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V-J Day
Victory over Japan Day. The surrender of the Japanese led to the end of WWII. -
Period: to
Cold War
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Iron Curtain Speech
Winston Churchill delivers his famous "Iron Curtain" speech at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. The implications of the speech meant that the United States and the United Kingdom solidified their alliance against the soviets. -
Marshall Plan
Named after Secretary of State George Marshall, this was essentially the European Recovery Program (ERP). The plan was put in place to help rebuild European countries after WWII so they would not fall to the Soviet Communism. -
Berlin Blockade
This was a political play by the Soviets to shut off all support from the Western Allies to give support to Germany, which in turn would give them total control of the area. In addition, this was one of the first international crises of the Cold War, the first with casualties. This led the west to develop the Berlin Airlift, dropping supplies of by airplane to the blockaded area. -
NATO Founded
NATO or North Atlantic Treaty Organization founded. The member states of NATO are the two North American countries of Canada and the United States along with 26 countries in Europe. This made a pact within the members that they would offer protection to other members upon being attacked. -
Berlin Blockade Ends
End of the Berlin Blockade by the Soviets because of the successfulness of the Berlin Airlift. -
McCarthy Era
The start of the McCarthy Era, which was named after the Senator from Wisconsin Joseph McCarthy, was an unfounded witch hunt for communist, which led to no known convictions of communism. McCarthy took advantage of a nation under stress and fear from the Cold War and made many believe that there was a major threat of communism within the government and among neighbors. The tomfoolery came to an end when McCarthy accused the US Army of being communists, which again turned up no communists. -
Korean War
The Korean War was a military conflict between South Korean who was supported by the United States and North Korean who was supported by the People's Republic of China. After the Japanese surrender in WWII the Korean Peninsula was divided at the 38th parallel. North Korean formed a communist nation and the US backed the South against communism. The North invaded the South starting a war on the Korean Peninsula. -
Vietnam War
Nov. 1st 1955 was the start of a long battle in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia against communist governments. The end result was an American withdrawal of troops and the takeover of the North Vietnamese communist government of Laos, Cambodia, and the dissolution of South Vietnam. -
Sputnik
The Soviet launching of the Sputnik space craft effectively started the era of the Space Race. -
U-2 Incident
The U-2 Incident happened under the Eisenhower administration. U-2 was an American spy plane that was making rounds over the Soviet states for information. The plane was shot down on Soviet Airspace, initially Eisenhower denied it happened. When Khrushchev told him they have parts and the pilot of the plane, it was a huge embarrassment for the United States and did not help with Soviet-American relations. Eisenhower later apologized. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
The Bay of Pigs Invasion was a failed attempted put in by the Kennedy administration of CIA-trained Cuban Exiles to overthrow Fidel Castro. This again did not lead to great relations with Cuba or the Soviets. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation between the United States, the Soviet Union, and Cuba. The Soviets and Cuba had built nuclear missile bases on Cuba and the United States found this out and had a number of missiles built and ready to fire upon Moscow. This in turn led to reactions of the Soviets by supplying more missiles in Cuba, nearly leading to WWIII. The confrontation was only averted by Kennedy and Khrushchev finally coming to an agreement. -
John F. Kennedy Assassination
John F. John F. Kennedy is assinated in Dallas, Texas. -
Gulf of Tonkin Incident
Gulf of Tonkin incident was an incident between the United States and the North Vietnamese. This led to the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution gave the power to Lyndon B. Johnson to assist any Southeast Asian country fighting against communism. -
150,000 American Troops Dispatched
150,000 American troops are dispatched to Vietnam, marking a major escalation in the Vietnam War. -
Apollo 11
The US led space mission to put the first man on the moon. -
Watergate Scandal
The Watergate Scandal shook the American public to its core. It was a break-into the Democratic National Committee headquarters to steal election information for the 1972 election, which the Republican Richard Nixon won. The American public was later hesitant to trust any politicians. -
Nixon Resigns
Richard Nixon resigns from the presidency after his involvement in the Watergate Scandal is discovered from tape recordings. Leaving shame upon his name and the Republican Party. -
Cease Fire in Vietnam
A cease fire in the Vietnam War between the United States and the North Vietnam armies leading to the North Vietnamese overtake of Cambodia, Laos and eventually dissolution of South Vietnam’s government. -
Iran Hostage Crisis
The Iran Hostage Crisis was a diplomatic crisis between the United States and Iran where 52 Americans were held hostage for 444 days at the American Embassy in Iran. This was a play by Iran to show support for the Iranian revolution. This put a major strain of American-Iranian relations. -
Strategic Defense Initiative
This was a proposal by Ronald Reagan to use ground and space based forces to defend against nuclear ballistic missiles. -
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF)
This was the signing of a pact by the United States president Ronald Reagan and Soviet Union Head of the State Mikhail Gorbachev to stop the use and building of Nuclear Missiles, tightening the US-Soviet relations. -
Mikhail Gorbachev Acends to Power
Mikhail Gorbachev coming to power in the Soviet Union marked a huge turning point in the Cold War and the US-Soviet relations. Gorbachev had a decidedly different approach from his predecessors, and adopted Perestroika and Glasnost policies, resulting in better foreign relations and more freedom for Soviet citizens. -
Berlin Wall Falls
The fall of the Berlin Wall was the first step in the reunification of Germany. -
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
The Dissolution of the Soviet Union meant the end of communism and the effective end of the Cold War. -
Kahlen
Kahlen's B-Day -
James
Jame's Birthday
