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Period: to
Cold War Events through 1980
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Potsdam Conference
The Cold War grew out of leftover distrust from World War II between two major players and their supporters - the United States and the former USSR. Ironically, the two nations ended the war as allies; both victors. That began to crumble shortly after WWII. Although certain agreements were made at Potsdam it was clear that the Soviets and Americans (& British) had different beliefs about government and how Europe should be organized. http://faculty.washington.edu/qtaylor/a_us_history/cold_w -
Manhattan Project
Hiroshima - First Hand AccountsAlthough the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was the end of WWII, it contributed to the lack of distrust that led into the Cold War. Arrangements had been made as to how the major Allied Powers would deal with Japan. The USA, under President Harry Truman, unveiled their top secret weapon to end the war as quickly as possible, leaving the USSR feeling a little "out of the loop." http://www.osti.gov/manhattan-project-history/Events/1945/hiroshima.htm -
Communist Albania
This event was evidence that the Soviet Union planned on reneging on their promise that Eastern European countries could hold free elections. The US saw this as a threat to democracy and freedom. http://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2015/12/250428.htm -
Truman Doctrine
Harry Truman and the Truman DoctrineWith this Doctrine, President Harry Truman made a bold statement to the world that the US will take action to protect countries that are threatened by communism. By this time, communist governments were considered to be authoritarian forces that set the stage for oppression. According to Truman, American’s could not stand for that. Truman’s policy was immediately implemented in Greece and Turkey where the Soviets were “meddling’ in political affairs. https://history.state.gov/milestones/19 -
Israel Is Created
Without knowing the background and all of the deep-seeded issues involved in the creation of Israel as a nation, one might not see the "big deal" about creating a nation for the persecuted Jews. But this piece of land is considered holy to many, and to this day, there is conflict in the area as the different groups try to live side by side. http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/foreignpolicy/peace/guide/pages/declaration%20of%20establishment%20of%20state%20of%20israel.aspx -
The Berlin Airlift Begins
At times, the US and Soviets came face to face in the same location. This took place in the city of Berlin after being divided into occupation zones. The Soviets proved that they had no intention of playing nice by establishing a blockade that kept the Western part of the city from having food, coal, and electricity. The Allied response was to airlift food over the blockade to the people in need. https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/berlin-airlift -
NATO
NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization) was created largely in part to stop the spread of communism. The military alliance also acted as a watchdog for rising political or militant groups that might threaten the security of Europe. This link contains some great videos about NATO and the nations that participated, as well as a video of the actual signing of alliance by the original 12 members.
http://www.nato.int/history/nato-history-videos.html -
USSR Detonates Atomic Bomb
Duck and Cover Propaganda Film 1950'sDuck and Cover Propaganda FilmWithin just a few years...and with the help of spies embedded in US government programs...the Soviets showed that they were able to inflict the same level of destruction when they detonated their own atomic bomb. This led to a build-up of nuclear weapons between the two world powers. It also led to a fear among people around the world for their safety.
http://www.coldwar.org/articles/40s/soviet_atom -
NSC-68
The NSC-68 was a top secret report that referred to the USSR as hostile and encouraged the mass build-up of weapons...even nuclear weapons. Ironically, this "security" report led to a loss of security for people across the world as they realized to what extremes the governments would go to defend their interests.
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/NSC68 -
Korean War
The Korean War was fought for liberation of South Korea from the communist North. American's saw pictures such as this one in newspapers showing the crisis through tinted lense. (through July 27, 1953) Overall, twenty-one countries, through NATO, fought to defend South Korea from the North. The 2 million lives lost are testiment to the determination of NATO to contain communism.
http://korean-war.commemoration.gov.au/cold-war-crisis-in-korea/ -
Propoganda
The media and certain governments on both sides of the war used various ways to inform Americans about bad guys and bullies in the fight against communism. Media outlets (government controlled, of course) did the same thing in the Soviet Union to gain support from their citizens. Propaganda is a very powerful tool for impacting the psychological and emotional responses of viewers.
http://www.americanforeignrelations.com/O-W/Propaganda-Cold-war.html -
Sputnik the "Russian Traveler"
In 1957, Russia surprised the world by sending the first man-made satellite into orbit. This made a huge statement about Russia's ability to move to the top of the technological food chain. This one event was the start of a new dimension of competition between the major world powers. The Space Race had begun.
http://history.nasa.gov/sputnik/ -
Bay of Pigs Invasion - Cuba
President Kennedy Addresses the NationWhether you want to blame Pres. Eisenhower for training the Cuban rebels, or Pres. Kennedy for giving the final blow, this event did not do much for America's image. If anything, the US assistance (and instigation) of a rebellion in communist Cuba was seen as meddling and out of line.
http://www.jfklibrary.org/JFK/JFK-in-History/The-Bay-of-Pigs.aspx -
Berlin Wall
It seems absurd now that the USSR built an actual wall down the middle of Berlin, trapping people on the East side in the Communist half of the city. At the time, Stalin was communicating to the Americans, British and French that he would run his part of Berlin the way he wanted to. If anyone didn't like it, too bad.http://adst.org/2014/08/the-berlin-wall-is-built-august-13-1961/ -
Cuban Missle Crisis
In October of 1962, evidence emerges that the Soviets have missile sites in Cuba. This event was partly in response to US missiles stationed in Turkey; a country in close proximity to the USSR. The concept of brinkmanship was never as apparent as it was here as the US and Soviet ships came to a standoff in the Atlantic Ocean...one that could have caused WWIII.
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1961-1968/cuban-missile-crisis -
Vietnam War
Events that took place during the Vietnam war had a major impact on how Americans viewed the fight against communism. For the first time, footage of real war events were broadcast on television and people were horrified at what they saw. They began to question what the purpose was behind not only our involvement in Vietnam, but in our fight to eliminate communism.
http://www.coldwar.org/articles/50s/vietnam_conflict.asp -
Protesting the Vietnam War
The SDS (Students for a Democratic Society) led a march at Washington DC that was the largest organized event to protest the Vietnam war up to that point. Shortly before, a woman in Detroit set herself on fire, and other protest events took place across the nation. Many more were to follow; speaking not only to US politicians, but also making it clear to the rest of the world that US involvement in the war did not have the support of its citizens.
http://depts.washington.edu/antiwar/vietnam -
US/China Diplomacy
It was a big step towards the end of the Cold War when Democratic USA and Communist China established diplomatic relations. It showed the world that even what was once seen as two forces that could not exist side by side, common ground could be found. It turned out that ping-pong was the perfect tool to thaw the ice between the two countries.
http://faculty.washington.edu/qtaylor/a_us_history/cold_war_timeline.htm
