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Churchill's Iron Curtain Speech
Delivered by England's Winston Churchill, the Iron Curtain speech thanking the United States and stating the power of the two countries alliance. He also warned of the expansion thirsty communists, warning against future Hitler figures within the Soviets. He stated metaphorically that an iron curtain of ideal was drawn across Europe, separating the freedom in the west and the tyranny in the east. -
Trumen Doctrine
Established by Harry S. Trumen, the doctrine states that the United States of America would provide economic, military and political assistance to all democratic nations against the threat of communism. This was a drastic change from being isolationist to now stating the the Us would involve and intervene in foreign affairs. -
Hollywood Hearings
In 1947 the HUAC turned attention to Hollywood actors, screenwriters, and industry and called up witnesses to give a testimony to prove that they were not communist. Ten of these people refused to complete the trial and were fined and jailed, loosing their reputation and being blacklisted in American society. -
The Molotov Plan
Created by the Soviets to aid countries in Eastern Europe in rebuilding and restoration after World War II. The Soviets wanted to help countries that were politically aligned to them. This plan was created after the Soviets rejected the Marshall Plan created by the United States. -
Marshall Plan
A United States initiative that directed the aid to Western Europe and the rebuilding of economies after WWII. The goals of this program included rebuilding devastated areas, remove trade barriers, modernize industry, and prevent the spread of communism. -
Berlin Airlift
In the divided Berlin, the Soviets, who were unsatisfied with Berlin being a place of anti-communism in their sector, closing all commutes, the Soviets then proceeded to blockade their part of Berlin. This left the only means of supply to be brought from Allied cargo planes. Life within the blockade was harsh and there were great measures kept to prevent anyone from entering and exiting the area. -
Berlin Blockade
The first international crisis of the Cold War, the Berlin Blockade was a prevention and blockage of western transportation systems into the communists and soviet ruled East Berlin. In response the allies sent over supplies with aircraft to eastern Berlin's population -
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was established, being a treaty between its members to act together in defense against the attack of external offenses. With goals to keep the world in peace and prevent any future wars, NATO was put in replacement of the United Nations and is still in place today. -
Soviet Atomic Bomb Test
Code named "First Lightning", on this date the USSR successfully set off their first nuclear bomb via remote. The bomb was tested around built mock city and civilian structures, as well as live caged animals to record the dramatic atrocities of the effects. -
Alger Hiss Case
Alger Hiss is tried in 1948 for being a communist and aiding the Soviet Union. In 1950 he was charged with perjury and sent to prison, pleading his innocence still. -
Korean War
A war against the international forces of communism, North and South Korea fought for a nationalist or communist style of government. America sends over troops to ensure that Korea doesn't fall to communism and the result is a truce along the 17th parallel, splitting the countries into two, North Korea being communist and South Korea being nationalist with a neutral zone in between. -
Rosenburg Case
Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were charged with being Soviet spies and giving the Soviet nation United State's atomic information, leading to the accelerated rate in which the Soviet Union successfully tested an atomic bomb. They were found guilty ad later executed by an electrocution chair. -
BATTLE OF DIEN BIEN PHU
It was during the battle of Dien Bien Phu, a town in Vietnam, that the French were defeated and served as the climax for the French-Indo wars. The Vietnamese wanted to rid their country of European and foreign control, the French underestimated their opponents and were forced to surrender. -
Army- McCarthy Hearings
Dominating the US television, Senator McCarthy made outrageous accusations over members of the army being communist. Using his popularity, influence, and power he began blackmailing people with the fear that he could accuse them as communists, later however he was discredited. -
Geneva Conference
To address the issues and wars in Asia, world powers met in Geneva, this conference would turn into the turning pint for Us involvement in Vietnam. While agreements between the French and Vietnam, and the French were forced to surrender after a horrific defeat, this would result in a border line dividing the country of Vietnam into North communists and the south. The US feared the problems that would occur is the South was defeated by the North communists. -
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Vietnam War
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Warsaw Pact
A pact signed by the Soviet Union, Albania, Poland, Romania, Hungary, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Bulgaria that was an agreement that if any nation was attacked by outside arms, all members would join in unified command of the Soviet Union to establish defense. -
Invasion of Hungary
The Hungarians being held under control of Communist Russia and soon people were protesting for rights including personal freedom, more food, the removal of the secret police, the removal of Russian control. To stop this revolt, Russia sent in tanks into the streets of Budapest to exterminate the protesters and strike fear into the Hungarians. -
Bay of Pigs
A top secret American invasion of Cuba planned by the US to overthrow Fidel Castro. The attacked failed because there was no backup by planes and this was an embarrassment to the Kennedy administration and made America look weak. -
U2 Spy Incident
An international diplomatic crisis occurred when one of the United State's top secret U2 pilots was shot down out of the sky by the Soviet Union. His top secret mission to take pictures of the Soviet Union from the air was uncovered and despite many of his orders, the pilot survived and had to be bargained for by the United States. -
Berlin Wall
After WWII, with tensions rising between the west and est side of Berlin the Soviets put up a barbed and concrete wall around their sector of Berlin and prevented any outside influences, thus separating families and containing people. This was a permanent shut down of the boarder. People escaping were shot on sight and the wall was reinforced with tons of concrete, fencing, guards, and completely fortified. -
Cuban Missle Crisis
On the verge of a nuclear war, the Us and Soviet nations had increasing tension and almost plunged into nuclear war when the Soviets refused to stop the shipment of nuclear missals on Cuba which is only around 80 feet from the United States, war was avoided however with diplomatic reasoning. -
Assassination of Diem
With the overthrow of his government because he was a corrupt and detached leader. The US set up a top secret coup to gather him and his brother's and he was found murdered later that night. He was corrupt and the US knew that his leadership would continue the chaos in South Vietnam. -
