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Vietnam War Begins
Who: United States, Soviet Union,Vietnam soldiers, and communist forces.
What: War that pitted the communist government of North Vietnam against South Vietnam and their ally U.S.
When:November 1, 1955- April 30, 1975
Where:North and South Vietnam
Why: To stop the spread of communism
Significance: U.S. lost "proxy war" for the U.S. in a way making the Soviet Union win. Split Vietnam. Spread of communism. -
Bay of Pigs
When: April 17, 1961
Where: Bay of Pigs, Cuba
Who: A CIA-financed and trained group of Cuban refugees
What happened: A communist government is set up in Cuba and attacked the U.S. interests there. Eisenhower ordered the CIA to train and arm a force of Cuban refugees to take down the government by starting a revolution.The attack failed, leaving 100 of the Cuban refugees killed and 1,100 captured.
Why: To eliminate the Communist government in Cuba; To prevent the spread of communism -
Berlin Wall
When: August 13, 1961
Where: East Germany and West Berlin
Who: U.S.A France Great Britain Soviet Union
What: The Berlin Wall's purpose of the wall was to prevent East Germans from fleeing. At the end of WWII, Allied powers conquered and divided Germany into 4 zones. The German Democratic Republic was West Berlin and supported Communism while the Federal Republic of Germany was East Germany and supported Democracy.
Why: To eventually reunify Germany and restore its economy. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
Who: Leaders of the U.S. and the Soviet Union
What: 13-day political and military stand off over the installation of nuclear-armed soviet missiles on Cuba.
When: October 22, 1962
Where: 90 miles from U.S. shores
Why: to enact a naval blockade around Cuba, to invade Cuba.
Significance: It was an arms race to see who had the better weapons and the U.S. wanted to prove they have superiority over the Soviet Union. It was the beginning of the nuclear conflict. -
Limited Test Ban Treaty
Who: U.S.A, Great Britain and Soviet Union
When: August 5, 1963 but enforced on October 10, 1963
Where: Moscow, Russia
What: A treaty that discusses the prohibition of testing nuclear weapons in outer space, underwater, or in the atmosphere.
Why: The leaders of the Soviet Union and the United States engaged in a military and political standoff over who can build the better weapons (faster). -
Hotline Established
When: August 30, 1963
Where: The Pentagon in Washington, DC
Who: The U.S. and the Soviet Union
What happened: A hotline was established between the U.S. and the Soviet Union due to the Cuban Missile Crisis
Why: To help reduce the risk of war occurring by accident or miscalculation due to the fear of miscommunication
Significance: JFK was the first president to establish the hotline and it was considered efficient new technology at the time -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Who: U.S Senate and House of Representatives
What: Gave President full permission to do anything over at Vietnam.
When: August 7, 1964
Where: Gulf of Tonkin
Why: On Aug 2 and 4 of 1964, Vietnamese attacked naval destroyers belonging to the U.S. The U.S saw it as a calling to war that lasted for decades. -
Tet Offensive
When: Jan.30, 1968-Sept.23, 1968
Where: South Vietnam
Who: Ho Chi Minh and leaders in Hanoi
What happened: Assaults were launched towards cities and areas that were mostly populated with the U.S. troops. There were three phases of the attack that led to both sides claiming victory and U.S. and South Vietnamese military response almost completely eliminated NFL forces and regained all of it's lost territory.
Why: Was planned in hopes of achieving a decisive victory that would end conflict -
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)
Who: International
What: An international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology
When: July 1, 1968
Where: Moscow, Russia; London, UK; Washington DC, United States
Why: To promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and to further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament.
Significance: Stopped the bombing of countries in a way ending the arms race in the Cold War. -
Vietnamization
When: November 3, 1969-1973
Where: South Vietnam
Who: President Richard Nixion
What happened: America was gradually withdrawing its troops from the Vietnamese War
Why: the war created deep rifts in American society; America wanted to withdraw in an honorable manner and gradually transfer all military responsibility to South Vietnam
Significance: Played an important role in South Vietnam's fall to North Vietnam control
