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HUAC
The House Un-American Activities Committee was a committee made up of members from the House of Representatives. This committee investigated allegations made of potential communist activity. They wielded their power as a weapon calling anyone suspicious to testify in front of congress. This led to dramatic and questionable revelations about communism in America. -
Truman Doctrine
Communist rebels were trying to overthrow governments in Turkey and Greece. As a result Truman asked for 400 million dollars to aid struggling countries against communism. This dictated US foreign policy. As a result the Truman Doctrine became US foreign policy. -
Hollywood Black List
10 public figure working in Hollywood were taken before HUAC and refused to answer their questions. The were sent to prison for the contempt of congress and were blacklisted by Hollywood. The blacklist was eventually lifted though most ever worked for Hollywood again. Some did write under pseudo names, and once the ban was lifted, got back to writing under the real names. -
Marshal Plan
The US gave aid to many countries to help rebuild them. They thought that if these countries were strong, they would not be susceptible to communism and boost the US economy. The plan helped to redevelop many European countries economies. The Marshall plan is also often identified as the start of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. -
Berlin Blockade and Airlift
The tensions were high between the Soviet and the former Allies in WWII. Alarmed by the U.S. offering, economic aid, and the new currency created in West Berlin, the Soviets blocked all form of travel to the western zones of Berlin. As a result, 2.5 million civilians had no access to the supplies the needed. The U.S. and Britain flew the supplies needed to West Berlin to help with the lack of supplies. -
Alger Hiss Perjury Conviction
Hiss was the perfect citizen until Whittaker Chambers ruined his cover by telling HUAC that Hiss was one of his contacts. Hiss the denied everything, including knowing Chambers. As a result he was sentenced to five years in prison due to perjury. HUAC also grew in power as they put away another communist. -
NATO
The fear of the spread of communism caused the United States to form NATO or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. This alliance were Canada and 11 other Western European countries. As a result, the Soviet Union made their own alliance. This alliance was called the Warsaw Pact. The creation of this pact finalized the division of Europe. -
1950's Music
In the 1950's the music life was changing drastically. New types were popping up and becoming more and more popular. These types included Rhythm and Blues and Rock 'n' Roll. African American style music was also becoming increasingly popular. -
Women in the 1950's
In the 1950's the role of women was still stuck in the home. The "modern women's" role was to take care of the family and be an obedient wife. They couldn't have jobs or friends or anything that would take away from their "duties" -
1950's Clothing
In the 1950's women would wear pencil dresses or dresses with a flared bottom. These dresses were usually bright in color and had a cinched waist. Men in the 1950's would wear suits with long coats for business, and for casual wear they would wear button up shirts tucked into their slacks. Their casual wear was colorful while their business wear was neutral in color. -
1950's Food
Food in the 1950's consisted of a mix of sweet and savory. Gelatin was big among fondue Swedish meatball and pineapple upside down cake. -
Korean War
The Korean war started when 75,000 soldiers invaded South Korea from North Korea. The invasion was the first military movement of the Cold War. This was a result of internal communism in Korea. As a result, North Korea and South Korea have been divided since -
1950's Technology
In the 1950's technology was rapidly improved. One of the major item created was the colored television. This item was created and ended up replacing the radio newspapers and magazines. -
Geneva Peace Accords
Representatives from world powers wanted to settle conflict in Asia, so they held a conference in Geneva. The discussed many of teh problems in Asia including the battle of Dien Bien Phu. As a result the Geneva Peace accords was signed. The French removed their troops from Vietnam and the Unites States developed an anti-communist government in South Vietnam. -
Dien Bien Phu
The French occupied the Dien Bien Phu valley in 1953. The Viet Minh commander placed troop and heavy artillery in caves overlooking the French. Giap, the commander, eliminated the use of their airfield. As a result they overran the base in early may. The French sought an end to the fighting, and singed the Geneva Accords. -
Suez Crisis
Israeli forces pushed into Egypt heading towards the Suez canal because the canal was nationalized by the Egyptian president. Th canal controlled two thirds of Europe's oil, so they soon joined the march as well. As a result the Soviet Union was almost dragged into the conflict. Europe also damaged their relationship with the U.S. and the Egyptians came out victorious. -
Eisenhower Doctrine
Similar to the Truman Doctrine, this doctrine would allow Eisenhower to aid countries in the Middle East. He would provide economic and military aid. As a result, Lebanon requested aid from the US. 15,000 troops were sent to help Lebanon with their disturbances. -
Bay of Pigs
In January of 1959, a Cuban nationalist overthrew the American backed president ruling in Havana. For two years the American government worked to remove him. Finally in April of 1961 the CIA launched a strike to invade Cuba. As a result, the strike failed. The troops surrendered after just 24 hours. -
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was built to separate East and West Berlin. It was intended to keep "fascists" out of East Germany. This was important because the Wall became a big symbol for the Cold War. The Wall caused tensions between countries to start to rise. In November of 1989 the wall was torn down. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The CIA tried to assassinate Castro multiple times. Khrushchev then decided to test Kennedy and installed nuclear weapons in Cuba. As a result Kennedy enacted a Naval blockade around Cuba. Khrushchev and the U.S. came to the agreement to remove the nuclear weapons from Cuba if he promised to not invade Cuba. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
The resolution was presented because of two attacks by North Vietnamese torpedo boats. This resolution allowed the United States to take any ensure to keep U.S. armies safe and prevent further attacks. As a result, the U.S. was formally integrated into the Vietnam War. But because of the power it gave the U.S., it was repealed in 1970. -
Tet Offensive
The Tet Offensive were coordinated attack from North Vietnam on South Vietnam. The goal was to get the United States to pull back their attacks on the Vietnam War. As a result, Americans were shocked and their support of the war was destroyed. This was the begging of the slow American withdraw from the war. -
My Lai Massacre
A company of American soldiers murdered most of people in My Lai on May 16th. More than 500 people were slaughtered, including women children and elders. As a result, U.S. Army officers covered up the massacre for a year. When it came out it further split the U.S.'s opinion on being involved in the war. -
Kent State University Shooting
Four Kent State student were murdered and nine others were injured during a college protest of the war. Members of the Ohio National Guard fired openly in the crowd when they were heading away from the protest but decided to turn around and fire instead. This resulted in a student led strike, forcing multiple universities to close. This also tilted public opinion about the war away from it. -
The Pentagon Papers
The Pentagon Papers was the name of a secret Department of Defense study. As the war dragged on, Daniel Ellsberg, a writer on the study, cam to the conclusion that the documents should be available to the public. As a result, the New York Times published a copy of the report. The papers solidified the American peoples suspicions and opinions about the Vietnam war. -
Paris Peace Accords
The United States, South Vietnam, Viet Cong and North Vietnam, signed an agreement that was said to end the war and restore peace in Vietnam. Though South Vietnam refused to Viet Cong's government, a second document was presented to them that did not reference Viet Cong. As a result, both sides agreed to pull troop from Vietnam. The South Vietnamese president also stayed in office pending and election. -
War Powers Act
The War Powers Act was a resolution draw to limit the U.S. president's ability to make decisions involving war. Among other requirement, it forces the president to consult congress after deploying armed forces and limit how long these units are out. While this act did help with the Vietnam war, there is constant debate over it's effectiveness. Many presidents either resist or ignore it all together. -
Fall of Saigon
The South Vietnamese stronghold, Saigon, fell to the North Vietnamese. When the North attacked they met little resistance, and the war was ended. The United States failed to keep Nixon's promises to keep Vietnam out of communist hands. As a result, Vietnam because a communist state still under the rule of Tran Van Huang.