Assassination of JFK
President JFK was assassinated during a parade in Dallas Texas, and sadly died later in a hospital, leaving the presidency to Johnson. The country was shaken and thrown into despair and fear because he was an idolized president and this was the first modern political assassination in the United Stated. -
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
With increasing US involvement in Vietnam, in the Gulf of Tonkin two US destroyer ship radioed in that they had been attacked by the Northern Vietnamese and this lead to President Johnson pleading further military action in Vietnam. This caused the nation to feel the need for more military response. -
China tests successfully an Atomic bomb
China successfully tests an atomic bomb. This increased tension between the United States and the Soviet Union. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
The Us military strategy to defeat Vietnam was called Rolling Thunder and included severe and extensive air bombing of North Vietnam targets. This tactic would be in use until the end of the war in 1975. This strategy overwhelmed the northerners and was the first major US involvement in Vietnam. -
Tet Offensive
A huge offensive military assault by Northern Vietnamese served as a crucial turning point in the war. It was a coordinated attack that flooded around 100 cities and towns in Southern Vietnam. The news coverage of this event shocked and outraged the public and turned the majority of public opinion against the seemingly never ending war. -
Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
Another political assassination that killed the inspiration and spiritual leader that had moved thousands and lead the civil rights movement. His death would outrage the country and be the cause of many riots in the South. Killed by James Earl Ray, who would confess a year later, MLK was killed in Memphis, Tennessee. -
Assassination of R.F. Kennedy
A favored and possible future president, tragically like his brother, Robert Kennedy was shot and killed during one of his campaigns by means of political assassination and died in a hospital at Los Angeles, CA. His death caused an eruption of many conspiracy theories as people tried to grasp the terrible news of his passing. -
The Invasion of Czechoslovakia
The Soviet Invasion led Warsaw Pact troops to control and prevent reformists in Prague, taking control of the city swiftly. This shocked much of the world. While the Czechs were intending on joining the United State's Marshall plan to aid in postwar rebuilding this was prevented by the communist Soviets. -
Riots at Democratic National Convention in Chicago
During the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, riots between thousands of anti-war protesters and federal officers erupted violently. beating and gassing the protesters, the violence shocked and stirred the nation. The opinion over the war was negative and the country was acting up in favor of ending the war and withdrawing sons out of Vietnam. The violence was recorded and TV and the shattering Democratic party was internally loosing structure. -
Election of Richard Nixon
Being one of the closest races in history, representing a very divided nation, Republican Nixon won presidency over the democratic nominee. He won with his promise to bring the country back together again and to a way to peace with honor in Vietnam and resolve the conflict quickly. His idea of foreign policy favored the public opinion to withdraw men from Vietnam. However his promises would prove to be hard to fully accomplish. -
Kent State shootings
Nixon appeared on television to announce his invasion into Cambodia and the need to draft around 15,000 more of American's men into the war. This announcement outraged and caused numerous riots outside of university campuses. On the Kent State campus in Ohio, the protesters began to set buildings on fire. Amidst the chaos, governor of Ohio dispatched 900 Nation Guardsmen to the area which opened fire on the crowd of students and killed four. -
Nixon visits China
A dramatic first step towards recognizing the Republic of China and normalizing the relationships between the two countries, Nixon lands in China and starts the slow process of establishing diplomatic relationships. He political move drove to divide the two large powered communist countries of Russia and China. -
Ceasefire in Vietnam
While a cease fire was put into action around Saigon, both sides, the South and the North violated this call to cease fire and an endless chain of retaliations resulted around the area. Around 25,000 South arms were killed and 45,000 communists fatalities were recorded. -
Fall of Saigon
With communists finally controlling the Southern capital of Saigon. With communists seizing control US soldiers were previously evacuated by helicopter years earlier. Southern Vietnam refuges also in massive numbers desperately tried to be evacuated. Many native Southerners felt abandoned and tried to leave on boats, many were later forced into concentration camps and tortured. While the Americans considered the war over in 1972, the war was still continuing until this point. -
Election of Ronald Reagan
Winning the election by a landslide, wanting to defeat communism, which he had been fighting against for most of his life. Entering the country, he was a former actor born in Illinois. He would cut taxes and dramatically increase military and defense spending beginning an arms race between the US and the Soviet Union. -
Announcement of SDI ('Star Wars Plan')
Going in front of the country, President Ronald Reagan proposes the funding to create a space missile defense system that will be able to destroy Soviet missile out of the atmosphere and protect the United States. While Russia claims that this will never be done, they see this as an immediate threat and begin to do the same. Termed by the country as the Star Wars plan because it was like the popular movie and seem the work of science fiction, it was never actually achieved. -
1st Geneva Conference
President Ronald Reagan and the new leader of Russia, Mikhail Gorbachev met as representatives of their country for the first time in eight years to begin to transition to party normalized relationships. While nothing was established directly from the meeting, it was the first step towards a relationship and both countries agreed to have better control of arms and prevention of nuclear war. -
'Tear Down This Wall' Speech in Berlin
Seen as a risky move when cooperation with the Soviets was becoming better, Ronald went to West Berlin and stood with his back against the dividing Berlin wall gathering attention of many. Seen as one of his greatest political moments, he gave a speech on human rights and freedom and challenged directly calling out Gorbachev to tear down the wall and let the people choose. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
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Fall of the Berlin Wall
With Gorbachev announcing a change in the city's relationship to the East, he ordered a tearing down of the Berlin wall to let the people be able to choose. This dramatically marked the end of the cold war as Gorbachev would later dissolve the Soviet Union and let smaller sub countries regain their freedom and country! The end of the cold war would forever be marked with the reunification of Berlin.