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Marshall Plan
As the situation with communism progresses in Europe, the US realized that action needs to be taken to contain communism further. So, on June 5th George Marshall came up with the Marshall Plan. The plan suggests a program that aides the countries in Europe that needed financial support to defend themselves from communism. -
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Berlin Airlift
The conflict first arose when the USSR blockaded their territory surrounding Berlin off from the other powers. The idea was to starve out the other nations by allowing no supplies to enter or leave. Their plan eventually backfired when the US and UK started to airlift around 1.5 million tons of food into Berlin. After 200,000 flights, the blockade was lifted. -
NATO
NATO, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was a military alliance formed by the US, UK, Canada, France and other western nations. These nations all pledged support to each other in the event of conflict. Political shows how similar nations tend to stay similar in rule and ideals. Hence why NATO involves major democratic powers. -
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Korean War
Since WWII Korea was divided into two sections, North Korea (communist) and South Korea (democratic). In 1950 North Korea crossed the 38th parallel, the border of the two nations, and chaos ensued. South Korea was supported by the US and North was supported by communist China and the USSR. The war ended in 1953 and the border was restored. -
H-Bomb
The H bomb or hydrogen bomb, was a new advanced form of nuclear weapon. The H- Bombs were about 1,000 times more powerful than the previous atomic weaponry. The bombs had a bigger blast which increased most of the effects and made them way more devastating. -
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McCarthy Hearings
United States Senator Joseph McCarthy holds a series of hearings in investigation of the United States Army. The hearings investigated the army for not searching and fighting communism in the US to his standards. -
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Dien Bien Phu
A battle in Indochina (Vietnam) between the French the Northern Vietnam communist-nationalists. The french were attempting to take back their territory in Indochina fro Ho Chi Minh. In the end the French lost, and thus lost control and influence in the area. -
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw pact is the opposing alliance to NATO. This is a military alliance that was established in 1955, years before NATO. This pact differs from NATO based on the fact that it was forced rather than consensual. The USSR forced 7 of its controlled nations into an alliance that they would never have consented to. Political views how the USSR and US differ in how they accomplish alliances and power. How the USSR desires force and the US and democratic nations desire consent and understanding. -
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Space Race
Soon into the arms race, the US and USSR realized missiles could be more effective if they were able to shoot them into space. Therefore, the two nations put all they had into developing space exploration. On April 12th 1961, the Russians successfully sent a Yuri Gagarin into space. Soon followed by the US planting a man on the moon in 1961. -
Sputnik
Sputnik was a satellite launched by the Soviet Union as a result of the space race in the cold war. The Satellite's purpose was to transmit radio pulses detectable on Earth -
U-2
Event in which a United States spy plane was shot down by the Soviet Union while in a aerial photography reconnaissance mission. The US attempted to cover up the incident but were forced to face it when the Soviets came forward with the captured pilot. -
Election of JFK
Election of 1960 in which democrat John F Kennedy went up against Republican Richard Nixon. JFK won the popular and electoral college votes making him the 35th president of the United States. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
Since the uprising of communism in Cuba, the US had begun training Cuban exiles and soldiers to go into Cuban and overthrow Castro and his regime. The invasion was a complete disaster and resulted in the US beginning to fear what would happen to their country next. -
Pentagon Papers
The pentagon papers were a US Department of Defense study on the US involvement in the Vietnam conflict. Daniel Ellsberg photocopied the papers and sent them to the NY times to be distributed. -
Cuban Missle Crisis
In the Summer of 1962, the situation in Cuba turned from bad to worse. The soviet union planted nuclear missiles in Cuba. This resulted in fear and panic in the US. If Cuba declared the US as an enemy, many major cities could be annihilated as a result. The US blockaded the entirety of Cuba in an attempt to starve out Cuban resources. In October 1962 the missiles were pulled from Cuba. -
JFK Assassination
While riding in a presidential motorcade in Dallas, Texas Kennedy was struck by two different bullets, the second being a fatal head shot. The shooter was allegedly Lee Harvey Oswald a former US marine. Roughly 45 minutes after the shooting Lee Harvey Oswald was killed by a police officer. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
A resolution put in place by the United States in response to the Gulf of Tonkin Incident. Which was when the USS Maddox was attacked by a North Vietnamese torpedo boat. The resolutions goal was to promote peace with Indochina and other south east Asian nations. -
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Tet Offensive
North Vietnamese forces repeatedly attack over 100 cities in South Vietnam. The goal was to start rebellion against US aid and stay in Vietnam. But it resulted in a US/South Vietnam tactical victory -
Moon Landing
Apollo 11 marked the first Moon landing during the space race. The United States astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin both landed on the moons surface creating a milestone in space exploration -
Kent State University Shooting
During a Vietnam War protest at Kent State University, 28 guards fired on protesters. The action killed 4 students and wounded 9. -
Paris Peace Accords
Peace treaty signed by North and South Vietnam and the US to end conflict and promote peace. The treaty ended direct US military involvement and attempt to stop fighting between both sides of Vietnam. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
The Berlin wall was a wall that was put as a division for the East and West sides of Berlin. The wall was originally built as a barrier to prevent fascism from spreading again. Eventually it became a highly guarded border that resisted immigration and integration between the side owned by the Soviet Union and the side owned by the democratic nations.
