a list of Communist party members that were in the State Department. In 1953, during his second term as Senator, was put in charge of the Committee of Government Operations, which allowed him to launch an even more expansive investigations of the alleged communist infiltration of the federal government. -
Korean War
The Korean War was the first military action of the Cold War. About 75,000 soldiers from the North Korean People's Army poured across the 38th parallel, the boundary between the Soviet-backed Democratic People's Republic of Korea to the north and the pro-Western Republic of Korea to the south.
https://www.history.com/topics/korea/korean-war
(watch the video at the top of the page) -
Guatemala elects Jacabo Arbenz
Arbenz had support of the army and the left-wing political parties, including the Guatemalan Communist Party as he succeeded the presidency. He made agrarian reform his central project of his administration, which led to a clash with the U.S.-based United Fruit Company, whose land he tried to take. -
Rosenberg Spy Case
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, a married couple, were convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage. They were accused of relaying information to the Soviet Union about the atomic bomb. -
Khrushchev comes to power in the Soviet Union
Khrushchev was selected as one of five men named to the new office of Secretariat of the Communist. This selection was crucial in his rise to power, which he ended up being elected into that position. After Stalin died, he organized a coalition of politicians to force Malenkov to relinquish his position as first secretary. -
U.S. overthrows Iranian government
The overthrow of the Iranian government was one of the best known covert actions by the CIA. The CIA worked with Britain to change Iran's government. The U.S. and Britain forced Mohammed Mossadegh out of power and had Shah come to power, which was planned. -
John Foster Dulles is Secretary of State
John Foster Dulles was appointed Secretary of State by President Dwight Eisenhower. Dulles made an indelible mark upon U.S. foreign policy that included close cooperation between the Department of State and the Central Intelligence Agency as well as a focus upon international mutual security agreements designed to contain communism. -
Hungarians Overthrow Communist Government
For two weeks, there were protests, which the Soviets crushed, and political instability. Many Hungarians took to the streets to demand a more democratic political system. The Soviets appointed Nagy to be the new premier. Nagy, however, pushed for the Hungarian revolt and announced that Hungary was withdrawing from the Warsaw Pact. -
Sputnik Launched
Sputnik was the world's first artificial satellite that was about the size of a beach ball and weighed 183.9 pounds, and took about 98 minutes to orbit Earth on its elliptical path. This marked the start of the space age and the U.S.-U.S.S.R space race. -
Fidel Castro Comes to Power in Cuba
Castro transformed his country into the first communist state in the Western Hemisphere and became a symbol of communist revolution in Latin America. Once in power, he pursued more radical policies like, nationalizing Cuba's private commerce and industry, instituting sweeping land reforms, and taking American businesses and agricultural estates.
