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First Atomic Bomb Formed
This test was perfomed in Los Alamos, New Mexico and was planned for 3 years and named the Manhattan Project. This project was led by General Leslie R. Groves. This gave the United States an advantage in any future wars. This pushed other countries to develop their own bombs. -
Period: to
Cold War
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Creation of the Iron Curtain
This was the name of a speech made by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill at a graduation in Fulton, Missouri. In this speech he warns that the world is divided and one side is greatly influenced by the Soviets and Communism. -
Truman Doctrine
This doctrine was established from a speech by United States President Harry S. Truman. In this speech, he reaches out to any countries that are feeling threatened by communism. He realizes that Communism is a major threat to American safety. -
The Marshall Plan
Secretary of State George Marshall gives a speech at Harvard University where he explains his Marshall plan. This plan was to use $13 billion to help Europe recover from their losses of World War II. -
Berlin Airlift
The United States helps the city of Berlin by using aircraft to bring much needed supplies. This lasted for 11 months and prevented the Soviets from controlling Berlin because the United States was helping them. -
Soviet Union explodes its 1st Atomic Bomb
The Soviet Union responds to the United States' first bomb by creating their own. This surprised the whole world and added to the panic of the power of the Communists. -
Warsaw Pact Formed
This was a pact formed by powerful European countries. The leaders of the pact were the Soviets, giving them more power. Members included the Soviet Union, Albania, Poland, Romania, Hungary, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Bulgaria. -
Sputnik
The Soviets launched their first man-made satellite. This event put the Soviets ahead in a race to be the most powerful and most accomplished. They were able to show that although the U.S. launched a bomb before them, they launched the first man-made satellite. -
U-2 Incident
U-2 was a plane that was used by the United States to spy on the Soviet Union. This plane was immediately shot down by the Soviets. This was a step back from finding peace because it did not allow for a meeting between the Soviets and President Eisenhower. -
Bay of Pigs
The Bay of Pigs was an unsuccessful invasion of Cuba by Cuban exiles who were supported by the United States. This made many people of Cuba see the U.S. as an enemy that wanted to overthrow them. -
Berlin Wall is Built
The Soviets helped East Germany build the Berlin wall. This would prevent people from Berlin to leave the city. With this wall, the Soviets showed they had more power over Berlin. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Soviets helped Fidel Castro and the Cubans retaliate. President Kennedy found out and warned the Soviets that if any missile was fired by the Cuban it would result in the United States also launching missiles. -
China Explodes 1st Atomic Bomb
Communist China exploded their first bomb in 1964 making them the fifth country to launch an atomic bomb. This added more power to the Soviets and Communism. -
Berlin Wall is Demolished
After the Berlin Wall was preventing people from leaving for 30 years, the Berlin wall fell because the Communists were getting weaker. This was a major defeat in those who were opposed to Communism. -
Soviet Union is Abolished
The Soviet Union collapses and divides into fifteen separate countries. This ended the Cold War because Communism was no longer a large threat to the United States or any other countries.
