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World War 2 Ends
On the 8th of May 1945 Germany surrenders unconditionally to allied forces. Japan surrendered unconditionally September 2, 1945. This ends World War 2.
Picture of nuclear plume from Nagasaki received from:
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/japan-photos-devastated-cities-hiroshima-nagasaki-after-us-atomic-bombs-1562334 -
Europe's Iron Curtain
The imaginary line dividing west Europe from the Soviet Union and U.S.S.R. satellite states. East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, and Yugoslavia were soviet satellite states dividing the Soviet Union from NATO aligned countries in the west.
Image retrieved from: http://www.justinegosling.com/iron-curtain/ -
Berlin Blockade and Airlift
West Berlin was a democratic state isolated on the communist side of the iron curtain. Some roads were open to provide supplies for west Berlin, but Stalin decided to close the roads. President Truman started to drop supplies to West Berlin via air drops. Started in 1948 and ended in 1949, with the allies proving that they can maintain supply lines for a long time.
Image retrieved from: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/berlin-airlift -
The Second Red Scare
Paranoia about communism in the U.S. was high at the time. Political figures used it to further their careers. Senator Joseph McCarthy spearheaded it and became a feared politician due to him accusing others of being communists. There were soviet spy rings during this time, furthering the paranoia.
Image received from: https://propagandacritic.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/flames-engulfing-flag.jpg -
Korean War
After World War 2, Korean peninsula was split into northern communist and southern anti-communist state backed by the U.S.. North Korea attacks the south, and U.S. sends in troops to help with containing the communist threat. Ended in a stalemate.
Retrieved from: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/korean-war-begins -
Space Race
Soviets launched first unmanned satellite, Sputnik 1, into orbit using rocket technology. Both U.S. and USSR used Nazi scientists to help develop the rocket technology. Soviets launched the first man, Yuri Gagarin, into orbit. US was first to land a man on the moon on July 20, 1969. Image retrieved from: http://www.history.com/topics/space-race -
The 1960 Election
Race relations were deteriorating in US and there was a lot of political uneasiness by 1960. In 1961, John F. Kennedy is elected president in a close race against Richard Nixon. He is known for having first televised presidential debate, creating the special forces program, and limiting nuclear testing. John F. Kennedy was assassinated November 22, 1963.
http://www.ushistory.org/us/56a.asp -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
Cuba had a revolution where communists took control of the country and eventually became a client of USSR. Kennedy took Cuban exiles and trained them as commandos to fight against Castro. The operation failed, 100 killed from the 1400 sent, US had to negotiate to get the others back. Image retrieved from: http://www.history.com/news/5-things-you-might-not-know-about-the-bay-of-pigs-invasion -
U.S. Involvement in Vietnam War
In 1961 Kennedy escalated US forces in Vietnam to help the South Vietnamese government fight off the North Vietnamese government to contain communism in Asia. US involvement would continue until 1969.
Image retrieved from: http://history1900s.about.com/od/vietnamwar/a/vietnamwar.htm -
Cuban Missile Crisis
Soviets wanted to place nuclear missiles in Cuba to protect them. The US detected nuclear launch apparatuses that were being built. For 13 days, both super powers went into negotiations. President Kennedy told the world about it. Soviets backed down and took the missiles from Cuba.
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/learning-from-the-missile-crisis-68901679/?no-ist -
Assassination of John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy was in Dallas, Texas to promote his reelection campaign. During the parade, he was shot by a Lee Harvey Oswald and died. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson becomes president.
Image retrieved from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/22/what-if-jfk-lived-alternate-history_n_4325831.html -
Gulf of Tonkin Incident
US Navy Destroyer was spotted on the Gulf of Tonkin. It was patrolling the gulf supporting an operation, and the N. Vietnamese attacked. 2 days later it was attacked again and intelligence said that they had torpedoes. There were no torpedoes or casualties but LBJ used this to get support for escalation.
Image retrieved from: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1961-1968/gulf-of-tonkin -
Lyndon B. Johnson
Came into presidency after Kennedy's assassination. Envisioned a "Great Society" and wanted to revamp education, urban renewal, conservation, and Medicare. Escalated ground operations in Vietnam, but could not contain it. Left the White House, but during the end of his presidency there were peace talks.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/1600/presidents/lyndonbjohnson -
Richard Nixon and the Watergate Scandal
Richard Nixon became president in 1968. He withdrew US troops from Vietnam and helped ease tensions with the USSR and China. During the democratic convention of 1972, there was a burglary. The burglars were caught with surveillance equipment that tied everything to Nixon's administration. He resigned as president in 1974.
Image retrieved from: https://www.whitehouse.gov/1600/presidents/richardnixon -
Reagan and Gorbachev
President Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev begin a series of agreements on nuclear weapons. In 1986 and 1987 they remove short and medium range nuclear missiles from Europe.
Image retrieved from: http://fair.org/extra/the-media-and-the-summit/ -
The End of the Cold War
In December 25, 1991, President Reagan declared the Cold War to be over. The Soviets withdrew from a hard campaign in Afghanistan and the arms race was hurting the American economy. The Berlin Wall came down in 1990 and in 1991 the Soviet Union dissolved into their separate satellite states.
